---
title: People Are Obsessed With These $2,000 Jeans. Here’s Why
description: Japanese denim has attracted a cult following of customers, some of whom are willing to pay $2,000 for Momotaro jeans. Here's why
authors:
  - name: Jamie Ducharme
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published: '2018-06-06T14:33:38.000Z'
modified: '2019-05-14T18:17:30.000Z'
section: Lifestyle
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![Kojima - Japan's "Denim Mecca"](https://img.money.com/2018/06/momotaro-jeans.jpeg)
*A man works a weaving machine at the Momotaro Jeans in Kurashiki, Japan.*

Jeans scream Americana, but the world's denim capital may actually be situated a world away.

Industry insiders and fashion magazines have long revered Japanese jeans, thanks to their rough fabric, distinctive fade, crease lines and laser-sharp attention to detail. These days, luxury Japanese denim brands have attracted a cult following of customers willing to pay hundreds, and even thousands, of dollars for the perfect pair of jeans. Momotaro Jeans, for example, sells pants made on a hand-operated shuttle loom for $2,000 a pair, [the *Wall Street Journal* reports](https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-hottest-jeans-cost-2-000-and-are-made-in-japan-1528215523).

“American tradition made better? Many people have said that to us. We’re not thinking about making something American,” Momotaro Jeans general manager Tatsushi Tabuchi told the *Journal*.

Japanese denim brands such as Samurai, Big John and Needles have also been highlighted recently by fashion magazines [such as *Vogue*](https://www.vogue.com/article/best-japanese-denim-brands-selvedge-jeans).

Can't afford to drop $2,000 on a pair of jeans? Momotaro also sells hand-made jeans at a the relative bargain price of around $300, and mass-market brands such as Gap, Everlane and Uniqlo use Japanese denim in their products — at a more affordable price point.

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