Phil Goss of IJIN MATERIAL a man with an unrivalled denim pedigree!

Despite such a strong background in the field of traditional japanese jean-making, Philip Goss and ljin Material choose to make denim product with the clear intention of presenting the classic “leg” in an alternative way. The ethos of the brand is artisinal denim ideas. Whilst remaining strictly in the field of specialist jeans making , the ljin Material item purposley plays with distorting the rules of denim know-how & detailing and specifically avoids simply making vintage replicas. Italian based and produced , this free thinking label specialises in denim craftmanship and single production runs. The individualism of ljin Material centres around the “Half-Man” logo which symbolises the symmetrical folding techniques inherent to the way products are cut. Fanatical attention to detail is apparent in the manufacture, which uniquely minimises pattern pieces, reduces waste aswell as fully respecting the heritage of hand-made detailing.

Two principle cutting techniques identify ljin Material denim:

The highly original J5030 “foldedge-cut” leg was originated in 2003 as an idea to re-present the traditions of denim in an untraditional way. It is a highly deceptive item , with many common vintage details that have been either exaggerated or re-interpreted. This ” foldedge ” cutting technique is highly specialised, with the garment centred on the stronger warp thread and legs which will naturally collapse around the knee . This is where the fabric reaches near bias point,creating an inherent softness to the unwashed cloth. Worn from dry these ljin Material legs will render your wear patterns in a unique manner and can actually advance the natural ageing process of unlaundered indigo denim. This is defined by ljin Material as ” seasoning “.

The second cutting technique used is the” wrap-leg cut ” which involves cutting the cloth with a folded outer leg, as if using a selvedge denim.These are noteable by the fact that they have a completely clean finish hem. If they are turned up you will not see any unfinished or overlocked seams. Wrap-leg cut items are composed of only 10 key pattern pieces.This includes the 3 pockets. All ljin Material satndard legs are tailor-finished inside with a striped ticking lining , a coloured binding , whose colour is changed every year, up to 5 thread colours including the real lindigo ” invisible” thread and the classic union chain stitch hem, sewn on a vintage machine more than 60 yrs old.

ljin Material, however , will be five years old in 2008.lt is sold globally to specialist stores. “IJIN” is a very traditional japanese word once used to define someone as an ” outsider “, or ” foreigner “. It can sometimes mean “alien” , or ” black sheep “. These very words define the independant, self-financed company structure and label philosophy pioneered by Philip Goss , a Londoner, now resident in Italy. It is designed, presented and managed by one person and has been since 2003.

Ex St.Martins class of ’87, Philip has had numerous lives in the international design field. As creative director of Evisu International in 2000 for 3 years , he was reponsible for establishing the foundation of this highly specialised denim product line and then creating all of thecommercial designer lines into Europe. He now collaborates personally with Evis founder & friend – Yamane san – to produce a specialist denim line for the Japanese market only. His private label is called ” Evis 9055 -Philip Goss Edition ”