THE JEAN GENIUS

Engineer training and an artist’s spirit meet in the noggin of chief designer, owner (and we argue, creative genius) behind jeans brand Kohzo, Shauket Imam. Kohzo’s jeans stand out head and shoulders above the rest of the denim pack for using unconventional materials and manufacturing methods, and CATALOG learns from Mr. Kohzo (as he prefers to be called), that his motivations are driven towards a higher calling.


What is it about Japan that you prefer as a designer?

First of all, Europe’s textile industry is gone. It’s a condemned industry – we don’t have a young generation interested in textiles, and it’s viewed as a low wage, dirty job. Japan, too, is facing big problems. Everyday, the textile industry gets smaller as factories close and the younger generation turn away from the industry. The things that are keeping the brand there is the eco-consciousness of the Japanese people, and the skills that they have.

That said, we’re also exploring expanding our presence in Qingdao, China. They have the best machinery right now, the only problem is their people lack experience, and we have to bring our expertise in. But it’s promising. We can’t say we have no difficulties, but China is no longer the China that people knew – I want to be one of the brands that will contribute to the country’s new reputation as a maker of quality goods.

How big is your design team?

I have four designers, and three researchers, plus I’m getting help from research centres in Kyoto, Tokyo, Belgium and Switzerland. I’m concentrating on discovering new materials that have the same or even greater properties as cotton, and I’m also working on banana trees in Brazil to make fibres out of bananas.

What is driving you to do that?

We want to reduce the consumption of cotton. It’s causing a lot of environmental problems.

You’ve made jeans with Kevlar, mud, persimmons, cannabis, stainless steel, gold, and the list goes on! What is the draw to such materials?

It’s partly because of marketing. In fashion, when you use materials such as banana fibres, a product isn’t going to be that appealing to the consumer. I use these kinds of innovations to help push the new materials out. It’s a challenge also to say, fix gold on a fabric that remains washable, but for me, these are mediums to help push my new materials out in the market.

What is the innovation process like?

There are different factors in play. First of all, I’m challenging myself. I’m a designer but I have other training – I was previously an engineer. That’s what helps me today to combine science and fashion. I’m challenging myself, and I want a sense of achievement that I’m melding two very different things together.

Tell us about a challenge that you’ve overcome. We imagine there are many!

I’m using seaweed as a fibre for jeans. I’m proud of myself, and I’m happy to give something good to my customers. It’s healthy, very good for your skin, and absolutely natural. Also, I’m the first designer to use paper as a fabric. It holds up better than cotton, and it’s very ecological, as it uses less water when washing.
 
Which is your favourite pair of jeans?

It has to be the cannabis one we made. It’s very comfortable, very durable, and it’s easy to wash. I’m using this raw material from the Philippines. It has great sweat absorption, and it ventilates well. It’s a forgotten material, and I’m trying to bring it back.

What is your favourite cut of jeans?

Skinnies. For that, you need a good body. Kohzo’s skinnies are a little different: it’s not too low, nor too high. They’re made of deer leather, which is dyed with black ink and mud, and it’s not finished. I fix it on fabric underneath, I slice the leather to 1.1 to 1.2mm with a laser and I make it look like street wear. It’s like air-conditioning – leather’s usually really hot but the one I’ve designed is really cooling.

What have you learned from your time at other denim companies?

I’ve worked mainly with Levi Strauss. I’m thankful for the experience. The things that I’m doing now are a result of my experiences in my other companies.

Denim is a very poisonous industry. To make a pair of jeans, you use a lot of power, energy, water. It is labour intensive, and dust intensive. I learned all these from my past companies and I am now trying to make a product that’s more environmentally friendly.

What’s the best feature in a pair of Kohzo jeans?

Its fit. Whenever you buy a pair of Kohzo jeans, buy a tight pair. It forms around your body in five minutes without getting baggy. When you wash them, it gets tight again, but when you wear them, they’ll form around you again. We don’t do artificial shrinking.

What’s happening next for Kohzo?

There are many things in my head. Banana fibres is one, I’m working on hibiscus, and I’m working on a few new products with some universities where I work with professors and graduate students in the material science divisions. It’s a long process, and while we can’t afford to buy machinery or spinning mills for the universities, we do give them a chance to undertake such research.
 

Kohzo jeans are now available in Singapore at Bread and Butter, Mandarin Gallery, #01-10/02-11, Tel: 6732 9307.