ijin is a vintage japanese word once used to define somebody as a stranger
or an outsider.
It can sometimes describe a person as a
black sheep...

Having already attained several tailoring accolades, Philip graduated from St.Martins ,London in 1987.
A keen love of generic product types such as military vintages & workwear denim became entwined with the traditions, hand finishing & personal interpretation of the classics, which tailoring permitted & encouraged.
These passions were eventually applied to conceptual jeans-making.

Philip has had numerous lives on the international circuit of design.

In 2000 Philip became Creative Director of a little known cult japanese denim label called Evisu.
The mission: to establish Evisu as an internationally known, premium denim brand & household name.

Philip designed all Evisu product up until 2003, when in 2005 he became personal designer to Evisu founder, Yamane-san in Osaka, baptizing him “henna ijin” or “crazy foreigner”.

The collaboration resulted in the birth of a new denim line "9055 Evisu : Philip Goss Edition", his private label only available in Japan.

Ijin Material was "being born" in late 2003...

Ijin Material items purposely distort the rules of denim know-how, with clear intentions
of presenting the classic indigo leg in a contemporary, but alternative, way.
They are faithful to traditional methods of specialised jeans-making
utilizing only artisinal Italian slow-denim production
specializing in hand-craftmanship, limited editions
& single item production runs.

Tailor-finished with coloured bindings, busted seat seams,striped ticking linings &
hand-pressed pocket pieces, Ijin indigo is often sewn with up to five thread colours.
One of these is real indigo, used as the

invisible thread which naturally fades together
with the standard Japan weave cloth.
This means all Ijin items are as beautiful
on the inside as on the outside.

Hand-cut leather detailing is common &
both personalized solid-nail copper rivets
& thread stitched rivets used,
The traditional Union chain-stitched hem itself is
sewn on a machine more than 60 years old.

Despite the stealthy appearance of regular denim,
Ijin denim is, in fact, very irregular.
The Ijin guarantee is endorsed on every pair
which always carries a red tag ...........
hidden inside each right back pocket.

There are two principle cutting techniques that identify
ijin irregular indigo items from traditional jeans.
There are three Ijin Material product types...

The highly specialist fold-edge method cuts the garment open-legged in one piece, centered on the stronger
warp thread of the cloth, similar to the concept of cutting out a paper chain man.
Cut in this manner, the legs reach a near 45 degrees bias point around the knee.
These legs will naturally mould to your shape,
creating an inherent softness even to an
unwashed Japanese weave denim.
Thus, worn from dry, Ijin fold-edge cut legs
will also render your own personal body map
into the denim in a totally unique way.
This process is defined as seasoning.
The fold-edge cut is unique to Ijin Material.

Of deceptively traditional appearance, the second Ijin irregular
indigo product is the most stealthilly cut item.

The wrap-leg method involves cutting cloth with a dead straight, but folded outer leg.
Each leg is composed of one single piece of cloth & has a completely clean-finish inseam,
aswell as the trademark inexistent outseam.
Instead, a hip dart continues on to
become the yoke, as it shapes across
the back of the garment.
These items are composed of only 10 key
pattern pieces, including the 3 pockets
& characterized by the fact that
when turned inside-out, one cannot find
any unfinished seams.
For this reason these items
are nicknamed tubes.

Ijin Material selvedge products purposley presents the classic
red line leg in an untraditional way, whilst remaining strictly
within the realms of a jeansmaker product.
Clear references are made to traditonal denim models
without the legs appearing repro nor historic.

The Ijin old-loom product is focussed on fanatical attention to detail, which fully respects the heritage of hand-made detailing.
Cloth choice is strictly japanese ,chosen as much for weight aswell as its attitude to being worn from dry for as long as possible.
All Ijin Material selvedge denim is rigorously tailor-finished with coloured seam bindings & striped ticking linings.
Well-known vintage details are exaggerated or re-interpreted, like the Ijin sixth back pocket & the extra-wide selvedge: a hallmark essential to a true denim model.
All seams are stitched with a specified cotton shade, & then highlighted by tobacco thread on detail zones.
A pure white vitello label is placed on the left of the belt, which unmistakingly identifies this product type.