What I Learned from Wearing Oblada Denim for a Year

Hello everyone, this is Kubo from keylime Tokyo.

In today’s Journal, I’d like to take a moment to revisit a pair of denim pants from Oblada—a brand we’ve carried since keylime Tokyo first opened. I’ve personally been wearing this pair for over a year now, and I hope to share with you just what makes them so special.

The first thing that struck me when I put on these pants was just how soft the fabric felt. Despite having a substantial thickness—not at all flimsy—they feel surprisingly light on the body, and the overall impression is simply: effortless comfort.

When we think of “comfortable jeans,” we often imagine super thin fabrics or stretch denim. But that kind of comfort tends to come at the cost of appearance—wrinkles and unnatural stretching can give off a slightly cheap look, in my opinion. In contrast, Oblada’s denim achieves comfort without cutting corners. It contains no synthetic fibers, nor does it reduce the fabric weight, so you still get the full depth and richness of true denim in both look and feel.

Speaking of the fabric, this denim uses hemp for the weft yarn. The softness and lightness I mentioned earlier come largely from this hemp content. Compared to cotton, hemp is less prone to trapping heat and has a dry, crisp touch that prevents it from clinging to the skin—an especially welcome feature in warmer weather.

What’s more, the surface of the fabric shows irregular, fuzzy fibers that protrude slightly, almost like nep. This gives the material a rugged, textured character that sets it apart and adds a unique accent to your styling. Over time, as you wear and wash the pants, that fuzziness gradually softens and settles, revealing yet another layer of character in the fabric’s evolution.

The faded denim I’m holding in the photo is my personal pair, worn regularly for over a year. I tend to wash my jeans after every wear rather than letting them accumulate dirt, so the fading may have progressed more quickly than usual. With the Indigo color in particular, you’ll notice a subtle greenish hue emerging as it lightens—something you won’t find in most other denim. The more you wash it, the softer the fabric becomes. It’s not just about “fading”; the fabric takes on a unique, plump texture that offers an entirely new wearing experience.

Once the color has faded to this degree, even a simple outfit with a plain cut-and-sew top avoids feeling flat—these pants really take center stage. Pairing them with a short-sleeved T-shirt makes for a fresh, summery look. Of course, shorts are arguably the coolest option in the peak of summer, but not everyone is comfortable wearing them. For those who prefer to stick with full-length pants, having a pair that looks effortlessly stylish with just a T-shirt is incredibly useful.

By the way, the hemp used in this original Oblada denim fabric was carefully sourced from China by Oblada’s director, Someya-san. There are many types of hemp, but for a dense, weighty fabric like denim, the fiber needs to be thick and substantial—which makes suitable hemp varieties hard to come by. We learned more about this during Oblada’s recent event, and knowing that backstory only deepens our appreciation for the unique texture and presence of this material.

That said, because the fabric is so breathable and lightweight, I found it a bit too cold to wear in the middle of winter. But aside from that season, these pants were incredibly comfortable and got plenty of wear throughout the year. At this point, I’ve grown so fond of the fabric itself that I’m naturally wearing the new Ivory color as well. Still, I wanted to share how the Indigo color has aged after more than a year of wear—hence this Journal entry. It’s easy to wear, yet visually rich and full of character. That balance is rare to find.

As some of you may already know, these pants are a special order we requested from Oblada—a womenswear brand—custom-made in a men’s pattern exclusively for keylime Tokyo. To encourage you to experience this original denim fabric firsthand, we’re running our “Feel The Fit” campaign, which allows you to exchange sizes with no shipping fees. (Please note: Ivory in size 34 is sold out, so the campaign currently applies to Indigo only.) We hope you’ll take this opportunity to give them a try.

We’re always happy to welcome you in store—feel free to stop by even just to try things on.

We’re open today from 12:00. Looking forward to seeing you.

Kubo, keylime Tokyo