This Okayama Denim x Studio D'Artisan "Panther" collaboration features an 18oz indigo x black proprietary and limited run denim. The project title gets its name from the great stealth hunter, the Black Panther. An incredibly rare breed amongst even endangered wildcats, the Black Panther is a wildlife sub-species that has been considered extinct in North America since as early as the 1930s. Actually scientifically classified as either black leopards or jaguars, the large feline features a lustrous Black coat as a form of protection, a camouflage effect for dusk.
Almost Black in most lighting, the blue hues of the jeans really only rear its head during moments of direct sunlight, an effect of the dyed yarn combination that gives it the same incognito aesthetic as a real wild Black Panther. The real pleasure with this pair is going to be with the fades, which are bound to result in some intense contrast given the inky composition of the yarns. It also helps that the yarns are 100% American cotton, renowned for its rough and rugged cotton yarns, which will yield some epic, high contrast fades.
Here we can follow from left to right, the creative journey of the Panther graphic from initial sketches to the final pocket artwork. The final pocket artwork was created using a 10-screen process which is very unusual for these denim collaborations as the cost raises with each screen added. Notice we dropped the "Midnight Selvedge" lettering from the graphic as well as the 1979-2019 from the graphics, as the timeline to create the denim for this stretched longer than the original 40th Anniversary drops needed. We added in the 18oz once the final denim weight was settled and added the Kanji lettering as well.
