UES

UES has been based in Kitahorie since 2014, a one-minute walk from Yotsubashi Station and around the corner from Momotaro, Fullcount, Studio d’Artisan and The Real McCoy’s.

The name is an approximation of the English word ‘waste’ – a deliberate provocation from founder Masaharu Matsumoto, who spent years making baby clothes in Japan’s fast fashion industry before deciding to commit to the opposite: highly durable and well-constructed garments. His son Chuji has run the brand since 2003 and kept that philosophy intact.

UES denim is woven on antique shuttle looms using hand-picked, defoliant-free cotton – a blend of Zimbabwe and tea-coloured cotton that gives the fabric a distinct character and ages in a way that standard indigo denim doesn’t. The store carries a full range of men’s jeans, jackets, flannel shirts and workwear basics across a mid-weight range broadly in the 13–14oz bracket, sturdy enough for real daily use and primed for gradual, character-rich fading.

Jeans typically run ¥29,500–¥32,800, making UES competitively priced for the quality. Ask staff to stamp the date of purchase onto the leather back patch using a hot branding iron – a small detail that says everything about what this brand is. While UES is relatively unknown overseas for a label of this quality, the team at the Osaka store are exceptionally welcoming and can often be found in the workshop at the front of the store hemming and working on their denim.