Our story

We launched our first store, Tate + Yoko, right here in Montreal—where the garment industry shaped the city and our roots run deep. Our head office stands in the heart of what was once the needle trade’s core. While most of the industry faded, we stayed. Every product is still made in Canada, and this space lets us share the full Naked & Famous Denim lineup alongside other brands we admire.

We launched the 32 oz Super Heavyweight denim—the heaviest jeans ever produced at the time. Woven in Okayama, Japan, on vintage shuttle looms, it used yarns as thick as those found in carpets or sailboat sails. Production was so demanding that only two pairs could be made per day, each requiring three machine operators. Brandon Svarc joked, “Guaranteed uncomfortable or your money back.”

In 2015, Naked & Famous Denim launched the Made in Japan series and introduced a new logo. Dubbed the “Flower of Carnage,” it is a Japanese manga-inspired interpretation of the original Naked & Famous Denim “Tragic Blond” pop-art logo.

We needed a U.S. home that could carry everything we make—every fit, fabric, and experiment—and SoHo was the obvious choice: high traffic, denim-literate customers, and global visibility. We built our New York City flagship store our way, with Japanese raw-denim floor tiles that fade underfoot, indigo-dyed counters, and boro-lined change rooms. There’s even a secret door behind antique Kokeshi dolls.

From the start, we’ve chased heavyweight denim—18 oz, 19 oz, 21 oz, 24 oz, and 26 oz—culminating in our 32 oz record-breaker. When others went heavier, we went all in: the 40 oz Super Heavyweight Selvedge. Woven in Okayama on modified shuttle looms, it was so dense that multiple operators needed days to sew one pair. It was finished with 30 oz cowhide patches, elk-sinew stitching, copper rivets, and WALDES zippers.