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A neatly folded pile of raw denim fresh off the loom sits in an old wooden cart.

The Story
About 3sixteen

First and foremost, we’re a denim company.

Founded over a decade ago, 3sixteen’s modern history starts in 2008 with our very first pair of jeans, the SL-100x. We worked directly with Kuroki Mills in Okayama, Japan to develop a custom denim designed to withstand hard wear and show incredible character along the way.

Everything about the jean, from the cut to the buttons, rivets, leather patch, and stitch color, was selected to demonstrate a level of lasting quality and versatility.

We’ve since added several fits in more than 10 different fabrics, but our approach has not changed: every jean produced by 3sixteen is designed to become a permanent fixture in our lineup.

Cotton warp yarns are run through a machine to prepare them for rope dyeing.

Cotton warp yarns are run through a machine to prepare them for rope dyeing.

500 cotton threads combine to form one rope.

500 cotton threads combine to form one rope.

Each roll has one continuous rope of warp threads wrapped all the way around.

Each roll has one continuous rope of warp threads wrapped all the way around. 8 ropes are fed into the rope dyeing machine at a time.

Ropes coming out from their first indigo pass. The threads are a bright green once they come out and are beginning to oxidize.

Ropes coming out from their first indigo pass. The threads are a bright green once they come out and are beginning to oxidize.

After 8-10 dips, the ropes go through heated rollers to be dried out and are then laid down into carts.

After 8-10 dips, the ropes go through heated rollers to be dried out and are then laid down into carts.

In the next room, a single rope is run through a machine to separate out all 500 warp threads onto a wide roll.

In the next room, a single rope is run through a machine to separate out all 500 warp threads onto a wide roll.

Warp threads are steamed and starched to prepare them for the shuttle loom.

Warp threads are steamed and starched to prepare them for the shuttle loom.

Kuroki’s weaving facility contains two huge rooms full of vintage Toyoda shuttle looms that produce selvedge denim all day long.

Kuroki’s weaving facility contains two huge rooms full of vintage Toyoda shuttle looms that produce selvedge denim all day long.

Our flagship 100x denim being produced on a Toyoda loom.

Our flagship 100x denim being produced on a Toyoda loom.

Every inch of finished denim is visually inspected to make sure there are no flaws or defects in the weave.

Every inch of finished denim is visually inspected to make sure there are no flaws or defects in the weave.

Finished denim, ready to be put onto rolls.

Finished denim, ready to be put onto rolls.

This guiding philosophy is evident in the pieces we've developed since then: our shirts, jackets, basics and accessories all take cues in form and function from our jeans. Fabrics and trims are always chosen for their capacity to develop character with time. Our aim is that, with diligent wear, our customers are rewarded with something well aged, never “old.” 

Our company’s foundation is in our faith. Humility and integrity are equally important to us as quality and design. We also strive to cultivate strong relationships with the artists, craftsmen, and friends to whom we owe our success. With our quarterly interview feature, Singularities, and our artist collaboration project, Vanguard, 3sixteen always aspires to pay due respect.

3sixteen: the last shall be first.

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Jean Anatomy

The Waistband Stitch

We utilize a continuous tucked chainstitch on our jean waistbands. Instead of terminating the chainstitch and finishing with a single needle, we run the chainstitch off the waistband and then tuck it in – this prevents the stitch from unraveling over time.

The Details

We don't like flashy details, which is why we chose to keep the coin pocket selvedge hidden. That being said, we do enjoy small touches that only the wearer sees, things that let our customer know that their jeans were thoughtfully put together. You'll also find a hidden selvedge detail on the inside of the fly.

The Patch

Our patches are made for us by our good friends at Tanner Goods, a leather goods company based in Portland, OR. We use heavyweight natural tan english bridle leather that will age richly over time alongside the jeans: as the denim lightens, the patch darkness.

The Pocketbags

An often overlooked detail, pocketbags are extremely important considering how much they're used and how much wear and tear they endure from carrying your daily essentials. We elected to use a 100% cotton 8oz twill fabric for our pocketing; some might call this overkill, but we're sure our pocketbags will withstand more abuse than almost any other jean on the market.

The Denim

We have the privilege of working with Okayama based Kuroki Mills – one of the most famous denim mills in Japan – to produce our own custom fabric. This is a major challenge for small companies like ours as costs and yardage minimimums become preventative factors, but, it was important that we offer a textile that is completely unique to our jeans, something that no on else can buy.

A pair of 3sixteen jeans

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