Lions, and bears, and selvedge, oh my! The means brands take to distress denim is under a lot of scrutiny, but it’s doubtful anyone thought of zoo animals as a viable alternative.
Last month, two lions at the Yagiyama Zoological Park in Japan destroyed denim fabric that zoo employees wrapped around their playthings, reported Japanese news blog Rocket News 24. Japanese brands Momotaro and Japan Blue used the fabric to create a limited-run of 10 pairs of jeans, giving special consideration to the placement of the animals’ rips and tears.
Rocket News 24 said that the jeans will be sold via an online auction starting Aug.1. Proceeds from the sales will be donated to Yagiyama Zoological Park to be used for their animal environment preservation activities.
This is not the first time a group has undertaken this project. A volunteer organization first carried out the same endeavor in 2014 in support of the World Wildlife Fund and Hitachi Kamine Zoo in the Ibaraki Prefecture. Following this auction, CNN reported that a pair of lion-distressed denim sold for $1,500.
