In post-war Japan, local denim enthusiasts started importing the original US denim looms. Their aim was to maintain original denim production standards as the US jeans industry got more and more dominated by mass production processes. The main difference between the original slow and therefore respected method versus the newer faster way of production was the width of the fabric loom. Original denim was woven on 36-inch shuttle looms, finishing the self-edging sides of the fabric with a colour mark: self-edge - selvedge. The narrow width allows the loom to be ultra-dense for increased quality. Yet, this 36-inch width was not optimal for mass production, pushing mass producers to switch to wider looms to allow cutting more pairs out of the same width, saving costly production time. Yet, saving time meant compromising on craftsmanship and quality. To prevent the original denim craft from extinction, the Japanese started using the original (slow) US 36-inch looms, while applying its unmatched devotion to craftsmanship. It turned Japanese denim into an industry standard for premium quality denim.