If you have been looking for a way to get that freshly mauled by a ferocious animal look, Zoo Jeans has you covered. This unique Japanese fashion brand is offering up denim “designed” by vicious carnivores with their new line of animal-shredded denim.
The fashion company is actually not in the fashion industry at all. The peddlers of this unique denim are actually a support group at a zoo in northeast Tokyo. The Mineko Club is a volunteer group of local residents in Hitachi City, Japan, whom is attempting to revive the Kamine Zoo by handling fundraisers and events for the zoo — including Zoo Jeans.
According to GMA News Online , the idea for the destroyed denim came from a Tokyo advertising executive who wanted to give something back to the zoo where he spent time as a child. To start, two pairs of jeans ripped by lions and a tiger-destroyed version are being auctioned on the Internet with proceeds to be donated to the zoo and the conservation group WWF.
As of Monday, bidding on the tiger-torn denim had soared to 121,000 yen ($1,200 USD). The zoo will also have the jeans on display until the end of the week for patrons to see. Zoo officials said that the denim actually held up pretty well in the mouths of the beasts. Zoo director Nobutaka Namae said:
“We wrapped several pieces of denim around tires and other toys. Once they were thrown into the enclosures, the animals jumped on them. The denim was actually much tougher than we had thought, and it turned out nicely destroyed.”
Check out some of the specially “designed” jeans below. It is interesting to note the difference between the lions, tigers, and bears’ “design” (or their gnawing choices).
Want to see the “designers” in action? Check out the video below of the animals shredding into the denim.
Would you make a fashion statement with Zoo Jeans? What do you think of the mauled look?
