This pair of BONCOURA 15oz "Sumi-Dyed" '66 Denim (9th Anniversary Limited) was worn by our Sydney VIP Friend -- Li, who shares:
"I picked up this pair of denim in 2020, the same year BONCOURA celebrated its 9th anniversary as a brand. Lee from CORLECTION told me it would become a highly collectible piece, and he was absolutely right. Looking back, it was an incredible value—I paid less than AUD $600 for them, if my memory serves me correctly. More importantly, after all these years, they still rank among the top three black denim in my collection."
" This limited-edition denim came in its raw, unwashed state. Before I started wearing them, I gave them a gentle cold-water machine wash to remove the starch and allow the fabric to shrink to a fit that perfectly matched my body shape. For the first three months, I wore them around three days a week to the office. From my experience, they faded noticeably faster than BONCOURA's standard indigo 66 denim. The reason lies in the warp yarns, which are dyed with traditional sumi dye—made from natural tree bark charcoal—and blended with pure indigo. During those first few months, subtle indigo hues gradually began to emerge beneath the black surface.
After those initial three months, I gave them their first proper wash. That's when I started to notice the signature high-contrast black-and-white fades slowly taking shape. The fading first appeared as tiny specks before gradually connecting into defined lines. I couldn't help but wonder how they would continue to evolve over the years. But at the same time, I knew there was only one thing to do—be patient."
" If you're a big fan of BONCOURA, just like I am, you'll probably appreciate the brand's attention to the smallest details—from the custom buttons and rivets to every carefully considered piece of hardware. They don't just look beautiful when they're brand new; they age gracefully alongside the denim, developing a richer, more soulful character with time."
"After the first three months, during which I wore this pair around three days a week, I decided to cut it back to just two or three days a week for the next three months. The reason? Simple—I had picked up a few more pairs of denim from CORLECTION, and they deserved some wear too! Haha.
Anyway, after another three months of wear, I noticed the fades were developing even faster. The knees had started turning noticeably whiter, while the train-track fades along the outseams were becoming beautifully defined. Looking at those fades instantly reminded me of my vintage 1966 Levi's—a look that every denim enthusiast dreams of achieving."
"After six months of wear, I gave this pair its second proper machine wash. By then, they had truly started to look like a well-aged pair of denim, with the character of the fades becoming more and more apparent. From that point on, I decided to slow things down and wear them just two days a week."
"After six months of wear, I also noticed that the ultra-thick, vegetable-tanned deerskin leather patch had transformed beautifully. It had shrunk slightly, becoming more compact, while developing a darker tone and a rich, natural sheen that perfectly complemented the aged denim."
" The honeycomb fades behind the knees took the longest to develop. It wasn't until around the seventh month that, almost overnight, they seemed to appear as if by magic. That moment made me realise something—perhaps success in life is much the same. You don't always notice the progress day by day, but with enough patience and persistence, one day you look back and discover that something truly remarkable has taken shape. Am I right?"
" Because I always cuffed my denim and paired them with my low-cut Converse Chuck Taylors, the back hems were constantly rubbing against my sneakers. After about nine months of wear, I noticed some light wear marks and fraying along the lower back of the hems. I absolutely love this kind of character—it reminds me of the golden days of the SuperFuture forum in the early 2000s. If you were around back then, I'm sure you'll appreciate these battle scars just as much as I do. Huh~"
"BONCOURA was right all along—"TRY IT, YOU'LL LIKE IT."
Quality Never Dies. The Texture of Time."