1. The Construction.
Cut like a jean. Cloth of a chino. Ages like a jean. Most chino fabrics have one dimension. They start out looking the same way as they do throughout their life. What you see now is what you see later.
But, what we love about jeans is they get better with age. And what we love about this chino fabric is that it is woven and dyed in such a way to do just that.

2. The Colour.
So the construction is a traditional 3x1, with high-density weaving like thechinos they used to make back in the 1950s.
But, and this is the clever bit,they have dyed them so there is a 30% difference in the tone of the warp and the weft.
The reason for that is twofold:
Firstly, it stops them looking just one dimensional, which a lot of chinos can do.
And, secondly,  it allows them to get better with age.

3. The Selvedge.
When we first found this Chino fabric, we knew we'd found a winner. A chino fabric is a rare find.
Even rarer is to find a selvedge version. But, it is a beautiful chino selvedge. We have always geekily admired a well-made chino. It's a timeless piece that you can wear all year round. So yeah, exciting.

4. Made by Mavericks.
Kuroki Mill, is located in the textile rich area of Okayama, Japan. Okayama is seen as the mecca for sourcing high quality denim.
Denim is at the heart of the community. Even the streets are painted with a redline selvedge. 

5. The Comfort.
At 9oz, the lightweight construction of this fabric makes it perfect for the warmer months, but it is also robust enough to be worn all year round.

Originally made for early British and French Military in the latter half of the 1800's.

The red tunics worn by British troops stationed in India in the 19th century made them obvious targets against the pale terrain.

So a new cotton uniform was developed in a locally dyed sandy shade - named khaki after the Persian word for dust.

Today's chino's are descendants of this uniform.

The US Army first used khaki uniforms in the late 1890’s for soldiers stationed in the Philippines during the Spanish-American war.

This is the origin of the world chino: Spanish for “Chinese”, it was adopted as a name for the Chinese made cloth the troops’ uniforms were cut from.
 
Chino’s journey from colonial military uniform to 1950’s – era hipsters came about when US soldiers who had been stationed in the Pacific during WWII returned home but continued to wear them.

They became an integral part of preppy, Ivy League look when the ex-troops resumed their studies.

Although Chino’s are strongly associated with a preppy look, they have been adopted by many counter cultures as a means of sartorial rebellion.

The beatnik author Mr Jack Kerouac is pictured on the cover of his seminal novel, On the Road, wearing chinos, while on the silver screen Mr Steve McQueen lent them an enduring air of cool.

Of late, they have been adopted by many tech entrepreneurs who are busy changing the world while donning a pair of Chino’s.

What hasn’t changed in all that time is their reason to exist:

A simple, hardwearing and comfortable thing to wear made from 100% cotton twill.