The Onomichi Denim Project, a chic boutique in Onomichi, Japan’s Hiroshima Prefecture, is a popular destination for denim enthusiasts looking for a pair of truly special jeans. The shop is well-known around Japan and even abroad for selling premium jeans that have been worn by select members of the local community for at least one year.
“尾道丹宁计划”精品服饰店位于日本广岛县，是丹宁爱好者们寻找别致牛仔裤的“圣地”。这家店铺名扬日本甚至海外，其特色却是售卖当地民众穿过一年以上的旧牛仔裤。
Selling used jeans, or any other type of clothing for that matter, is not exactly a new business model, but Onomichi Denim Project is not your average second-hand denim retailer. Created in 2013, as a collaborative effort between local designer Yoshiyuki Hayashi, textile expert Yukinobu Danjo, and Discoverlink Setouchi, an organization that aims to supports local industry, the minimalist boutique aims to draw attention to the city’s top-quality craftsmanship and its people in a unique way. Plus, while used denim is generally sold at a discount, these particular jeans actually get about twice as expensive after being worn by somebody almost daily, for at least a year.
严格意义上说，出售二手牛仔裤或者其他种类的服饰并非某种新兴商业模式，但“尾道丹宁计划”也绝非你心中普通的二手牛仔裤零售店。该店创立于2013年，由本土设计师Yoshiyuki Hayashi、纺织专家Yukinobu Danjo和致力于支持本地产业的Discoverlink Setouchi机构联手打造。这家极简主义精品店力求以独特的方式吸引外界关注本市的顶级工艺和匠人。除此之外，尽管二手牛仔裤一般都是打折出售，但这家店里被别人天天穿了至少一整年的旧裤子售价却是原价的两倍。

Denim aficionados know that jeans usually require breaking to look their best, but there’s an art to how to wear, wash and dry them to achieve that desired look. That’s what makes Onomichi Denim Project so special – they hand-pick the wearers from the local community and closely monitor their transformation over the course of one year. Wearers rotate through two pairs of jeans that they promise to wear almost every day for the entire period, and bring them to the shop every week, to be laundered at a special denim processing facility, which ensures that every pair retains the evidence of each wearer’s life and work.
丹宁爱好者们都知道历经沧桑的牛仔裤穿起来最好看，但为了达到理想的穿着效果，牛仔裤的穿着、洗涤、烘干其实自有一套门路。正是因为这样，“尾道丹宁计划”才如此别具一格——工作人员在当地各个社区亲自挑选裤子的穿着者，一年中密切监测牛仔裤的变化。选中的人们各有两条牛仔裤轮流换穿，还要承诺一年内几乎每天都穿牛仔裤，他们要每周把裤子带去店里，送去一家特殊的牛仔布加工厂进行清洗，以保存每条裤子上穿着者的生活和工作痕迹。
Meridian Magazine reports that Onomichi Denim Project recruits wearers from various walks of life to achieve various patterns. For example, a pair of jeans worn by a fisherman has faded lines left by knee-high rubber boots, a factory worker’s will feature the marks of a year’s worth of iron powder penetrating the fabric, while a wild boar hunter’s jeans will have permanent traces of blood. Every pair is obviously unique.
据《子午线》杂志报道，此店雇佣来自社会各界的人士，以创造多种多样的图案。例如，渔民穿过的牛仔裤上有高筒胶鞋留下的褪色线条，工厂工人穿过的裤子上可以看到一年里铁粉浸入织物的印记，而野猪猎手穿过的裤子上沾有洗不掉的血迹。显而易见，每条裤子都是独一无二的。
But getting people to agree to wearing one or two pairs of jeans for an entire year was tough, in the beginning. Some were intrigued by the idea but were reluctant to wear jeans almost exclusively, especially in the hot summer months, while others simply wondered who in their right mind would want to buy used jeans at premium prices. But soon a local architect jumped at the opportunity, thinking it would be fun, and others joined the program as well, to help boost their city’s travel industry.
但是，起初说服人们把一两条裤子穿一整年可不是什么容易的事。一些人对这个点子很感兴趣却不愿意整天只穿牛仔裤，尤其是在炎热的夏季，另一些人却怀疑正常人谁会愿意付高价买这些二手牛仔裤。但不久后，这个计划就得到了一名本地建筑师的赏识，觉得这很有趣，其他人也加入其中，为刺激本市旅游业发展献力。
When the pre-wearing period ends, each pair of jeans is washed according to color, hang-dried or tumbled, checked for individuality, tagged with detailed descriptions and put on sale at the minimalist Onomichi Denim Project boutique for anywhere between ￥25,000 ($215) and ￥48,000 ($415). That’s about twice as they usually cost when new, but these are not just any jeans, they are cultural artifacts.
在穿着时段结束后，每条牛仔裤都会按颜色洗涤、风干或甩干，工作人员会检查每条裤子的独特品质，打上写有详细描述的标签，放在“尾道丹宁计划”精品店内出售，售价为2万5千日元（215美元）到4万8千日元（415美元）不等。虽然价格是原价的两倍，但这些二手牛仔裤可不是一般的裤子，而是文化手工艺品。
It’s not clear whether some of the proceeds from the sales go to wearers, but most of them are just happy to not have to spend money on jeans for a year.
该店卖出的利润是否会分给穿着者尚不可知，但至少他们中的大部分人都为一整年不用花钱买牛仔裤而感到开心。