Kiya Babzani was one of the first guys at the Japanese denim party on this side of the Pacific. When Babzani and his wife, Demitra, opened Self Edge, their specialist denim shop in San Francisco in 2006, it was one of the only places in the country selling jeans from brands like Sugar Cane, Iron Heart, The Flat Head, and Mister Freedom.
Back in those days, before r/rawdenim and the proliferation of e-commerce, the only way to learn about Japanese jeans was on forums like Superfuture, and the only way for most people to buy them was in person, a reality that helped Babzani quickly become the go-to guy for denim nerds across the land.
Selvedge denim brands have proliferated over the last two decades, as have places to buy high-end jeans both IRL and online, but Self Edge remains a key player in the Japanese denim scene. Today, the retailer continues to offer a selection of coveted brands like Samurai and Studio D’Artisan across locations in NYC, LA, Portland, Austin, and San Jose del Cabo, Mexico, alongside the original SF flagship.
Needless to say, Babzani’s personal collection of dungarees would be the envy of any denimhead. We asked him to show us what he’s wearing these days.
Click here to see Babazani’s full denim rotation.
