BettySmith
Japan's first women's jeans maker — born in Kojima, Okayama, the birthplace of domestic denim.
BettySmith was founded in 1962 in Kojima, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture — the city credited as the birthplace of domestic Japanese jeans production. Established as Japan's first women's jeans manufacturer, BettySmith has led Japan's denim culture for over half a century. Today the brand extends beyond manufacturing into experience: the Jeans Museum & Village on the premises offers Japan's only dedicated jeans museum, a hands-on jeans-making workshop, and an outlet shop — drawing tens of thousands of visitors annually as a pilgrimage site for denim enthusiasts.
PROFILE Company & Brand Story
BettySmith was founded in 1962 in Kojima, a district of Kurashiki City in Okayama Prefecture. Kojima is recognized as the birthplace of Japanese denim — the first domestic jeans were produced here in the late 1950s, and the area has maintained its identity as the heart of Japanese jeans manufacturing ever since.
Founded as Japan's first women's jeans manufacturer, BettySmith built its reputation on silhouettes designed for Japanese body proportions — with attention to the waist-to-hip ratio and leg line that defines how a pair of jeans wears over a full day.
The Jeans Museum & Village on the BettySmith premises in Kojima brings the brand's history into a physical, accessible form. Building 1 covers the history of American denim and its introduction to Japan; Building 2 focuses on the domestic jeans industry, including vintage sewing machines from the 1970s. It is Japan's only museum dedicated to jeans.
The Jeans Making Experience workshop is the Jeans Museum & Village's most popular activity. Visitors select a base pair of jeans, then use professional-grade riveting and button-setting machines to customize them — applying the same tools used on the factory floor. The result is a unique, personalized pair made using authentic manufacturing methods.
BettySmith runs "Eco Betty," an initiative that converts fabric scraps from jeans production into pouches, pen cases and bags. Rather than discarding offcuts, the program creates durable, denim-made accessories at affordable prices — appreciated by visitors as souvenirs and as a demonstration of the brand's approach to material responsibility.
Japan's only Jeans Museum — Kojima, Okayama
The Jeans Museum on the BettySmith premises exhibits vintage sewing machines from the 1970s and documents the history of denim from its American origins to its establishment in Japan. Building 1 covers American history; Building 2 covers the domestic jeans industry. Free admission with museum entry.
Jeans Making Experience — build your own pair with real tools
The experience workshop lets visitors select a base jean, then personally attach buttons, rivets and leather patches using professional riveting machines — the same equipment used on the factory floor. The workshop is open to all ages and is popular with school trips, couples and families visiting Kojima.
Eco Betty — upcycling fabric scraps into accessories
BettySmith converts fabric offcuts from jeans production into pen cases, pouches and bags under the "Eco Betty" name. The accessories are inexpensive, durable and made from genuine denim — popular as souvenirs and as a visible example of responsible material use at a working denim factory.
PRODUCTS Featured Products & Services
BettySmith Gacha Painter Pants — Women's Kojima Denim
BettySmith's signature painter pants with large back pockets, hammer loop and authentic work details, shaped into a silhouette that flatters the female form. Made in Kojima.
View DetailsBettySmith Beautiful Leg Tapered Jeans — Made in Kojima
Tapered jeans designed using BettySmith's accumulated knowledge as Japan's first women's jeans maker. Room around the waist, narrowing toward the hem — proportioned for Japanese body shapes.
View DetailsBettySmith Denim Salopette / Overalls — Made in Kojima
Classic workwear overalls sized and proportioned by BettySmith for a clean, modern silhouette. Pairs equally well with T-shirts, blouses or knitwear. Durable Kojima denim.
View DetailsBettySmith Denim Long Skirt — Japanese Denim
A long A-line skirt in quality Kojima denim. Front button detail and stitching crafted by BettySmith's makers in Okayama Prefecture.
View DetailsMEDIA Media, Awards & Initiatives
- BettySmith and the Kojima jeans district are regularly featured in travel and lifestyle media as a destination for denim enthusiasts visiting Japan. The Jeans Museum & Village has become a key stop on the "jeans pilgrimage" route in Okayama.
- The brand's Jeans Making Experience has been covered by international travel writers as one of the most accessible hands-on craft experiences available to visitors in western Japan.