This is an old story, but for those who might have missed it—and the subsequent projects that followed—back
in 2014, an unusual fundraising campaign sparked both intrigue and debate: Zoo Jeans ‘Designed by Dangerous Animals’. The concept originated with a creative director from Hitachi-Omiya Japan who was inspired by fond childhood memories of visiting Kamine Zoo and wanted to help when he learned the zoo was struggling financially. Teaming up with a group of dedicated zoo volunteers called the Mineko Club, they enlisted lions, tigers, and bears as denim distressers. The animals were given denim-wrapped tires and rubber balls, which they eagerly ripped and chewed. The distressed fabric was then turned into one-of-a-kind jeans which came in three styles: the “Bengal Tiger Model,” the “Lion Model,” and the “Ezo Brown Bear Model.” The proceeds from the auction were donated to both the zoo and the WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature), supporting wildlife conservation and improvements to the zoo’s facilities.
The project generated a lot of buzz, though not without controversy. A spokesperson for WWF Japan acknowledged the donation but voiced reservations about the approach. Akiko Ishihara, director of communications for the Tokyo office of the organization, told The Telegraph, “We have a policy against using animals for fundraising purposes.”
Despite the mixed reactions, the concept proved successful, and in 2016, Zoo Jeans made a comeback. This time, the beneficiaries were Yagiyama Zoological Park in Sendai. Promoted by the Loft specialty store, two lions—Curtis and O’Neal—helped distress denim by gnawing and scratching at it while playing with their driftwood toys. The denim was then passed to top Japanese manufacturers, Momotaro and Japan Blue in Okayama Prefecture (both part of the Japan Blue Group), who crafted limited-edition jeans from the distressed fabric. These jeans were auctioned online, with all proceeds going to support the zoo’s animal environment preservation efforts.
Fast forward to 2020, as the pandemic brought about financial challenges across Japan, another zoo got equally creative with fundraising. North Safari Sapporo launched a crowdfunding campaign offering everything from lion-ripped jeans to beaver-gnawed coasters. With visitor numbers down due to COVID-19, the zoo found a novel way to keep things running, offering supporters a chance to own animal-inspired memorabilia while helping out with vital funding.
What began in 2014 as a quirky idea to help a struggling zoo had grown into a fundraising trend that brought together wildlife conservation and Japan’s love for denim.
