What’s cooler than a one-of-a-kind pair of jeans in a world full of the same old denim? How about jeans designed by lions, tigers, and bears? (Oh my!)
No, we're not messing with you. Japanese brand Zoo Jeans has created a line of badass denim that is customized by some of the most dangerous animals in the world. In order to create the authentic rips, the denim is wrapped around tires and giant rubber balls that are then tossed into Kamine Zoo’s animal enclosures. The animals then rip apart the denim as they play, letting their inner creativity run wild. When the shredded denim is collected it’s handed over to a factory to be turned into a unique pair of ripped jeans.
This isn't just for show, though. The concept was actually developed as a way to raise funds to renovate the Kamine Zoo in Hitachi, Japan. In July, Zoo Jeans auctioned off three pairs of their jeans—two lion-designed pairs and one tiger-designed pair. The tiger jeans, dubbed the “T1,” sold for 121,000 yen, which is equivalent to $1,200. It's not exactly what we'd call a bargain buy, but hey, it's for a good cause.
This isn’t the first time that animals have become quasi-designers. German company Ajoofa sells printed t-shirts based on paintings that have been created by monkeys. Not only does your purchase get you a super cute monkey-designed tee, but the company also donates 2% from the sale of each shirt to animal enrichment in zoos and 5% to nature conservation projects. Talk about guilt-free splurging!
Watch the video below to see the ferocious designers in action. Turns out, lions are really cute when they play with denim.