How a Georgia mill helped launch Japan's denim industry

The first Japanese-made blue jeans started with denim woven in North Georgia. In the 1960s, 50 rolls of denim from Canton Mills, a textile mill just north of Atlanta, were shipped to Japan and used to make the country's first domestically produced jeans. Those jeans would help launch brands such as Big John and lay the foundation for Japan's future as a global leader in selvedge denim. Watch the full denim episode of "Curiosities of the South" on the AJC's YouTube channel now. Subscribe to discover how the South lost one of its most iconic industries, how Georgia helped launch Japan's denim boom and whether American-made denim can make a comeback. Credits: Video by Fraser Jones | Jordan Pettiford, Keola Racela, Arsh Harjani for the AJC, Sources: AJC | Big John Co., LTD | Cone Denim | Getty Images | History Cherokee | Kurashiki City Mayor's Office | Levi's | New York Public Library | Omoto Denim | Popeye | University of North Carolina | Warner Bros. Entertainment