ONI Denim was founded by Masao Oishi (大石正夫), a Japanese denim-industry veteran, around 2001.
Oishi had spent decades in the Japanese jeans business before starting ONI. His background included:
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Working at Levi's Japan in the early 1970s.
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Working with Oishi Trading Company.
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Developing jeans and fabrics for the Japanese market.
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Building relationships with Japanese textile mills, particularly Kuroki.
He established ONI to pursue his own ideas about unusual denim fabrics and distinctive fits.
