Outrenoir: Aura x Not Too Ballsy, four pieces in Japanese denim made in Rennes
Four pieces, Japanese fabrics woven in Kojima, made by hand in Rennes. Outrenoir, the Aura x Not Too Ballsy collaboration.
On 1st November 2025, Aura Store unveiled Outrenoir, an exclusive collaboration with Not Too Ballsy, a Rennes label that has since become Césure. Four pieces, cut from Japanese fabrics woven in Kojima and reworked by hand in Rennes by Thomas, its founder.
A pair of wide trousers, heavy jeans, a denim jacket and a hybrid jacket. All black. Here is the story of the collaboration.
Why “Outrenoir”?
The word comes from the painter Pierre Soulages. In 1979, he began working on entirely black canvases, where light no longer comes from colour but from reflections on the surface: the grooves, the relief, the smooth or brushed areas. He called it outrenoir, “beyond black”.
That is exactly what this collaboration set out to do: work around a dark mood and let the material do the rest. On black denim, everything comes down to texture, the grain of the fabric, the way it catches the light and the way it will age.
The fabrics: Collect Co., Kojima
All four pieces are cut from fabrics by Collect Co., a mill founded in 1992 in Kojima, in Okayama Prefecture, Japan. Kojima is the historic home of Japanese denim, and Collect is the original textile maker behind Japan Blue Jeans and Momotaro.
The company weaves on traditional shuttle looms, slower and narrower than modern looms, and has mastered indigo dyeing. That is what gives its fabrics their density and character.
The collaboration uses a 14 oz sashiko denim, a 16 oz raw denim and a black herringbone.
Reworked by hand, in Rennes
Each piece was reworked by hand by Thomas, founder and designer of Not Too Ballsy, in his Rennes workshop. The collaboration began as a joint project between the store and the label: the fabrics come from Japan, the making is from Rennes, and the result is one of a kind.
Not Too Ballsy has since changed its name and is now called Césure. The Outrenoir pieces still carry the original name.
French workwear, Japanese spirit
The silhouettes recall French workwear: wide trousers, a straight jacket, sturdy construction. But everything goes through a Japanese filter, first through the fabric, then through the care taken over the finishing.
It is a meeting of worlds that speaks to us at Aura: a piece born from function, reread with a demanding eye for material, and made close to home.
The four pieces
OTNR-P1: wide trousers in 14 oz Japanese sashiko denim, black.
OTNR-P2: heavyweight jeans in 16 oz raw denim, black.
OTNR-J1: a hybrid jacket between a bomber and a trench, in black herringbone.
OTNR-J2: jacket in 16 oz raw denim, black.
All made in Rennes, in very small quantities.
1st November 2025: the pop-up
Outrenoir was unveiled on Saturday 1st November 2025, from 7.30pm to 9.30pm, at a pop-up in the store, 2 rue Châteaurenault. The four pieces were shown for the first time, with Thomas there to talk about them.
Outrenoir: the details
Collaboration: Aura x Not Too Ballsy (now Césure), Outrenoir.
Pieces: four, two pairs of trousers and two jackets.
Fabrics: Collect Co., Kojima, Okayama, Japan (14 oz sashiko, 16 oz raw denim, herringbone).
Making: by hand, in Rennes, by Thomas, founder of Not Too Ballsy.
Launch: pop-up at the store on 1st November 2025.
Why we made it: to bring together an exceptional Japanese fabric, Rennes craftsmanship and a dark aesthetic we share with Thomas.
Find Outrenoir at Aura
The pieces still available are in our Rennes store and on the e-store, while stocks last. OTNR-P1 and OTNR-J1 are sold out.
OTNR-P2, 16 oz raw denim jeans →
OTNR-J2, 16 oz raw denim jacket →
See the Aura x Not Too Ballsy collection: Outrenoir →
Frequently asked questions about Outrenoir
What is Outrenoir?
Outrenoir is an exclusive collaboration between Aura Store and the Rennes label Not Too Ballsy (now Césure): four black pieces in Japanese fabrics from Collect Co., made by hand in Rennes and unveiled on 1st November 2025.
Where does the name Outrenoir come from?
From the painter Pierre Soulages, who gave this name, in 1979, to his work on entirely black canvases where light arises from reflections on the surface.
Who is Collect Co.?
A Japanese mill founded in 1992 in Kojima, in Okayama Prefecture, the home of Japanese denim. Collect is the textile maker behind Japan Blue Jeans and Momotaro, and weaves on traditional shuttle looms.
Where can I buy the Outrenoir pieces?
Only at Aura Store, in the Rennes store and on aura-estore.com, while stocks last. Two of the four pieces are sold out.
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