We Recommend These $250 Raw Selvedge Denim Jeans. Here’s Why.
No, you don’t need them.
Well, not necessarily.
You can find an entire universe of stunning, well-made jeans that are not selvedge, including several of our men’s and women’s jeans picks. And many designers of high-end selvedge jeans also make jeans that are not selvedge.
If you believe that break-in needs to be earned, if you revel in the idea of developing high-contrast fading that reflects your own personal journey, and if you love slow fashion and old techniques, then Uniqlo’s jeans are probably not for you.
But raw denim is also not for everyone. One of the catchphrases you’ll often hear with regard to raw denim is that it “breaks in beautifully.” Personally, I have never really found that to be the case — or, at least, I have never thought that even the most wonderfully broken-in raw denim could approach the level of comfort that denim with 1% stretch can offer. If you prefer freedom of movement, don’t care for excessively burly fabrics or old methods of production, and need a bit of stretch to feel comfortable, then 100% cotton, 14.5-ounce denim probably wouldn’t make you happy.
What wearing raw selvedge jeans does accomplish is that it’s almost like an attempt at conversing with the history of style. It’s a way of looking back at the jeans one’s grandparents might have worn.
Raw selvedge denim does not fundamentally improve a pair of jeans, but if people were to strip away all adornments and design details from clothes, everyone would be walking around in smocks. Clothes are made special by means of both the big flashy components and the small, invisible touches, the sum of which can make you fall in love with a garment and also love yourself in it.
Part of what makes high-end denim so special — especially from brands that use Japanese selvedge denim — is that many of these designers are attempting to invoke silhouettes and methods of construction that were seen on American jeans 70 or 80 years ago. And one such detail is the selvedge itself. (In fact, even Levi’s makes reproductions of its 1947 501 jeans in Japan.)
There is no need to rush out and get a pair of $300 jeans. (My personal favorite jeans of the moment are Wrangler’s under-$50 jeans.) If you are hoping to learn more about jeans, are just now becoming charmed by the devilish little details in your clothes, or are simply looking for a reliable, well-made everyday pair of jeans that aren’t too expensive, Uniqlo’s jeans are an excellent choice.
But if you’re searching for a pair of jeans that is more than just a pair of jeans, that grazes against the ephemeral, then, sorry to say, I can see a pair of $250 jeans somewhere in your future.
This article was edited by Hannah Rimm and Maxine Builder.
