Originally posted by: wicktron
i am a certified denim junkie and consider myself knowledgeable in everything related to jeans.
i personally only wear selvedge/selvage denim.
selvedge denim is described as:
Selvage and selvedge mean exactly the same thing - different companies spell it differently and there apparently is no "right" way to spell it. It comes from the phrase "self-edge" which refers to the edge being finished by the loom instead of sewn together after weaving. [thanks Geowu]. Selvage is the term commonly used to refer to denim that has been produced on a shuttle loom. Since the amount of fabric produced from a shuttle loom is significantly narrower than a projectile (wide) loom, the cotton consumption is higher and the time required is greater. In selvage jeans, you will see the actual edge of the fabric where the weaving stops and is finished by the loom, as opposed to denim woven on a projectile loom, where the fabric has been cut off at the ends. The "redline" selvage is Levi's signature and was used in all their jeans up to 1982, before Cone Mills nixed them for the more modern projectile looms, which are faster and much more efficient.
selvedge denim is typically of higher quality, with better, more durable fabric. also, dyes tend to respond better to selvedge denim, because of the tighter weaving of the cotton.
also, selvedge denim, when cuffed up, looks fantastic with the straight lined stitching.
another kind of denim that i wear is raw denim. this means that the dyes used on the jeans are left unwashed, undistressed, and free to bleed. jeans of this nature bleed all over any and every light colored surface, but in the end (months of unwashed usage), create beautifully customized wear on your pair of jeans.
combine raw with selvedge -- and you have, imo, the perfect pair of jeans.
some brands that have raw denim (you will not recognize a lot of these brands as they are only found in expensive boutiques):
nudie -- my personal favorite. nudie comminity
here with plenty of before/after pictures of raw denim
apc -- the common denominator of raw denim (they have a shop in soho, nyc)
levis lvc -- lvc is 'levis vintage clothing' and by vintage, they mean that, as described above, the denim is made on vintage machines
evisu -- japanese brand, becoming more common in the usa. only the 'made in japan' evisu's are worth getting
prps, blue blood, supreme, red monkey, greige, etc... (there are tons of other brands)
notice the lack of diesel/seven. these jeans, by most part, are overpriced for the quality of denim you get. id much rather spend $200 on a pair of real quality nudies than an overhyped pair of diesels/sevens.
run of the mill gap/old navy/anchor blue/af/ae/hollister jeans are just that -- run of the mill. i dont spend my money on these. its like getting a celeron when you can get a core2duo instead.