Updated:Nov 3, 2023 | Published: Aug 27, 2014 by David Shuck
David is the managing editor and a partner at Heddels. He lives in Denver, CO and is responsible for our CO-OP series of collaborations, our Blowout podcast, and the photoshop abominations that go above the Sale Finder Shortlist.
After sifting through dozens and dozens of options and considering a variety of fits, fabrics, and manufacturers, we’re pleased to report that if you’re looking for a first pair to try raw selvedge denim you should get theUnbranded 201. They’re made of Japanese selvedge denim, fit well on most body types, fade beautifully, and at $88 are cheap enough that almost anyone can take the plunge.
You’ve wornLevi’sorGapjeans for years and have heard about the buzz surrounding raw and selvedge denim. Maybe you have that one friend who waxes on about the beauty of Japanese shuttle looms (I’m that friend), but you’re not ready to drop $250+ on jeans that have a reputation as being uncomfortable, hard to wash, and even harder to size.
You want an option that will let you test the waters for what raw denim has to offer but without risking a week’s pay on pants.
How did we choose our winner?
The further up you go on the raw denim food chain, which jean is right for you becomes much more subjective. On the lower end of scale, however, it’s easier to determine the best bang for your buck. We evaluated a variety of jeans based on their fabric, construction quality, fit, and availability.
Burgus Plus selvedge denim fabric
The biggest factor in any pair of raw jeans is the denim, a good fabric can make or break the entire feel and lifespan of a garment. We looked for a mid-weight four-season denim that broke in quickly and had great fading potential. We also wanted a jean that didn’t stretch much and was sanforized, so new denim fans wouldn’t have to worry about stretch or shrinkage and could stay pretty much true to size. Selvedge was a plus, as was any denim sourced from a reputable mill.
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For construction quality, we looked for details and manufacturing methods that would ensure a long lasting pair of jeans. This included touches like high quality rivets and hardware, uniform and even stitching, as well as first world manufacturing. We also wanted to find a jean with subtle branding and design.
On fit, we wanted to find a jean that would work well on just about anyone and used a pattern that scaled well across a full range of sizes.
And finally availability. For better and for worse, many raw denim companies are very small operations that can sell out of their seasonal stock quickly. We wanted to recommend a jean that was easy to find in most places at all times of the year with an entry level priceof around$100.
Like this? Read these:
The Best Entry Level Raw Denim Jeans
The Three Tiers of Denim Jackets: Entry, Mid, and End Level
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Why did the Unbranded 201 win?
Unbranded is basically the perfect combination of all the above criteria. It uses a sanforized 14oz. blue-line selvedge denim from Japan that takes a bit of time to break in but isn’t awful. The first couple weeks are going to suck, there’s no way around that, but after a few months the denim softens up well.
The long term fades we’ve seen in our Fade Friday segment have been fairly awe-inspiring as well, with some taking their UBs well into three plus years of wear.
That longevity is due to their construction. Despite the low price tag, the jeans have many of the same high quality construction details you’d find on mid to end-level denim like hidden rivets on the back pockets, a flat-felled inseam, and chainstitched hems.
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The jeans are produced in Macau–supposedly at the same factory A.P.C.uses for their denim line–which isn’t as synonymous with quality as Japan or United States manufacturing but you can be confident they weren’t produced in sweatshop conditions.
The branding on the jeans is also non-existent, they really take their name to heart and give you a tabula rasa pair of pants. No back pocket stitching, no labeling on the rivets or buttons, even the back patch is completely blank.
The 201 has a tapered fit based off of Naked & Famous’s Weird Guy cut. It hasa wider top block that slims down to a smaller leg opening, which allows it to look good on a variety of body types depending on how you size it. The size range runs from tagged 27 to 38, all of which have a 34.5″ inseam.
Also important to note is the fact that Unbranded vanity sizes two inches on their jeans, so be sure measure the waist of a pair that currently fits you well before ordering.
There are a few minor issues with the fit, including a rather short fly and a high crotch and the front pockets are quite difficult to break in but the good outweighs the bad. Unbranded also offers the same jean in a Skinny 101 and Straight 301 cut for those looking for a tighter or looser fit, respectively.
Price and availability wise, the jeans cost $88, only twenty bucks more than your standard pair of Levi’s. They’re about as prevalent as well, available year-round from a variety of retailers.
The Tellason Stock collection takes everything we love about San Francisco’s premier denim makers, and cuts the price tag 60%. These jeans are made in USA from a midweight 14oz. Cone Mills indigo denim with pretty much all the same construction details as their more expensive counterparts—but they’re 120 bucks! They come in both Straight Leg and Slim Tapered fits that are analogous to the brand’s Ankara and Ladbroke Grove jeans respectively.
Right off the bat, the easiest and best solution is to head to a brick-and-mortar store that offers a healthy range of raw denim and is run by knowledgeable staff. This should give you an excellent opportunity to try a lot of different pairs as well soak in advice given by someone who knows their trade.
The true benefits of raw denim lie in the fades and the fit. These jeans are stiff, dark and unforgiving at first, but over time they mould to the owner's legs, loosen up and develop unique fade patterns in areas of wear (provided you don't wash them too soon, but more on that later).
In this post, we'd like to break down the many raw denim brands and models into three distinct categories of entry-level, mid-level, and end-level denim that each have their own price points and characteristics.
But the bottom line if you're buying unsanforized raw denim is that you're going to need to size UP, as the fabric will shrink significantly after wash, and with sanforized denim you may want to size DOWN, as it will stretch quite a bit after wearing.
The general rule of thumb is to wear your jeans for as long as you can stand before washing them, since the fades will be more pronounced and personalized the longer you go without bleeding the dye in the wash. That means that a go-to pair could ideally go six months, a year, or even longer without a deep clean.
Fit is always a personal preference, but raw denim jeans compared to conventionally processed denim should fit very snug (almost uncomfortably) when you first get them. Since the fabric hasn't been processed (shrunk or stretched), they'll stretch over time, molding to your body.
But here's the problem: When you wear raw denim for a long time without washing, and the creases that form become sharp. And it's not only the colour you're wearing off, you're effectively wearing down the denim.
Raw denim isn't washed, and thus is very dark (it looks almost black) and a little tougher. Raw denim is typically not washed for a while (some people never wash it), and after washing it'll show the strain/creases from how you wore it.
Cons. They take a while to break in. Raw selvedge denim feels extremely stiff – it's not the kind of thing you'll put on and feel cozy in. You have to wear them basically every day for at least three months to break them in.
With most unsanforized denim, we recommend to go up one or two sizes from your normal waist size to accommodate for shrinkage post-soak. The jeans should feel roomy, with about two fingers of space in the waistband and a pinch of fabric in the thigh area.
The simple answer is that selvage denim requires craftsmanship. The production process itself is signified by its slower production speed, and lower output. Selvage denim, at least the ones we use, relies on vintage weaving looms that date back at least 70 years.
These days, though, the Venn diagram separating those two archetypes is starting to look a little more like a circle: raw denim is staging a comeback—jeans-whisperers like 3sixteen's Andrew Chen have confirmed as much—this time with a very 2023 twist.
A good rule of thumb is to hold off on that first wash until you've crossed the 150- wear line, but we like to push it just a little further than this, aiming for six months of wear.
It's the fit you had before you washed them the first time, it'll always go back out to that. So if you want to go for a tapered long term fit, make sure the denim fits snug from the start, then it'll give some room where it's necessary with wear.
To achieve the best fit possible, we highly recommend you wear your jeans for at least 3 to 6 months before washing them. However, if you feel compelled to wash them earlier then we recommend at a minimum a full week of consistent wear.
Any activities that force the denim to flex and stretch will help you get up and over The Hurdle inside of this first month. Hop on the bike and take your jeans for a long ride, take the stairs whenever possible, or simply do squats and deep knee bends to help you clear The Hurdle in a hurry.
The backs of your hands will be raw from sliding your hands in and out of your pockets, and your thumbs will be sore from fastening the buttons. Heavyweight denim demands patience. The break-in period will probably last for at least 4-6 weeks (perhaps longer if you're wearing them intermittently).
To achieve the best fit possible, we highly recommend you wear your jeans for at least 3 to 6 months before washing them. However, if you feel compelled to wash them earlier then we recommend at a minimum a full week of consistent wear.
If you have bought unsanforized (non-pre-shrunk) denim jeans or jacket with a non-wash finish, you need to soak the garment in warm water to remove all of its shrinkage before you start wearing it.
Introduction: My name is Domingo Moore, I am a attractive, gorgeous, funny, jolly, spotless, nice, fantastic person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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