Getting an amazing pair of selvedge denim jeans doesn’t need to break the bank, here are 5 pairs coming in for less than a dinner at a fancy restaurant.
Over on the YouTube channel, quite a few folks have been asking for a rundown of 5 Selvedge Denim jeans under 100$
At the sub 100$ mark, it is getting a little tricky but I have hunted down 5 pairs of jeans, or maybe I should say brands actually, cause you have some choice in the fits most of the time, under 100$ the last couple of picks are a stretch (not the denim) but they are still amazing pairs of jeans, at an amazing price and well worth your hard-earned cash.
Unbranded
First up, the Unbranded brand. This was the first brand I saw specifically tailored to making selvedge denim an affordable prospect. It was started by Brandon Svarc, the guy who founded Naked and Famous.
One thing we can say about Naked and Famous is that they look at things differently. And with the Unbranded brand of jeans, Brandon decided to look at building the brand differently.
He cut out the pomp and fluff and concentrated on the essentials. Great denim. Great fits. Great construction. And with this fluff cutting the basic 14.5oz, selvedge denim jeans from Unbranded cost 88$.
For your 88$ you are getting
Details:
- Denim: Sanforized, 100% Cotton Japanese Selvedge Raw Denim
- Weight: 14.5 Oz.
- Fit: Skinny Fit, Tapered Fit, Straight Fit, Tight Fit, Relaxed Tapered
- Chain-stitched hem on a union special
- Unbranded copper buttons,
- Unbranded copper rivets and
- Full-grain, unbranded leather patch
- Two-tone stitching
- Made in Macau China
N.B. to all hardcore denimhead out there. We really have to get away from this notion that “Made in China” means low quality. It is not the case here.
I have had my hand on these jeans and can stand behind the quality of denim and the quality of the construction. Happy to recommend them to the aspiring denimhead.
Available at Cultizm.
Brave Star
To be honest, I have never had my hands on a pair of Brave Star Selvedge jeans. But I have read enough reviews, had enough comments on the YouTube channel and seen a few breakdowns from guys I trust to be able to put a pair of Brave Stars on this list.
I just don’t know how they do it. Made in the USA. Cone Mills selvedge denim, at least on some of the styles, branded buttons, woven labels, hidden rivets. And the base price. 98$.
Like really, I don’t know how they do it. But they have been doing it since 2012, so I am guessing this is legit. If it wasn’t, the other shoe would have dropped by now.
Details:
- Sanforized Cone Mills selvedge denim
- Fits: Skinny. Slim Tapered, Regular Tapered, Slim Straight, True Straight
- A & E core spun poly thread for maximum strength & durability
- Sewn & chain stitched in all the right places on vintage Union Special, Reece & Singer machines
- Made in America
- Button fly
- Hidden Rivets
- All hardware is made in Kentucky
- Vegetable-tanned leather patch.
- Woven labels, woven in LA
Available through the Brave Star Website.
Gustin
Gustin is another brand that I’ve unfortunately never actually held in my hands. But again, enough folks out there seem to love them and from what I can glean online their jeans seem solid. So, they are making it into this list.
Gustin has a pretty interesting business model. They crowdsource the funding for their productions. So before even a single stitch has been sewn, they know the exact amount, the exact size runs and they have the whole thing pre-financed.
I mean, this is super smart. For one thing, the brand doesn’t have to overextend itself putting up all the money for the production. They know what’s sold and in the exact numbers, so no overproduction and therefore no waste. And they can tell what’s working before any fabric is cut.
It is a very nimble way to operate a brand. They also “cut out the middleman” meaning direct to consumer. Which is, yeah, a tricky topic to be honest. But it does save the consumer some money.
The downside is, I guess you have to wait a while for your jeans, not sure how long and I presume if your jeans of choice don’t get fully funded in the allotted time the orders get cancelled. And yeah, I really don’t know what the situation with exchanges/returns would be.
They have a bunch of “funding” jeans on offer at the moment but the cheapest I found was $68.
Available through the Gustin website.
Details:
- FIT: Straight, Slim and Skinny fits
- Denim: Cone Mills Selvedge, 13.5oz, Red ID
- Contrast Stitching
- Custom hardware
- Hand stamped leather patch
- Made in California, USA
TELLASON STOCK
Hunting down selvedge denim for under $100 was actually not as easy as I thought. I could have gone for the likes of GAP and Uniqlo but I’ve had my hands on those jeans and to be honest, I was not convinced. Plus, I would much rather support the smaller, independent brands than the big chains. So, although the Tellason Stock isn’t selvedge, they are still amazing, raw denim jeans, offered in two amazing fits and made in the USA.
Pete and Tony realized that not all guys cared much about the antique shuttle looms and selvedge denim. They did care about the quality and where the jeans came from thorough.
The difference between Tellason and Tellason Stock is the fabric. It’s made on a modern machine rather than vintage shuttle looms. Simply put, it costs less than the customized selvedge fabrics, and the guys pass this saving onto the customer.
The jeans are $99 and for that you get:
- Fit: Slim Tapered, Straight Leg
- 14oz, sanforized non-selvedge denim from Cone Mills
- ‘T’ stitching on rear pockets
- Doughnut button fly
- Paper patch
- Made in the USA
Available through Heddels Webstore.
Jeans on Sale
Ok, so the last on the list isn’t a pair of jeans, it isn’t a brand… it’s actually a whole load of jeans… you just need a little bit of patience and you need to enjoy the hunt. You see, there are just so many jeans out there that can be found on sale for really good prices, some sub $100.
With this in mind, I have put together a list of sales. This is by no means comprehensive, it is all a bit of a work in progress but it will be a good place to start your hunt. You can find that page here.
Amazing jeans under 100 bucks
So those are my top five picks for Selvedge denim under 100 bucks. Or well, amazing jeans under 100 bucks. It was a lot trickier than I thought when I started out. Hope you guys don’t mind me sneaking in some non-selvedge in there. I just feel it is a better choice than the big brand offerings. And the sales, well… the sales are ever-changing so keep an eye out ;)
