![]() ![]() Non-selvedge jeans, by contrast, will have exposed stitching that you’ll be able to pull at with just your fingers. Because the edges are finished, selvedge jeans will have neat, clean lines. ![]() A pair of selvedge jeans will have contrast stitching (typically red and white) on the outseam. You can identify a pair of selvedge by flipping the pants inside out, but most denim heads like to show off the selvedge by simply turning up the cuff. This adds durability to the jeans by preventing the fabric from unraveling. Selvedge comes from the term self edge - it refers to fabric with a finished edge. Since they’re not treated or washed with potentially harmful chemicals, raw denim is less damaging to the environment. It takes a long time for them to break down and become comfortable and soft. The main drawback with raw denim is that, off the rack, they’re incredibly stiff and uncomfortable. By simply wearing your jeans, they’ll conform to your body over time and develop unique fades on the thighs, pockets and knees. The advantage of leaving denim unwashed and undistressed is personalization. This sets it apart from your average pair of jeans, which get washed for softness and can have artificial distressing and fading added in the production process. When making raw jeans, the denim fabric comes off the loom, gets woven into a pair of pants and is sold to you as is. Raw denim is pretty much what it sounds like - denim that hasn’t been treated. These days, selvedge is everywhere, although finding raw denim still takes a bit more work. As they got adopted as fashion items, the standards gradually relaxed, until brands like APC pushed for a raw selvedge denim resurgence. All jeans up till the mid-1900s were raw and selvedge, because they were made for workers in situations where durability counted. Raw and selvedge may seem like recent trends, but they’re actually the old way of doing things. ![]()
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