WHAT IS SELVEDGE DENIM?

 

At BLEU BRUT, selvedge denim can be considered the centerpiece of the shop.

 

But what exactly is selvedge denim?

SELVEDGE, originally « self-edge », refers to weaving denim in a way that leaves the fabric edges self-finished. Woven on old shuttle looms, it prevents the edges from fraying and gives your denim jeans that sophisticated clean look.

A selvedge denim pair of jeans are easily spotted by looking at the cuffs: the self-finished edge is white, with a coloured yarn running down through it. That coloured yarn is called the SELVEDGE ID. But more on that further down.

 

HISTORY

Denim used to be woven traditionally on selvedge looms up until the mid to late 20th century. Those machines worked slowly, producing narrow rolls of extremely tight fabric, with desirable slubs and slight nuances between batches.

But as denim clothing rose in popularity, production capacity and efficiency became the focus of big US denim manufacturers. They then replaced their old shuttle looms with more modern bullet (or projectile) looms, and even if those looms don’t produce self-finished fabric edges, they are capable of working four times faster and weaving rolls twice as large, resulting in an output 10 times bigger in the same amount of time. Mass produced denim was born.

 

HOW DIFFERENT ?

Unfortunately, mass production often means cutting corners : denim compagnies began to veer away from traditional denim and started to alter their products to match the desired comfort and style on first try. Elastane got introduced to the composition and the fabric started to get woven lighter and looser, in order to avoid the ridgidity of selvedge denim and bypass the break-in process.

Should those modern denim jeans fit and feel great straight away, elastane has a set lifetime and will eventually lose its bounce-back ability or even break after several washes. Combine that with the lighter and looser weaving and, although your pair of jeans won’t feel stiff at first, they will be more susceptible to losing their shape throughout time and prone to early thinning and tearing.

On the other hand, 100% Cotton selvedge denim will soften and relax throughout the break-in period (approximately 8 to 10 days). During this time, your denim will slightly loosen where you need them to (around the knees is a good example), and they will adapt to your body and your lifestyle habits, slowly transforming into a pair of denim that will fit you perfectly and become uniquely yours.

JAPAN REVIVAL

Willing to stick to tradition and heritage, Japan started to import the abandoned selvedge looms from the US and slowly established themselves throughout the 80s, and up to today, as the new gold standard for quality, craftmanship denim, the old-fashioned way.

They refocused denim production away from the mass market and more towards the connoisseur, the keen on artisanship and expertise. It also meant slower conceived products, but products meant to last beyond trends, products that age and refine with the wearer. 

Smaller scale production allowed for more research for the best raw materials possible, be it cotton or indigo dye, in an attempt to create a premium product rich of its legacy and savoir-faire. 

Selvedge rolls being twice as narrow as non-selvedge rolls also produce less fabric waste, as manufacturers take advantage of the self-finished edge in the construction of the pair of jeans.

Click here to browse our selection of selvedge denim.

 

SELVEDGE ID

 

 

 

The SELVEGE IDENTIFIER is the coloured yarn that runs through the white edge of self-finished denim rolls.

 

Originally used to differenciate between series and qualities of fabric, it became synonymous with selvedge jeans, especially the redline iteration used by Levi’s mid-century. Other brands like Lee or Wrangler used different coloured yarn, respectively, blue or green and yellow.

 

These days, the SELVEGDE ID is used more as a statement, and manufacturers and brands go the creative route in order for their jeans to stand out from the crowd when cuffed.

 

 

RAW?

 

When denim became a must-have item of clothing, people were after that worn, faded look and manufacturers looked for ways to bypass the second-hand market. 

 

They started to find techniques to artifically wear the jeans before putting them on shelves. Synthetic dyes, soaking, repeated washing, sanding strategic areas and even the unfathomable, ripping (yuck!) became common practice amongst mass denim manaufacturers. 

 

Results were achieved but it all looked quite inauthentic.

 

RAW denim means that the denim has not been washed or altered in any way after the assembly. It is straight off the roll.

 

RAW denim will usually come pretty dark, even greyish sometimes, but with a bit of time and patience, the indigo will accentuate and your jeans will age and fade according to your morphology giving you that unique, personnal and authentic faded look. 

This picture shows the fading evolution you can expect from you selvedge denim with 1.5 year of wear.

 

GREAT FADES COME TO THOSE WHO WAIT.