THE Guide to Recognize Quality Jeans

Although it is a basic item in every man’s wardrobe, recognizing a quality denim fabric can be challenging. Discover our tips for choosing men’s jeans with impeccable style and quality!

The value of denim is determined by these characteristics:

• Quality of the fabric
• Weight
• Type of dye used, washes and post-weaving treatments
• Quality and details

Quality of Denim Fabric

The first step to recognizing quality jeans is carefully looking at the fabric.

Denim is a twill weave fabric with three threads: 2 in the weft and 1 in the warp. The weft is always white, while the warp is dyed indigo blue. When we talk about right-hand and left-hand fabric, we indicate the direction of the diagonal of the material. The right hand is fuller, while the left hand is softer.

Fun Fact:

Do you know what a ring canvas is? It is a spinning used to create a specially refined canvas. During weaving at irregular speeds, the shuttle of the shuttle loom undergoes twists that create irregularities and form tiny knots typical of this type of fabric. This makes the canvas valuable and particularly fascinating.

Type of Dye Used: washes and post-weaving treatments

Although most brands use synthetic dyes for convenience and practicality, premium denim is made exclusively with natural, organic-based dyes.

Conversely, post-weaving treatments modify the original appearance, giving the denim fabric different characteristics and peculiarities.

The intensity of the “wash,” for example, determines the style and shade of the dye.

There are many types of washes and finishes:

Raw: this type is not a natural wash, but in its absence, the fabric is used in its natural state

Sandblasting: during washing, the garments are treated with sand fired at high pressure to give them an already “lived in” appearance

Bleaching: discoloration treatment carried out with a chemical agent

And many others.

Care Label close up

Denim Weight

The weight, or the number of threads used in the canvas fabric, is a fundamental characteristic to look for in good jeans and is measured in ounces. Here is the list of the various denim weights:

• 7-8 ounces: denim used mainly in shirting
• 9-10 oz: denim used primarily for summer clothing
• 11-12 ounces: today, the most requested thanks to the characteristics of softness and comfort (often combined with elastane, it becomes particularly suitable for the creation of slim fit but extremely comfortable garments)
• 13-14 ounces: this is the original weight of the denim
• 19-21 ounces: the maximum weight of denim (particularly difficult to find but sought after by true denim enthusiasts)

Fun Fact:

The weight of the first denim canvas was 15 ounces.

Quality and the Characteristics of the Details

As with every garment, the details make the difference. One detail synonymous with quality is the hem.

Hem denim or selvage denim is produced from pieces 70 cm high. The hem is the “external edge” of the fabric that runs along the entire length of the garment, and its task is to prevent the trousers from ” unraveling. ” This is why the hem is not a style quirk but a characteristic that actually determines whether jeans are high-quality or not.

Fun Fact:

We have a room dedicated to denim in our Eredi Chiarini boutique on Via Porta Rossa 33/red. The aim is to offer an extensive selection of the best denim brands, including Made in Italy.

For example, Care Label is an Italian brand that makes jeans with old original looms from the 1950s. Their denim is a 3/1 right twill and 100% cotton, weighing 12 ounces per square yard (equal at 420 grams per square meter) warp in indigo turning red; while their red and blue hem, the symbolic colors of Care Label, is made with eight threads per color plus three white threads per side.