The Best Raw Denim Jeans, According to a Raw, Candid Denimhead

For a while there, the best raw denim jeans seems destined to remain a footnote in menswear—or is it #menswear?—history. See, if you’ve shopped for jeans recently, you’ve probably encountered some terrific washes. Light washes, medium washes, uneven washes, washes with whiskers, washes with trompe-l’oeil prints, you name it. You’re not imagining it: since they height of the raw denim craze in the 2010s, we’ve entered something of a washed denim golden era, an equal and opposite reaction GQ clocked as early as January of 2023.

More recently, though, you might’ve also noticed that jeans have been getting a little bit darker again, and that the raw, deep-blue denim of decades past has made a triumphant return, just in time to keep your legs warm this winter. (For those of you who say selvedge never left, you’re right—plenty of people stuck by it during the down years, but die-hard loyalist are never the most accurate bellwether of mainstream ubiquity.)

When it comes to the brands doing ’em justice, the old guard is still crushing it, but we’ve also been delighted to see new names sidle into the arena, bringing roomier silhouettes and unexpected references along with them. So to help you sort the wheat from the chaff, we went deep on the absolute best raw denim jeans on the market right now, from the mass-market standbys to the true-blue Japanese grails. Take it from a gang of menswear nerds with an unhealthy amount of experience breaking in denim of all shapes and sizes—start wearing them today, and you’ll enjoy sick fades by spring.

Best Raw Jeans Overall: Levi’s 501 Original Fit Shrink-to-Fit Jeans

Half the fun of owning a pair of raw denim is slowly watching the fades accumulate over time. And while some smaller brands work with fabrics that can yield amazing results, they can also be a bit unpredictable. Levi’s 501s, on the other hand, are tried and true, with 150 years of R&D leading to consistently great fades and a dialed-in fit, backed up by a pedigree that will probably never be matched.

Levi’s XX famous shrink-to-fit denim fabric starts out stiff and fades like a dream. Coupled with the classic 501 silhouette, it’s the most logical entry point for anyone curious about the FIY (fade-it-yourself) mentality, especially for the price. Even for seasoned raw denim enjoyers, the original 501 rigid denim is a solid reminder of exactly why Levi’s maintains its seat in the pantheon of jeans. That said, because these are not pre-shrunk, sizing can be tricky. You’ll have to size up a few inches in the waist and the length, so a little research and some help from Levi’s sales associates can help dial in the right fit. Rest assured, though, after you’ve gone through the ritual of soaking your jeans in the bathtub and experienced the joy (and frustration) that comes with the shrink-to-fit raw denim process, you’ll be hooked.

Best Upgrade Raw Denim: 3sixteen RS-100x Relaxed Straight Fit Jeans

3sixteen has been on an absolute tear the last few years—just go check out their boots, or the shearling bomber that sold out in about three seconds—but regardless of how far they sail out to sea, the denim is the anchor for the entire brand. We’re partial to the RS-100x relaxed straight fit, which is made with the same proprietary 100x raw indigo selvedge denim the brand has been using for the last 15 years, and has a nice roomy leg, an easy break-in period, and one of the best indigo hues you’ll find anywhere in the world. (These sell out with vexing regularity, but they also restock fairly consistently.)

The Best Raw Denim for Lightning-Fast Fades: A.P.C. Rescue Jeans

In the menswear boom of the 2010s, the French label A.P.C. converted a generation of budding fashion fans into raw denim believers. The denim was a steely shade of indigo and stiff as hell, much like the shrink-to-fit Levi’s from which they were inspired. A.P.C. built lore around the jeans, advocating for never washing them, sticking them in the freezer, or taking them for a dip in the ocean before scrubbing them with beach sand. While the hogwash rigmarole helped indoctrinate schools of young, impressionable menswear bros into a selvedge cult and spread denim misinformation that we’re still reckoning with today, it’s ultimately the denim’s ability to fade extremely fast that cemented A.P.C.’s jeans as the de facto gateway into a higher echelon of dungarees. Compared to many other options, A.P.C.’s denim showed supremely sick fades in far less time. By no means is this a quick dopamine hit. The fades still take months and months to reveal themselves. But if you’re new to raw denim or are just impatient to see results, A.P.C. is still a stellar option.

The Best Raw Denim for the Modern Menswear Guy: OrSlow 105 Jeans

OrSlow is another one of those Japanese labels that recreates classic Americana garments with great respect and attention to detail. But unlike the droves of denim and repro purists, OrSlow tends to hit with the crowds who love brands like Auralee and Evan Kinori, a subsect of menswear guys who appreciate quality and heritage garments without looking like they’re cosplaying as an oil baron. The 105 jeans are OrSlow’s version of the Levi’s 501 from the mid-20th Century with a classic mid-rise straight-leg fit, redline selvedge denim with a slight slubby texture, and oxidized rivets. The one-wash finish will be off putting to the strict raw denim purists, but if you don’t mind a softer jean from the outset with esoteric details that will tickle the slightly pretentious side of you, then these are for you.

The Best Raw Denim for Japanophiles: Samurai S2000HX II 15.8oz Samurai Cotton GL3 Selvedge Denim

To uplift a single jean as the best Japanese denim feels a little silly. At least, it does for yours truly, an insufferable (yet reformed!) denimhead. There are just too many Japanese labels doing incredible work, each with its own approach and nuance. That said, it’s easier for me to point to a single brand if you’re obsessed not just with Japanese denim, but Japan as a whole.

Samurai’s a label I’ve long admired for its distinctive denim and stunning quality. But while many Japanese labels chase a bygone era of Americana, Samurai infuses its products with a rich Nippon-ness that draws on Japan’s famous warriors. From the illustration on the leather patch that depicts a famous samurai story to the custom buttons and rivets that recall samurai weapons, to the selvedge edge, which is woven with silver lamé thread that mimics the sheen of samurai swords. Beyond the more obvious visual references, Samurai has also embarked on a long journey of growing its own cotton in its native country. From there, the cotton threads are woven on vintage GL3 shuttle looms, the first looms to weave Japanese denim.

The Best Raw Jeans for the Repro-Obsessed: The Real McCoy’s Lot.001 Jeans

There’s a certain subculture within the raw denim crowd that is relentless about reproductions of vintage clothes, and The Real McCoy’s is considered by many to be the ultimate Americana repro brand. From exacting stitch counts to importing rare cows to produce leather for its WWII-era A-2 bomber jackets, The Real McCoy’s has earned its name. The Lot.001 Jeans are among its best-known products, a recreation of a pair of jeans originally produced in 1955. Details like hidden copper rivets and V-stitch at the waistband are present, as is the high-waist relaxed fit. Further than that, TRM went to great lengths to reproduce the denim from the era, thoroughly researching and developing the fabric to use the correct yarn size and dipping the cotton yarns in indigo seven times to get the exact shade.