Overview
Canadian denim giant Naked & Famous has made their name releasing jeans made from all sorts of fabric that range from a standard indigo denim to their popular Dirty Fade brown weft denim all the way to a Thermochromatic denim that changes color with temperature changes.
With that in mind, I was not surprised when I received their Red Stretch Selvedge Weird Guy jean with its bright red color. Made from a mid weight raw denim fabric, the jeans are a solid choice for those looking for a colored raw jean that fits comfortably from the start with little break in needed.
Details
- Name: Naked & Famous Red Stretch Selvedge
- Fabric: 12 oz Japanese Selvedge Denim made from 97% cotton and 3% spandex
- Fit: Weird Guy (slim tapered)
- Unique features:
- Red warp/White weft yarns
- Tonal stitching
- Black leather patch
- MSRP: $180 at Tate + Yoko
Fit
Modeled by Jayson Cheung of The Post Shop
The Weird Guy fit is generally best described as a slim tapered jean that has a medium rise and taper from the knee. This fit is good for those who need a little room in the thigh but want a slim silhouette that isn’t too skinny. I received a size 29 which has these measurements:
Waist – 31.5 inches, Rise – 10 inches, Thighs – 11 inches, Knee – 8 inches, Leg Opening – 7, Inseam – 35 inches.
Due to the stretch in the fabric, the jeans can be sized down for slimmer look without it feeling too restrictive. For this particular pair, I chose to not size down and instead sized true to my size. After initially trying on the jean, I had a friend who wears the same size as me road test them. On both of us, the jeans had some room throughout the leg and the taper helped the jean have a moderate slim fit. After 2 weeks of wear, the jeans kept the same measurements with very little variance in the measurements.
Fabric
Photo take by Jayson Cheung of The Post Shop
The denim used is a sanforized 12 oz Japanese selvedge denim that utilizes red warp yarns and white weft yarns and is made from 97% cotton and 3% spandex. The color is a bright red that has a lighter shade of red due to the white weft and has a different look from many other red jeans on the market that are garment dyed red (which gives those pants a uniform red on both sides of the fabric).
The denim has a noticeable stretch when you pull on it and although it’s raw, the fabric is rather soft from the start and requires little breaking in. However, due to the denim being not as rigid, it did make cuffing a little more difficult in the beginning especially if you’re looking for a smaller tighter cuff. When it comes to fading with this particular jean, I wouldn’t expect much fading if at all since it is not indigo dyed and after 2 weeks of wear, there was no sign of fading or color loss.
Selvedge ID. Note that the jeans have been hemmed using a single needle lockstitch but the original hem was chain stitched
Photo Courtesy Jayson Cheung of The Post Shop
Details
Photo take by Jayson Cheung of The Post Shop
The Red Stretch Selvedge has most of the details commonly found on Naked & Famous jeans. The jeans feature “Naked & Famous” branded buttons on the fly, black leather patch, rivets, and tonal red stitching throughout the jean.
Construction
Photo take by Jayson Cheung of The Post Shop
Construction on the jeans is simple but sturdy: the back pockets are bar tacked, chainstitched hem and waistband, rivets at the normal points on a jean, and stitching throughout is clean with no loose threads. While the pocket bags wouldn’t be considered heavy, they seem to be made from a fabric that should hold up well with wear.
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Value
Naked & Famous has smartly carved out a niche in the raw denim market selling denim made from fabrics that most other companies won’t release themselves. As mentioned earlier, most red jeans or pants on the market are not raw and are garment dyed which gives a different red color.
For those looking for a raw red selvedge jean, the Red Stretch Selvedge may be one of your only options but even so, it’s a well constructed jean with a minimal amount of details that let the fabric take front and center. At $180, it may be a little high for a jean you probably will wear a lot less than other jeans but given that everything is on par with most other Naked & Famous jeans, it’s a fair price. Ultimately, it isn’t for everyone but if red is your thing, you can’t go wrong with these.
