Five Plus One is our weekly series of buyer’s guides. We pick a specific category and dig up five great options along with one that’s a little outside the norm.
After you have a pair of raw indigo jeans and a pair of black selvedge jeans, what comes next? A slightly darker black pair, of course. Jeans with non-white wefts have been steadily increasing in popularity over the last five years, and with good reason. Colored wefts don’t just look good, but they change the way denim fades as well.
Dark wefts generally lend themselves toward higher contrasting fades, since the changes in hue are easier to see against overall darker color of the jeans. Not all black jeans are known for their fading abilities, but they all look fantastic as they age.
1) Momotaro for Blue Owl: BOM00X
If there is one store that consistently delivers high quality collaborations, it’s Blue Owl Workshop. The BOM00X is the tenth collab between Blue Owl and Momotaro, and it’s not wonder that the collaborations between these two companies keep on coming.
It has all the details from Momo that we’ve come to know and love, such as silk screened Battle Stripes on the back right pocket and the infamous pink selvedge, but it offers so much more than that. Both the warp and the weft of this pair are sulfur dyed, which creates a very different tone (and smell) than other forms of dying. Each pair is finished with a deerskin patch and black iron buttons.
Available for $295 from Blue Owl.
2) United Dry Stock Goods: Slight Fit – Double Black
Not all black/black denim is super expensive. United Dry Stock Goods is an entry level brand that makes jeans from interesting denims at reasonable prices, and their Double Black denim continues this trend. This pair might not have as many bells and whistles as the other jeans on this list, but they’re affordable and are made in UDSG’s fantastic Slight Fit. They’re a bit on the light side at 12.5oz., so they’re better suited for milder weather.
Available for $150 from East Dane.
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3) Rogue Territory: Stealth Stanton
Rogue Territory’s Stealth Stanton is another pair in the gang of sulfur dyed jeans. Like most black/black jeans, these ones are fairly straight forward — they have a black warp, black weft, black stitching, black patch, and all black hardware, so despite their great details, they’re going to fly under the radar. Sure, they have some brand specific details like the back pen pocket and silk screened pocket bags, but unless you look closely most of these things are going to stay between you and your jeans.
Available for $230 from Rogue Territory.
4) Samurai: S5000BKB
What list of jeans would be complete without some straight cut denim? And what company is better at producing relaxed fits than Samurai? In my mind, there aren’t any. When it comes to Samurai’s jeans, there really aren’t any gimmicks — just solid, well made denim. They use some of the best materials with some of the best construction, and together produce some of the best jeans money can buy. Each of these limited edition pairs is finished with a custom patch that is marked with a unique serial number, so each pair is that much more special.
Available for $325 from Blue in Green.
5) Left Field: Chelsea Black Maria
Left Field’s Black Maria Chelsea jean is another tonal, sulfur-dyed black/black jean. They’re known for their fantastic fading abilities, which is quite rare in the field of black jeans. The details on this pair are great and include bandanna pocket bags, skull-branded rivets and tacks, and an embossed leather patch. All the hardware and the jeans themselves are fully made in the United States.
Available for $230 from Left Field.
Plus One – Iron Heart: 8301s SBG Fade to Grey
It’s not easy to find a pair of heavyweight black/black denim, so Iron Heart’s 8301 SBG is a great choice if denim weight is of serious consideration for you. They’re made with Iron Heart’s 21Oz. Super Black denim, which has a light sheen due to its starch content. The denim is specifically designed to fade to grey, similarly to how indigo fades to lighter hues of indigo. They’re not the cheapest pair of black/black jeans on the market, but they’re sure to not disappoint.
Available for $325 from Self Edge.
