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.
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.
Sooner or later, every denimhead forays into the world of heavyweight denim. And due to heavy denim’s recent rise in popularity, there are more options now than every before.
Whether you want some heavy denim because of its durable nature, propensity to yield highly contrasting fades or something else entirely, there’s a new pair of jeans waiting for you somewhere – and we’re here to help you find them.
1) Unbranded: 231 Heavyweight Indigo/Black
Say what you will about Unbranded, but you have to admit they make some of the best introductory raw denim on the market. Their new 21oz. Indigo/Black denim is not designed to introduce raw denim to new customers, but rather to introduce exciting fabrics to already indoctrinated denim fans. Both the dark weft and heavyweight fabric lends themselves well to highly contrasting fades, so the combined fading ability should be phenomenal.
Available for $128 from Blueowl.
2) The Flat Head: 2111 20Oz. Slim Tapered
Every pair of raws is a significant commitment – when you plan to wear the same pair of jeans for years to come, it has to be perfect. While I won’t say that The Flat Head‘s 2111 20 oz. Jeans are the right pair for everyone; the denim has a lot of the features we like to see. The fabric is heavy with lots of irregularities, primarily nep and hairy yarns. Combine those factors with its goat skin patch, rope-dyed indigo yarns, and hidden rivets, and you’ve got a recipe for a fantastic pair of jeans.
Available for $325 from Tate + Yoko.
Like this? Read these:
3) Oldblue. Co: 8.25″ 25Oz. – Fifth Anniversary Edition
Oldblue Co. might not be a name you’re too familiar with, but they create some amazing pairs of jeans. One of their newest styles, the 8.25″ 25oz., is particularity interesting due to its ultra-heavy loomstate fabric, copper rivets, and herringbone pocket bags. The cut is a bit fuller than many people might like, but that is certainly going to make these jeans a lot easier to break in.
Available for $187 from Oldblue Co.
4) Studio d’Artisan: SD-307 Unsanforized 18.5Oz.
If you absolutely want a tight fitting pair of jeans but don’t want to settle for something lightweight, the Studio d’Artisan 307s might be right up your alley. The jeans are made from an unsanforized 18.5oz. fabric, woven from natural-indigo dyed warp yarns and white wefts yarns, which results in a slightly lighter hue than many of the other pairs on this list. The color and texture of these jeans are to die for, so they should make the shortlist for tight-fitting heavyweight jeans.
Available for $260 from Okayama Denim.
5) Iron Heart: 8301s Super Black Fade-to-Grey
If there is one company known for heavyweight denim, it’s Iron Heart. They have heavyweight jeans up that are up to 25oz., but you can get pairs that are lighter (while still being subjectively heavy) in just about any weight you want. Their 8301s are a particularly interesting pair that is made from a 21oz. black denim; normally, black jeans don’t fade the same way as indigo jeans, but these jeans are dyed in such a way that they will fade to grey.
Available for $325 from Self Edge.
Plus One – Oni: 5460LZR 20Oz. Olive Denim
Raw denim is a niche market. Heavyweight raw denim is a niche market within a niche market. So how do you determine an off-the-beaten-path Plus One item that is already part of the hyper-niche? Well luckily, Oni made my job easy this week. Their 5460LZR 20 oz. Jeans are made from their Secret denim, a fabric famous for its irregularities and highly textured nature. But this time, it is dyed to a unique, olive-taupe hue. It’s a gorgeous color partway between green, grey, beige, and brown – hard to describe, but beautiful to look at.
Available for $215 from Blue in Green
