KR3W Denim No.11 Selvedge Chino – Denim Review

During my ventures this past January at Agenda Tradeshow in New York City I was fortunate enough to find myself in the company of Kr3w Denim‘s very own creative director, Brad Alband. For those unfamiliar with the brand, Kr3w is a skateboarding and lifestyle label that hails from California. For many years they have built their reputation as one of skateboarding culture’s most trusted names for garment quality and function.

This season, Kr3w is taking its first stab at a premium line, No.11The name is a reference to the eleventh letter of the alphabet, “K” which also prefaces most of the brand’s first names (i.e. K slim, K standard). The collection will see builds of some of Kr3w’s more popular silhouettes made of premium materials–such as Japanese raw denim–and most importantly the brand’s first foray into selvedge materials. I was lucky to see a preview of one of the No.11 collection’s stand out pieces: the No.11 K Standard Selvedge Chino. 

The Following is my review of the Kr3w Denim No. 11 K Standard Selvedge Chino

Details:

  • Name: Kr3w Denim No.11 K Standard Selvedge Chino
  • Weight: 9.5 Oz.
  • Fit: “K Standard”  Tapered fit, mid rise.
  • Material: Black Japanese Stretch Selvedge Twill (red ID)
  • MSRP: TBD
  • Additional Details
    • Chambray Pocketing
    • Leather back patch with Matte Black metal branding
    • Signature waxed back right belt loop
    • Suede inner waist Band Branding
    • Diagonal front pockets
    • Matte Black Kr3w branded waist band and button fly with leather washers
    • Front pockets secured to out seam
  • Available soon from retailers

Fabric

Selvedge - Kr3w Denim No.11 Selvedge Chino

Kr3w chose to use a selvedge twill fabric for this fit in the No.11 collection and kept the weight light at 9.5 Oz. for comfort during the warmer Spring and Summer months. The weave is a tightly woven right hand twill with about 2% stretch that offers up a smooth and soft hand.

The chino comes dyed in a deep black which I hope will stand the test of time and remain dark for as long as possible. Seriously, these are a deeper, darker black than most any pants I’ve seen, which contrasts nicely if you cuff to show off the red and white selvedge ID.

Fit

Fit - Kr3w Denim No.11 Selvedge Chino

This is a fantastic tapered fit pant to have in your arsenal. The fact that the pants are black make it versatile enough to wear casually or for a night out. The legs start straight fit through the seat and thigh and taper off neatly after the knee down to the hem which is trim enough for a comfortable cuff or left alone for some stacking. That being said, stacking along the knee can create well defined honeycombing and bunching to make for an interestingly modern looking silhouette.

Kr3w chose to incorporate 2% stretch into this pant which serves for as much a functional purpose as it does for comfort. Remember, Kr3w, is above all a skate brand. The stretch in their pants enables fluid movement without restriction for skateboarding. It’s just an added bonus that it makes their garments more comfortable. The best thing about the fit of the No.11 Chinos is that they keep their shape and initial fit despite the stretch incorporated into the fabric. Props to the team at Kr3w for paying attention to that detail.

Hardware

Hardware - Kr3w Denim No.11 Selvedge Chino

Boy, oh boy did Kr3w do it right when considering detailing and hardware on the No. 11 collection. Kr3w has always been a brand that excelled when it came to detailing in their garments. For this chino we find the hardware maintaining the all black motif: the back patch on the jeans is thick black leather positioned vertically rather than horizontally on most pants.

In the bottom right corner of this patch they used a matte black metal rivet bearing Kr3w branding. On the inside of the waistband there are two different black suede patches with the Kr3w and No.11 collection logo. The dark grey chambray pocketing sewn into the out seam makes for soft, comfortable, and non shifting front pockets which also go pretty deep a pant like this. They also include a hidden coin pocket discreetly sewn into the upper right section of the waist band and a patch which describes the story and mantra of the No. 11 collection on the right front pocket.

The waist button along with all four buttons on the fly are again matte black metal all branded on the front with  “Kr3w Official Denim Co.” On the reverse side of these buttons we see Kr3w’s signature “K” crest and leather washers to prevent tear through the button holes. Kr3w forgoes traditional riveting in favor of tonal stitched bar tacking to reinforce stress points on these pants.

Construction

Construction - Kr3w Denim No.11 Selvedge Chino

Kr3w’s skateboarding heritage means quality of construction has always been as important as having a good looking product. The most noticeable thing about the construction of these pants is that they are clean. I conducted a thorough examination of the garment inside and out as soon as I removed them from the box that they were shipped to me in. Right from the start I noticed that the stitching around the garment was impeccable… 0 stray threads.  All seams are sewn in a single run of jet black thread. At stress points Kr3w passed on rivets that they normally put on jeans and used sturdy bar tacking to keep everything in place and reinforced. The chinos seem sturdy enough for heavy wear. It will be interesting to see how their longevity plays out.