Finally, Selvedge Denim You Can Wear Without Overheating

Wearing a pair of stone-stiff raw jeans in the summer doesn’t just sound miserable: it sounds like a one-way ticket to Swamp Ass, USA. Which is a shame, because the warmer months of the year—when you can finally enjoy the kind of sun-drenched activities you dream about all winter—might be the best time to score some sweet fades, a widely-prized, sometimes fetishized, symbol of hard wear that means your denim’s indigo coating is starting to rub away. 

It’s a perennially frustrating paradox, to be sure. Until now. Thanks to a newfangled rinsing technique embraced with gusto by the biggest names in the denim universe, the whole rigmarole no longer has to come at the expense of all-day comfort—even in the sweltering summer heat. Forget the ultra-beefy raw denim of #menswear’s 2010s heyday: the jeans we’re talking about here come pre-rinsed for softness, a galaxy-brain innovation that lets you chase those telltale fades without shvitzing up a storm. 

Exhibit A: 3sixteen’s CS-100xk jeans, cut from pre-washed, unsanforized, 14 oz. denim with an almost airy, open weave. (For the blessedly unfamiliar, sanforization refers to the process in which denim is rolled to prevent jeans from shrinking after they’re washed.) The quick rinse early on lends them a hand-made, textured quality, meaning they’ll look distinct to you fresh out of the box, and—like all good selvedge—mold to the contours of your body as they break in.

We dig a pair of straight-fit denim year-round, but in the summer their added airflow becomes especially crucial: it can mean the difference between effortlessly shimmying out of your jeans and struggling to separate your pants from your indigo-stained quads. (When the hard seltzer starts flowing, the last thing you need is a pair of pants inhibiting your “sick moves”.) That extra rinse also means the jeans won’t shrink, so you can throw ‘em in the wash with impunity after a long afternoon soaking up some rays. 

We’ve been fans of Team 3sixteen for a while, but they’re hardly the only ones whipping up the kind of soft, specially-treated selvedge we’re eyeing right now. From the Japanese denim whizzes at Orslow to the Americana experts at J.Crew, there’s plenty of options to choose from—so no matter what budget you’re working with, there’s a pair out there to help you on your journey to honeycombed glory.

3 More Summer-Ready Selvedge Options to Break In This Season

J.Crew 770 resin rinse jeans

J.Crew’s sheer reach means the brand can whip up high-quality selvedge in massive quantities, and then pass on the savings to you, in the form of reasonably priced raw denim that’ll break in with the best of ’em. 

Taylor Stitch rinsed organic selvage jeans

The slimmest pair here also boasts the lightest-weight fabric (a mere 13 oz.), so you don’t have to compromise on comfort in favor of a more streamlined silhouette. 

Orslow 105 standard jeans

All-American straight-fit jeans, made even better by top-shelf Japanese denim—and the cosign of a brand that sweats every last detail so you don’t have to.