A Starter’s Guide to Buying Raw Denim

For anyone trying to make an investment in a raw denim pair, you can find that it’s pretty damn hard to find what you are looking for. To help you get around that problem, we have some ideas for you to take into account. With this, you can make sure that your first investment into selvedge raw denim is not going to be a waste of your time, effort or money!

Knowing Measurements

The first part of the process that you need to deal with is knowing your measurements. One of the best ways to get your hands on the numbers that you need is to make sure that you spend some time doing some basic measurements. A simple tape measure is all that you need to make that possible, most of the time at least.

• To get the waist size, lay selvedge denims on a flat surface and measure the waistband from left to right, then double that number to get your waist size.
• For the in-seam, you want to start at the central point of the crotch and measure down the way until you hit the hem. For the hem, you should place the front and back of the hem in-line, so that they are level. Then, measure the width to get the right size volume you need.
• For your thighs, just measure from the crotch to the outside of the leg. For the knees, start from the crotch and move around 13” down the way, towards the inseam. Then, measure the leg width to get knee measurements.
• The front and back rises are found just by going from crotch to the top (front rise) and from the crotch to the waistband top when facing down (back rise) to get the right numbers here.

Now that you get the measurement side of things, you should also be sure to consider other important factors that come to mind – for example, how much can you afford?

Paying for Selvedge Raw Denim

This is a quality item, not your usual typical pair of jeans. As such, these can last for many years – and you will pay the price to make up for that factor. The weight of the denim is the first and most important element that you can start by looking at. The weight of selvedge raw denim matters as it showcases quality and strength – you also need to pay for whether or not they are hand-made, or mass produced.

Typically, the lowest price that you would pay for quality, raw denim will be around $80. You could be way into the mid thousands before you can hit the peak of pricing, too, so don’t think that there is a typical ceiling that you should be looking for.

Also, the price will be determined by whether or not the denim has been sanforized. This matters because if they are not, they can potentially shrink as they have not gone through water treatment.

With so much to think about, it can be pretty damn tough to get the kind, quality and price of raw denim that you feel most comfortable with. Following on from the price and measurement, though, you at least know how to get the right size, and how to avoid paying too little and being ripped off – or too much!