For the second part of this review, I’d like to talk a little bit about selvedge. When the Japanese started making denim, they used old fashioned narrow looms which made a narrow strip of more tightly woven fabric. To the edges a different coloured fabric (usually red, but other colours were used) was attached. This was to prevent unravelling. As Levi’s and other brands started to mass produce jeans, a wider sheet of fabric was used and this led to a drop in the quality of the jeans.

This strip became known as a self-edge or selvedge and neatly finished off the jeans and became synonymous with “cuffing” or “turning up” your jeans and completed the look of the raw jeans, which set them apart from the more mass produced brands.

The subject of this review is the Nudie Organic Green Used Selvedge. What is so striking about these jeans is the wash. A definite break from the regular Japanese denim which typically came with a raw unwashed finish. They have a sandy overtone to the fading and this fading looks far more authentic than other distressed jeans which, to me, look very manufactured. They have a proper, vintage worn in look with orange stitching and steel rivets.

This is my first pair of Nudie and I absolutely love them. If this is the kind of jeans they make then I will be buying a lot from them in the future. The quality is so superior to everything I’ve tried before. The heavy gauge denim weighs in at 13.5oz which gives rigidity making them “break” nicely down the legs, but they aren’t coarse. It seems that with the washing comes a softness which only comes with wearing jeans over a long period of time. The wash itself is a sand blasted washed Indigo. Deep and rich. This level of craftsmanship is truly astonishing and I can tell that a lot of love and attention went into making them.

The fit is Grim Tim. It’s a regular slim fit. I usually wear Diesel Thavar in a size 32 and I was advised to size up for Nudie. I ignored this and got my usual Diesel size. The upper block is slimmer with a nice slim fit around the hips and butt area with a good pocket placement and a low rise. The thighs have a little more room, but due to sizing down they actually fitted pretty darn good! The lower leg is slim with the leg length being about 1″ shorter than Diesel, coming in at exactly 32″ making these as true to size as it gets.

When I started this fact finding mission about Japanese denim, I wanted something that was a cut above the rest. I buy premium denim with Diesel all the time and I wondered could Japanese actually be better? The All Saints ones were nice and better than other All Saints jeans, but not as good as Italian denim. But these are what I was looking for. Simply amazing. Every time I pass my wardrobe I want to wear them and I constantly think of reasons TO wear them. They are perfect for casual wear and look perfect with some Chukkas and a check shirt. Available from the lovely people at Cultizm.com or Nudie online store.

I’ve been noticing a lot of denim brands branching into Japanese denim. This particular area has been growing in popularity over the past couple of years even though a good few luxury brands have been using Japanese denim for years. Now that Japanese denim has been becoming more widespread, I decided to take a look and see what the fuss is about so my plan is to take 3 jeans from 3 different brands, operating at 3 different price ranges and compare and contrast the three to see if we can get to the root of this latest fascination with Japanese selvedge denim.

First some background, Japanese denim comes from a demand from Japanese youth culture in response to the growing popularity with denim in America in the 50s (Thanks James Dean!). It got to the stage during the 80s that importing American denim was an expensive but lucrative business and it was this that prompted Japanese manufacturers to start creating their own denim. It all started on narrow looms created by the toyoda company (yes that’s what the car company Toyota did before cars) and were able to create fabric at a higher rate then other looms. They also had the benefit of neater ends to the fabric and thus stopped unraveling.

A strip of coloured fabric was attached to this end and it became the self-edge or selvedge denim. Typically red in colour, but others have been used. The denim was typically, but not exclusively, higher in denim ounce making for more thicker and more durable denim and they were also produced with untreated and natural pigment. These two factors lead to jeans becoming individual as they are worn. This became the staple of Japanese denim that we know and love. Real denim officiendos will wear these pairs for up to 6 months without washing to lock in that worn vintage look.

This has become the basis for the latest surge in popularity for this particular type of denim. Brands such as Nudie and Dior Homme have been doing it for years now but now we can look at another brand, All Saints who this season have expanded their collection of Japanese Denim to include multiple pieces including jeans and jackets.

Here we look at the Oshima Iggy jeans: First of all, All Saints have decided not to follow the raw convention, but has undergone treatments basically doing all the work for you so you can get that worn in look straight away. First point is the cost: Japanese and luxury denim can be seriously expensive and typically exclusive to denim fans who know their denim! Now, All Saints have made Japanese denim available to the wider public.

Last year I spotted All Saints first Japanese piece, the Bloomsbury denim jacket and I was astonished at the quality and feel of the denim. I loved it and it’s become a wardrobe staple.

The craftsmanship of the Oshima Iggy is solid here, rivets, reinforced pockets and seams and a button fly. The denim ounce hasn’t been confirmed but I’m guessing it’s about 11-12oz which is on the lighter side, but they feel solid with very little give in the denim and a definite sense of superior quality to other All Saints jeans.

The fit is great though, a proper slim fit with a slim leg without being too skinny. But what I like is that the waist is fitted so my butt doesn’t fall out when I bend over due to the low rise. I’m a big Diesel fan so I would say they fit the same as Thavar with a little bit more room in the thigh and the fitted waist. The butt area is nice and snug with good pocket placement, my wife really liked it in these!! The red selvedge is perfect for turn ups.

The wash won’t set the world on fire, but it’s a good rich dark blue with gentle sanding and can be easily dressed up or down making it perfect for any occasion. To me, it’s just a good plain wash that’s well made. The price is a real winner, at £110/€127 you’re getting a good bit of bang for your buck for what is an excellent robust jean. It’s a good starting point for Japanese denim.

With  all the sales going on at the moment, one can feel a little spoiled for choice, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing! So with that in mind, here’s a few choice pieces of mine from Diesel’s Fall/Winter 2012 collection, which will keep price-savvy shoppers happy.

F/W was a very good season for diesel with a great choice of washes, spear-headed by its campaign “colour exposure” which sees denim double dyed sometimes with a completely different colour on the inside, giving a new dimension to jeans. So here are my favourites which, are now available at discount prices, as follows:

Shioner 801A:

My absolute favourite wash of the season. If you are a diesel fan (or even if you’re not!) then these are a must have! Foam dyed 100% cotton 10oz denim in laser blue initially, then the garment is over-dyed in a dark charcoal grey giving a desaturated navy-come-black colour to the wash.

Dark navy stitching and brass rivets with a very unique and interesting wash. The wash comes in the shioner cut which is a slim fit with a skinny leg, similar to Diesel’s thanaz and thavar cuts, but with a slightly lower rise, and different yoke construction which is more slanted. It features double belt loops to the back and slightly smaller back pockets which are placed slightly higher up so no saggy butt! Dart stitching on all pockets are a nice touch which make shioner the best of Diesel’s slim cuts in my humble opinion. This is available right now on ssense.com, so grab em before they’re gone! Also available in the slim bootcut cut and New-Fanker.

Darron 803W:

Next up is Darron 803W. This is part of Diesel’s Blue Eyecons collection. A range of limited edition denim for the real connoisseur! Utilizing cutting edge material and hand crafting each pair takes up to 4 days to make and the result is a real beautiful unique pair. The 803W is heavy gauge, thick, coarse denim in a rich blue (which to diesel regulars is a couple of shades darker than the iconic 8X2 wash). The pair have been given an intensive 3D treatment to crinkle up the front, thigh, knees and hem area. Faded areas to the thigh and a couple of dirt spots complete the wash.

The Darron cut is a slim tapered cut with lots of details. Tuxedo stripe style stitching on the outseam, dart stitching up from the hem, unique yoke construction and smaller back pockets placed further apart than usual, it’s this detail that divides some people as it seems to only suit people who find themselves lacking in the derriere department! The fit is regular on the thighs and tapers from the knees down and on the this wash, the fit is slimmer than most darrons, coupled with the thick rigid denim meaning these won’t stretch that much from wear. The Blue Eyecons rivet is found on the coin pocket. Also Available in the Regular fit Viker from ssense.com!

Thanaz 804M

Last on the list is for the more adventurous you. The Thanaz 804m (sometimes 805M) is the beginning stages of this seasons campaign, texture exposure, whereby Diesel are casting aside the traditional diagonal weave denim in favour of other fabrics, in this case, corduroy. Stiff cord with alternating stripe construction would possibly be the best to describe it really! Grey/Beige in colour with a hint of purple in the stripes was dyed black then completely washed out. A rusted metal medal attached to one of the belt loops and one Small abrasion to the thigh.

I’ve never encountered anything like them before and you’ll either love em or hate em – the ultimate marmite jean! Given the 3D treatment on the original rock star slim fit, Thanaz. This iconic cut has legions of followers and is thoroughly deserving of this unique wash. Slim fit with a skinny leg gives a masculine silhouette, straight yoke and low pocket gives a great rock-y, punk look to this cut! I actually wore these to the traditional yearly “12 pubs of Christmas” and decided to be a little bit braver and teamed it with a black shirt, leather tie then layered a leather jacket under a Ted Baker overcoat. Available on the Diesel online store.

Well, this is my first review and I’m very pleased to be introducing my first purchase of the new Spring/Summer Collection from Diesel. I’m a lifelong fan of this brand. In fact, I seldom buy anything else so I always look forward to the new season stuff as it’s always interesting. The campaign varies from season to season as Diesel try to push the boundaries of denim manufacturing by utilising new techniques, washes, fabric and cuts leading to the most diverse and extensive collections every season.

This seasons campaign is “Texture Exposure”. This is a culmination that’s been brewing for a couple of seasons with Diesels Dirty New Age collection trying to manufacture genuine vintage denim and also an experimental side using different fabrics and patterns instead of the traditional diagonal pattern and the more recent exposure collections. So the Thavar 807C was the first pair to jump out at me and thought “I had to have these!!!!”

The denim is 100% cotton and it’s a thick, coarse denim which I love. This particular type of denim has been used before only on Diesels Blue Eyecons range and it’s the first time I’ve seen it in the regular collection. It’s always my preference to have a thick denim as I find it “breaks” better down my legs and this is helped by Diesels 3D technique whereby the garment is coated in resin and then moulded on a mannequin or tied and then it’s baked to give a particular structure to the jeans. A lot of brands do this but no one does it quite like Diesel!

The Thavar is a classic 5-pocket jean with a slim fit and a skinny leg. The waist is slightly bigger than the tag size which is part of the look as these jeans look their best slightly sagged. The back pockets are medium sized, positioned straight, slightly under the yoke which is also straight in construction. The back pocket stitching is always simple with Thavar, making this cut ideal for those who, like me, haven’t got much of a butt! The stitching is navy and grey giving a darker tone to the wash. Copper rivets and buttons complete the garment but with a twist, the coin pocket rivet has a black/onyx gemstone embedded in it adding a little bit of bling!

The wash as always is hard to describe as the detail in Diesels washes is always unique. So this is my humble attempt, it’s a desaturated-grey-toned-blue wash. The grey and blue is contrasted in the whiskers on the thighs and knees. It’s very subtle and not gaudy or overstated and they are the ultimate casual jean which Diesel do best. If I add one criticism, it’s that after a couple of wears the 3D technique starts to soften and the jeans can feel a little bigger as denim does stretch.

Being so casual they are perfect for wearing with a simple item of jersey or even some stripes when the weather is warmer, but for now I personally will be wearing these with nice knitwear and this seasons hot colour, Burgundy, would be perfect with these. Throw a leather jacket over it and you have simple, understated and stylish outfit. I’m wearing just that today on this wet and cold day with my All Saints Ridge Knit and All Saints Tricky Leather Jacket.

Measurements on size 32×32:

Waist Aligned: 17.5″
Rise: 9.75″
Inseam: 32.5″
Mid-Thigh: 10″
Hem: 7.5″