I’m due for new jeans and am exploring the world of raw denim for the first time. Does anyone have any favorite brands I should check out, or general advice?
I picked up a used pair of Gustin 1968 slim jeans as a first experiment. I really want to love them, but the front rise is too low for me and they are serious ball crushers when I sit down. They’ll be headed back to eBay from whence they came.
I’m thinking of trying 501 shrink-to-fit next, mostly because my local farm supply store has them so I can try them on before I buy.
The 501 STF are good cheap options, and trying them on before you buy is a good idea, but expect the size to change as you wear them and stretch them out, and again when you wash them the first time they’ll shrink a bit. Check online for people who report how the fit changes over time for whichever jeans you end up with.
If you want a higher rise, i would stay away from Naked and Famous, but plenty of other good brands have fits with a higher rise. I’m partial to Rogue Territory and Threesixteen myself, but they both are on the more premium end of the domestic denim spectrum. A step up from there would be Japanese brands like Samurai or Oni. I’ve had good luck with Brave Star as a more affordable option, but idk what they have in a high rise fit, and you often have to pre-order from them.