Most sought after denim

[redragon]

Ooe Yofukuten will always hold the special place in my heart as being the first pair I have, the handmade quality to the stitching to the beautiful aging of their denim, just a great repro style jeans. (The fabric used for my pair is Made before AO so I cannot comment on current model)

Tender Co.'s fabric for their incredible marbling as mentioned above, interesting dye choice, unorthodox choice of detailing puts the cherry on top.

Evisu's No.1 denim also displayed pretty amazing fades. Love The slight irregular hand feel & hand-painted gulls.

[Duke Mantee]

Freewheelers Brakeman in 13oz cotton/linen denim - amazing details and a fabric that FW never used again

[JohnM]

Denim only (not cut):

Ooe 1702XX (vertical fading)

Fullcount 13.7oz. and XX (softness and comfort)

Warehouse 14oz. Memphis (texture)

TCB 40s

CSF WWII (color)

 

[reallypeacedoff]

On 10/18/2023 at 10:38 PM, beautiful_FrEaK said:

Warehouse 14.5oz denim (Memphis cotton, right?!)
Full Count 13.7oz denim
Resolute 711

These are probably my next pairs. Is Eternal 811 similar to WH?

[beautiful_FrEaK]

The 811 denim always reminded me of the Pioneer denim by TFH. But the fades end up differently. Of those above the WH is the closest though but not as textured with such a strong vertical slub.

[Talan]

Update: In the top position is librapondus Waist Overall (rebuilt) — no questions regarding the cut, as all the measurements were discussed and confirmed with Ono-san during the ordering process. The details are impressive, the deviation from perfection is barely noticeable, not intrusive, just the way it should be, with a slight touch of wabi-sabi. As for the denim, the Last Resort used by Ono-san is also a perfect hit, I like absolutely everything about it: the texture, color, density, and feel (never had Jelado's denim before). An undisputed winner. My top favourites also include Full Count and Freewheelers, both the cut and the denim are practically perfect. TCB denim can be added here too, although there are some reservations regarding the cut. I still love OA, though denim is somewhat bland to my taste. 

[aho]

^Fun thread bump @Talan, I missed this one!

Overall Favorite: No surprise here, going with Ooe Yofukuten. Biased as I still look back fondly at the days of full customization, and receiving those mini fabric swatches in the mail, deliberating which to go with. In their current form, they still haven't lost the magic and soul which draws me to them. It's crazy how I can look at a pair of OA's and just feel the love and effort put into them despite their subtle nature (subtlety being another attribute I fawn over with OA). The natural fades over time, construction and details, perfect cuts for my body shape, and Ryo and Hiro themselves being so awesome, it's hard for me to choose any others! 

Favorite Fabrics (no order):
Warehouse 15th Anniversary
Fullcount 13.7oz standard denim
OAXX (Ooe Yofukuten first iteration of OAXX denim)
Any old school Denime

Brands I Recommend to non-Denimheads:
Resolute: clean cuts for modern/adult tastes
45rpm: beautiful fades, a bit overpriced but high-fashion adjacent 
Fullcount: super soft and comfortable, variety of cuts

Most Vintagelike
Freewheelers

Special Shoutouts:
Warehouse: for pushing the repro world as far as they have, and continuing to innovate and launch new brands
Sugar Cane: uncompromising value 
TCB: entrepreneurial spirit and saving Okayama culture 
Samurai: just wild...can't wear heavy weight fabrics anymore but still much respect to that ethos lol

[Josh'N'Roll]

Great thread revival, @Talan! I’m having a blast reading everyone’s choices for favorite denim. 
 

Number 1 on my list is Roy, early run Black Seed Denim. I bought a pair of Kinda Special 1001 that I was not initially smitten with. That changed as I put wear into them. At 13.75oz, they’re a comfortable weight. The denim starts out slightly hairy but becomes smooth as it fades. It’s a seemingly ordinary denim that is subtly spectacular. What I love most about it, though, is that it reminds me of the way my jeans felt when I was a kid. 

The denim used for the Freewheelers 601xx 1947 is next on my list. I’m not fan of over engineered fabric with snow-like nep or slub the size of ping pong balls, but the texture FW achieves using 5 different thickness yarns for this denim feels great to wear and to run one’s hand over. A truly thoughtful and well executed denim. 
 

Last is the Warehouse Banner Denim. At my core, I have simple tastes and a deep appreciation for the basics. The Banner Denim is a foundational fabric for me, the Platonic ideal of what denim should be. It fades at a moderate rate, has a small amount of texture, and softens into an almost plush feeling fabric. I just wish it was a bit more durable so I could wear my 1001xx into my golden years before the hens start to fray. 
 

Keep the “most sought after” lists coming! 

[CSL]

My favorite denim remains the Sugar Cane Lee repros from the late 90s. I've never seen anything to compare with it. And the magic feeling of walking into a store in Japan & realizing these kind of jeans existed...Priceless.

I also rate highly the custom pair I had made by Iu of Companion Denim in Spain. I chose a heavy denim, 18 or 19 oz. It's aged really nicely & doesn't come across as a trendy slub-monster.

 

[oomslokop]

ta @aho for the template

Overall Favorite: Tender. Great denim similar to SDA standard denim but heavier. Naturally shoddy-ish construction in the Levi's spirit which makes it feel natural to do one's own (even shoddier) mending. Take that CSF. Original construction with lots of imagination. Great patterning/cut (always feels loose, spacious, roomy, but always looks slimmer than it feels). 

Favorite Fabrics (in order):
Tender 17oz blue line selvedge
Fullcount 13.7oz standard denim (so soft but also full of character, probably whitens a bit too soon)
SDA standard 15oz also blue line just like Tender's. Always wonder if they come from the same mill (veiny crinkle fades guaranteed)

Brands I Recommend to non-Denimheads:
Samurai: loud and full of frills, very Asiafied (i'm azn so i know)
Kapital: my high fashion-adjacent choice. Century denim terrible for tripophobics but will make you feel a cut (hurrhurr) above the rest
Iron Heart Beatle Buster 18oz (extinct): perfect modern cut, too bad it's no more

Most Vintagelike
Rising Sun. Regret not buying a second-hand but in good condition pair of 1st-gen Blacksmith from a Malaysian seller with bad rep on Grailed. Dude sounded dodgy af but the photos looked real (too good to be true?) and it was only 100 bucks fookin hell man

Special Shoutouts:
Tender: for @rodeo bill's imagination 
Rising Sun: wish the Pasadena "haberdashery" still exists and loved the super slow email back and forth with brendon and vu – what it must feel like to communicate long distance using ravens in Westeros
SDA: only thing to make me wanna go back to my yoof so i can fit into my 103 again
Samurai: just wild...can't wear heavy weight fabrics anymore but still much respect to that ethos lol (2)

[reallypeacedoff]

Man, I totally forgot about Skull too, the 5010xx specifically.

And of course, SC Okinawa.

[dada mafiosi]

elegant pair: OOE Yofukuten OA01XX. , the most elegant denim I have used, fades nicely, stands out tall among any other Japanese denim brand. Perfectly done by Ryo and Hiro, I notice its look and feel creates a difference, though a casual silhouette but looks graceful while comparing with other pairs. My pair produced the best roping I ever witnessed. Fades gracefully , blue shade that uncovers gruadully keeps the elegance intact. Leather patch feels like silk patch. Flawless and sewn with absolute perfection. Usually out of stock quickly.  

perfect pair: No denim enthusiast can go wrong with Warehouse 1001XX , Flagship model of  "WAREHOUSE". A perfect weight to use all year round, look and feel, sturdy and long lasting, fades nicely. The cut is a little bit slimmer than Warehouse other models. Vintage Japanese denim journey cannot be completed without 1001XX. Usually out of stock quickly. 

the most comfortable pair: I have used two pairs of Fullcount FC1108, the most comfortable among other Japanese denim, due to use of Zimbabwe Cotton and 13.7oz weight, stitiching is true Osaka five, fades in vintage way, giving all opportunities for fading including blowouts , roping, train tracks, honeycombs, whisekrs, etc. My 2019 model pair had greenish threads as well in some parts of the pair, making unforgettable experience. In post 2019 models, they changed the threads color scheme. 

Each of the model above is meant to buy again without any second thought

Edited September 15 by dada mafiosi