What defines "high quality denim"

[unklesteve]

The quality of jeans is determined by how much alcohol you consume before posting on SuFu about them.

That's what Kiya told me. Of course, he was drunk at the time.

[sohoADDICT]

"high quality" is what selvage snobs use as an excuse for shelling out 3+ bills for a pair of cotton woven workpants.

I have to agree with this- for the crazy prices that some of these companies change for their jeans, I better be getting a pair of jeans that is head and shoulders above every other jean in terms of comfort and looks (which def. isn't always the case)

[cheep]

im happy if they hold up to my skating for more than 3 months. thats how long it took to blow out the stitching in the crotch of my sugarcanes. my sams are still going strong after almost 6, so i consider them quality. ive had jeans that rip in one day... those are not quality.

[PG2G]

One thing that'd consider high quality is the ability to hold color through washes. If a pair of jeans loses a bunch of color after being washed a few times, it gets the big meh from me.

[alex_844]

"high quality" is what selvage snobs use as an excuse for shelling out 3+ bills for a pair of cotton woven workpants. I should know, I used to be one, until I got myself a pair of STF for fun. They're a great jean. Well made, long lasting, nice fit. Not the best hardware (those shitty tin buttons annoy me to no end) I haven't washed them yet, so no idea of contrast or fade, but they feel good.

For me, regardless of price, if it feels good, then it's "high quality." what may be good for me, may not be good for everyone else. Some may look at the blown crotches of all those sammies out there and question the strength of the denim (quality) , but if it feels good to wear, who cares? If a super dense ring loomed, hand woven, super duper ELS cotton, dyed 100 times in indigo fermented in the vagina of a supermodel, hand sewn together by the guy who did Elvis's jumpsuits, with solid platnum rivets and diamond studded buttons cost you $10K, but you hated wearing them because they feel like shit. Would you think they're high quality?

if it feels good does not equal high quality. it just means it feels good. thats not what "quality" means. wearing 5$ sweat pants that fall apart in the wash might feel good but they aren't high quality.

levi's stf is not good quality compared to most japanese denim. i blow holes in all my crotches, takes way longer on japanese jeans. THAT'S QUALITY.

[Superstar]

this would be a great subject for mizanations blog...

and thats my honest oppiniong 'bout quality..

[mickawes]

My $0.02:

The materials and construction are what set it apart from the rest. This difference is what gives people the choice to find something which suits them. High quality is subjective, in my opinion. Some people might want zimbabwean cotton for its long fibers, others might feel this is supporting a dictatorship and would rather buy USA.

Construction wise, some people like heavy, slubby denim, others like lightweight stretch stuff. It all depends on the person. Some want authenticly sewn repros, others want machine made tightly woven stuff. Its all subjective.

[blm14]

A high level of quality.

[abstraktgeformt]

Yeah, it's kinda hard to justify 200€+ for some same ol' jeans, but in the end I just have to agree with Mickawes... It's a very subjective matter and it just comes down to feeling good about it.

I'm basically always on a budget and can't afford too many things, so I just figured I buy one pair I totally dig and that fits me well instead of two or three pairs of generic denim I don't care about. I also love details, like nice leather patches, buttons etc. and that's - apart from the denim itself of course - what quality is all about for me...

[indigo_junkie]

if it feels good does not equal high quality. it just means it feels good. thats not what "quality" means. wearing 5$ sweat pants that fall apart in the wash might feel good but they aren't high quality.

levi's stf is not good quality compared to most japanese denim. i blow holes in all my crotches, takes way longer on japanese jeans. THAT'S QUALITY.

But you're equating quality with how long a certain piece of denim will last. There are some low oz tightly woven projectile loomed machine made denim you can buy for $20 a pair that will outlast some of the shuttle loomed stuff from Japan. My pair of cotton drill King Gees that I bought for $20 lasted well over a year while I was working as a warehouse labourer and I have friends in construction who wear these pants all the time because a standard pair (yes, even a pair of $300 Japanese denim jeans) would get destroyed in under a week.

You just can't get anything like this in Sydney that I know of. .

I feel your pain, mate. Another wanderer of jean wasteland that is Australia. Salute!

[ilovespaz]

sevens and true religion is the epitome of high quality denim.. for only 180 usd you can have yours

[Cynlix]

Nice material, hardware, dye, weight, cut, weaving process, durability are all the things I look for when I think of "quality" denim. It's also something you can just feel when you put them on. You just know it's not your typical $20 jeans.

Plus....the cost brainwashes you to think you have quality denim. But hey, I paid mass bills for my flat heads, so they must be good!

[chadler]

according to styleforum, quality = fit

very few people actually know how to distinguish btw good and poor quality fabric, and construction, and yet they all pretend to be experts.