The Modest Man
When it comes to fashion staples, few items compare to the humble blue jean. But with so many options on the market, finding the right pair can be a challenge. The best men’s jeans brands offer something new, rather than just a copy of the classic five pocket dungaree. Finding the perfect pair depends on many factors, including silhouette, budget, and body type. The best tip for beginners is to start with brands that have a specialty in denim, such as Levi’s, Lee or Wrangler.
When selecting a quality pair of jeans, two factors that stand out are the fabric and stitching. Big-box stores generally offer mid-weight denim, whereas specialty denim retailers offer artisanal selvedge from Japan, which can get heavier but less comfortable to wear. Most jeans are made using 100% cotton, which tend to shrink with washing and drying and stretch out with wear. Stretch denim jeans that use some form of elastane provide more comfort and stretch, but poor-quality elastane can wear out faster over time. To find the most comfortable and stretchy pair of jeans, it’s best to walk around in the jeans for several minutes and test the stretch’s recovery.
Levi’s, Lee, and Wrangler make up the big three in jeans brands. Levi’s is not only the most well-known brand globally, but the company invented jeans. Lee is the first brand to use zippers in their styles, and their denim continues to deliver on the brand’s legacy of hard-wearing, great value jeans. Lastly, Wrangler is geared toward cowboys and is long-known as the official jean of professional rodeo hunks.
The main mall brand mainstays for jeans are Gap, J.Crew, Uniqlo, and Madewell. Gap continues to produce solid jeans at reasonable prices. J.Crew’s workwear-inspired Wallace & Barnes label offers genuinely great jeans with vintage details. Uniqlo is known for mastering the affordability-to-style matrix, including knitwear, outerwear, button-ups, and, of course, denim. Lastly, Madewell makes decent jeans for anyone looking for well-fitting silhouettes and denim with a smidge of stretch.
Todd Snyder and Levi’s Vintage Clothing offer reliability upgrades for making great jeans. Todd Snyder is well-known for his expertise in high-quality fabrics, expert tailoring, and his pedigree in Americana. On the other hand, Levi’s Vintage Clothing is the reproduction arm of Levi’s and pumps out strict, stitch-for-stitch recreations of styles from the brand’s vault. A.P.C., Acne Studios, and 3Sixteen are new-school enthusiasts in the denim industry. A.P.C.’s minimalist aesthetic and high-quality fabrics made their logo-less jeans a hit in the late 2000s. Acne Studios offers a hyper-sensitive finger on the pulse with beautiful washes, full cuts, and surprising details like attachable denim belts, and 3Sixteen expend a ridiculous amount of energy guaranteeing their jeans are crafted using custom fabrics from the legendary Kuroki Mills in Okayama, Japan.
