Selvedge Denim

It wasn't long ago that selvedge (sometimes spelled selvage) denim was something that only denim trainspotters were aware of. It used to be that if you wanted to get your hands on some selvedge denim you would either have to buy yourself some vintage jeans, or a premium brand such as APC or Nudie or failing that get yourself some jeans from Japan. These days however selvedge denim seems to have gone mainstream and you can now pick it up from J Crew (above left) and Gap (above right). Judging from the pictures the quality isn't as high you would have previously expected of selvedge denim but then again neither is the price, so you can't really complain.

For those of you scratching your heads about what I am talking about here is a definition of selvedge denim courtesy of StyleForum.net - "Selvage is the term commonly used to refer to denim that has been produced on a shuttle loom. Since the amount of fabric produced from a shuttle loom is significantly narrower than a projectile (wide) loom, the cotton consumption is higher and the time required is greater. In selvage jeans, you will see the actual edge of the fabric where the weaving stops and is finished by the loom, as opposed to denim woven on a projectile loom, where the fabric has been cut off at the ends. "