What is selvedge denim? Is it different than raw denim? Here’s everything you need to know.

Vintage ?? Modern

Pristine ?? Workhorse

Classic ?? Fashion Forward

While it appears that these word pairs are diametrically opposed, all of them describe raw, selvedge jeans.

These are the original (and still classic) jeans. They are the epitome of the adage that “everything old is new again”.

While denim has been as susceptible to fads and trends as any other clothing (remember acid-washed, patchwork and leisure suits), selvedge and raw denim have again become fashionable.

When you see crisp, dark jeans with a rolled cuff that has a white stripe (with possibly just a thread of color) at the finished edge you know you are looking at a new pair of raw selvedge denim.

Conversely, when you see jeans with great character and amazing fade marks in all the right places, they might be that same pair of well-loved jeans, just many years of hard wear down the road.

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When the shuttle reaches the end of the row of warp threads it’s turned and passed back through to create the next row and a sealed edge. The weft in a length of fabric is a single continuous thread.

Prior to the 1950’s, shuttle looms were the norm. However, with the increased popularity of denim, the projectile loom was drafted into use.

They are at least 60 inches wide (twice the shuttle loom), and the shuttle is replaced by a bullet-shaped projectile that quickly fires single weft yarns across the loom at a speed of more than 1000 per minute.

With 4 times the speed and double the width, output increased 10-15 fold.

Completely machine-driven, the process is more efficient and allows for more reasonably priced, uniform denim.

Isn’t faster, newer technology always better? Not necessarily: