If you haven’t guessed it by now, we’re a bit in love with denim. The history of it, the feel of it, the story behind it and how it truly becomes yours over time. As you probably know, it’s not just any denim that becomes “yours” over time, is a very specific type. It’s the type of denim that dates back to when the material was created, when it was used daily, hardly ever taken off, and worn by men who had no fucking clue what “whisker stripes” were.

So we’re proud to add yet another contender in the “heavyweight hitters” of denim category. In about a month, we’ll be joining a list of about 20 retailers across the glob to carry  San Francisco’s Tellason denim. Click to read more.

Who tests denim at just 2 weeks in? We do. To us, initial reaction is one thing, but when it comes to denim, our goal is to stretch them out in the first two weeks so that those remaining five and a half months feel great. We’re stoked about getting Raleigh Denim in the shop and available online because we like to establish good relationships with our neighbors, and that’s how we think of Raleigh Denim. Click for the continuation.

Need Supply Co. just won first place in Richmond Magazine’s category for Best Designer Denim Selection. “In 14 years of business, Need Supply Co. has won the allegiance of shoppers from Richmond to the Ukraine (no joke) with more than 200 denim varieties for both men and women. Owner Chris Bossola says the women always go for the dark skinny jeans while the men grab the raw APC denim. Why? Versatility of course, Bossola says.”

Click here to shop our men’s denim. Click here to shop women’s denim.

Just got in this great video that showcases one of our favorite new denim companies, North Carolina’s own, Raleigh Denim. The video really gives you a look at the entire story of the company and their true patronage to the roots and heritage of the garment industry in North Carolina. It’s one of those videos that makes you think twice about buying a pair of jeans that are made overseas. The beauty of it all is the simplicity of their mission: to help revitalize the garment industry in North Carolina. Click to see the video.

You know, I think some girls could actually pull these off and look good in them. Brazilian footwear label Melissa has teamed up with many designers in the past – Vivienne Westwood, Jean Paul Gaultier and even world renowned architect Zaha Hadid. Well now they have joined forces with Italian architect Gaetano Pesce to create a boot made entirely of compressed, interconnected recycled plastic circles. Not feeling the ankle boot? They’re designed for the user to create their own profile by cutting away at the edges. I can picture them with a pair of good jeans and a little scrunch at the end or….nah, maybe just some good jeans.

Well, it happened. I noticed it yesterday evening after my bike ride home. My 8-month old A.P.C.’s had gotten their first tear. Click for the continuation.

On July 4th of this year, Levis Strauss & Co. opened their flagship store in San Francisco. The Tailor Shop is truly a one-of-a-kind retail location where customization and special goods are plenty. The shop is not your standard retail box. Click for the continuation.

I first heard about Raleigh Denim from my buddy Britt who worked there a few years ago as an intern. He worked mainly with their advertising but when orders got backed up, and they got backed up quickly, he had no choice but to learn how to construct a pair of jeans himself to keep the flow going. Click for the continuation.

A.P.C. just gave us a little taste of their 2010 Fall/Winter line up. Click to see what you can expect.

Most people don’t know who Brit Eaton is. He was thrown in jail in Greece; drove a cab in Madison, Wisconsin; created and sold T-shirts at Grateful Dead concerts; sold ice cream on nudist beaches in Holland; got caught up in a multilevel marketing scheme in Florida; and worked for a company that organized trekking expeditions for Americans traveling in Europe. In early 1997, he took a job working on a swordfish long-liner out of Puerto Rico. He was confined to his quarters for insubordination, but the trip had a positive outcome. A fishing captain from another boat mentioned to Brit that his mother worked for an import-export agent who had a 1,000-pound, compression-packed bale of used Levi’s in a Florida warehouse. But to truly find out who Brit Eaton is, click for the continuation.

Back in 2008, denim God, Carl Chiara, design director LEVI’S CAPITAL E and RED COLLECTIONS got a little spotlight in GQ Magazine. We were looking through some old magazines and found it. Click to read more.

The American workforce, circa 1940 began to divide into two types of working classes: Blue-collar workers and white-collar workers. The blue-collars were what kept America running, they were the working class. Pure manual labor, which many of you today have never even seen. Hourly wage, short lunch breaks and dirt under your nails. White-collar workers or sitters watched from behind their desks. Click for the continuation…

Last weekend I took a trip to the Outer Banks in North Carolina for a wedding. Besides taking full advantage of the open bar, I figured I’d kill two birds with one stone and wash my 7 month A.P.C’s in the ocean. Click for the continuation…

Fuck it.

No, not really. But I did get a chuckle when I saw these last night in CVS. Annnd they’re L.E. for the hypebeast parents! Depends needs to make these for the fashion conscious adults with B.M. issues so they can rock them (and yes, just them) to the club and not have to worry!

To be honest, when Jean Shop came in, me and Patty were a bit skeptical about its party orange selvedge line, zipper fly and inflated price tag. But like all of the jeans that come in, we tried them on and took a closer look. Despite its 14oz raw, Japanese selvedge denim, its hand is nice and not too stiff. The fit is a slim straight, but they run big with a lot of room in the legs. There are a ton of details in these jeans: custom rivets, orange-line selvedge, embroidered leather patch, Riri zipper (sorry, Yoshida), and each pair is hand dated on the inside pocket of when it was completed. Subtle details that those with an eye will appreciate. But what really sold us is how beautifully they age when we saw this post on The Denim Debate. Nice. Come through the shop or buy it here!

If you have an abnormal obsession with denim like we do, then you’re sure to enjoy the Denim Debate, which is exactly what it is. Check up on your favorite pairs of raw denim, month by month, inspecting every crease, wear and distress. And the comments on here are to die for. Check it out.

The 1950′s: high waisted everything, dark blue denim, white t-shirts, slicked back hair, fast as hell cars and the beginning of an era in American pop culture that was highly idealized for all of this. Music, fashion, style and culture.

To create the ideal feel for Rebel Without A Cause, director Nicholas Ray hired the likes of Frank Mazzola, the leader of a real L.A. gang called the Athenians. Ray instructed Mazzola to hang out with Dean, one on one, get a feel for what this shit was really like. Let him hang out with the Athenians, witness brawls, and smoke more cigarettes than he could handle.

Mazzola had the wardrobe department buy the Athenians club jackets and over 400 pairs of Levi’s 501s.

“The iconic Baracuta jacket is often credited as the famous red jacket in Rebel Without a Cause — but some say it was a McGregor or fabricated by the film’s costume designer Moss Mabry, as he himself claims. There are accounts from staffers that it was bought at Matson’s men’s store for use in the 1955 film, but costume designer Moss Mabry has insisted all along that he made three of the jackets from a bolt of red nylon, and painstakingly worked on the size of the collar and the placement of the pockets. >via

…in ACTION JEANS! and at 20 bones, shit. The 70s musta been fuckin awesome!

We’re happy to introduce a new player in our denim line-up. Kicking Mule Workshop is a no-nonsense raw denim company, pretty bad-ass. These jeans are shuttle loomed and chain stitched with hidden rivets at points of stress. Finished with KMW’s signature deer hide patch. Click for the continuation. You can get them here.

We’re gonna let you in on a little secret. Rogue Territory is a small little denim company located on La Brea Avenue in Los Angeles. They are truly dedicated to preserving the trade of handcrafted goods and supporting the skilled artisans who employ creativity and manual dexterity to produce truly unique, one-of-a-kind pieces. Their small little staff produces some amazing, raw, authentic material. Expect to see much more from these guys at Need Supply very soon. Click for the continuation.

I got my first pair of APC New Standards this past October, and as this weather has been warming up, they have definitely seen the seat of my bike much more often. This of course, has created a greater stress on the crotch which makes me even more so nervous for the notorious “blown-out crotch” (pictured). Thanks to a great review via Jake Davis, check out what NYC’s Denim Therapy can do to help. Click for the continuation.

There are literally 11 days until the official morning of Spring and we’re still continuing to get in great new stuff for this already warm season. Crisp collard shirts, lightweight pants, great bags for summer trips and short sleeves that you’ll probably end up taking off. Click here for a look at what we’ve just gotten in. More after the jump.

Japan’s Hysteric Glamour continues their gritty, Japanese rock band style with some great photogrphy by WATARU. I could definitely see myself in that denim jacket. >via Click for the continuation.

Really enjoying Wrangler’s new “Are We Animals” campaign, organized by the Fred Agency & Farid Paris. A work of the photographer Jeff Burton. I’m very glad they remained with their original logo, classic. Click for the continuation.  >via

Levi’s Japan is out with the recent introduction of its New Originals range for Spring 2010, consisting of several denim pieces – part of their Packable & Adjustable line. Consisting of denim jackets and jeans with colorful splashes of yellow and red, each piece sports unique characteristics in the form of waterproofing and/or several adjustable features such a zip-off pant legs. Every piece has the ability to pack itself into its own bag, making it useful for some of us, and just plain neat for the rest of us. Now available through the Levi’s Japan e-shop. Click for the continuation. (via)

Many folks outside of California had never seen or even heard of Levi’s jeans, and going national brought on stiff competition from the likes of Lee (who was bigger out East and in the Midwest), with their 101 Cowboy Pants, which eventually evolved into Lee Riders, and their iconic 101J jean jacket.  The 101J is without a doubt Lee’s best effort to date — and just like the Levi’s 501 jean that Lee themselves unapologetically copied,  it spawned many imitators over the years (via). Let these images do the speaking. Click for the continuation.

Fashion writer and art-director, Jake Davis asks the question: “What do you do after your 3-year old APC’s crotch blows out?” Read the comments here and suggest your own tips for care.

With a new fragrance and a spankin’ new Dover St. flagship store, Ponystep spoke with Jean Touitou, the brains behind APC. Click for the continuation.

It’s time to Vote

Here are the top three entries for our A.P.C. contest.  Each pair was purchased this spring and worn in over the last six months.  Vote for the nicest pair by commenting with the number included.  We’ll add up the comments for each pair and award the winner a $200 gift card.  Voting starts now and ends September 30th at midnight.

Only one vote per person please.

This is my denim collection, as of now-it’s always growing:) I love each and every pair. Missing though are my  Earnest Sewn Harlans-which have been borrowed (for about a year) by my best friend.

Japanese denim company, Samurai, is introducing jeans made of 24 oz denim.  This is two times heavier than most.  Because of the difficulty in working with the denim they are only able to produce 20 pairs a day.  Read more at denimology.com.

It’s nice to read this post about breaking in some APCs and how to wash them. We’ve been working on it too. You can tell Michael appreciates a good pair of jeans.

A Continuous Lean — How to Wash Your Denim

This is an old classic from Nudie Jeans.  A cool video about how their jeans are made.

Finding the right pair of jeans can be challenging so we thought we would share what we have learned over the last 13 years to help you get started.

Fit Guide

Jeans will stretch out about a half of a size so buy them tighter than you want.  Raw jeans will stretch even more so be sure to ask us about your choice. 

Try different brands because each brand uses different fit models and patterns.  You may find that one brand works best for you because of this and it’s why we carry so many different brands.  

The Hank-Dyed line from Naked and Famous is the most expensive denim in the world at $777 a pair.  Thirty-seven pairs have been produced.  Each one is signed and numbered.  Every step of the production process is done by hand.  The Hank-Dyed line will be available soon at Barneys. 

Wear for at least 6 months.

Wash inside out in cold water with a little soap – no bleach.

Hang dry.

Watch this video from Nudie Jeans if you’re still not sure what to do.

When I think Nudie, I usually think raw denim.  However, their washes are pretty fantastic-they just seem to get better every season.  This is our newest wash from Nudie and it’s awesome-perfectly faded denim with a slubby ring spun feel.  I love the light yellow stitching, too.  More Nudie Jeans here.

Current/Elliott, known for their boyfriend cut jeans,  has a knack for making destroyed jeans just right.  The holes are actually quite subtle in the natural denim and that makes their natural destroyed boyfriend jean really wearable. More Current Elliott here.

We just received a new batch of Kicking Mule Workshop jeans – the detail in the jeans is really nice. 

Help us find the most beautifully aged A.P.C. jeans and chronicle their story.

How:

1- Start with a pair of unworn A.P.C.’s. (Jeans do not need to be purchased from Need Supply Co.) 

2- Qualify your pair by posting a picture of the unworn jeans on our wall at Facebook/NeedSupplyCo.

3- Votes can be posted during the month of September.  Participants and non-participants can vote.

4- We’ll count the votes and award a $200 gift card to the person who posted and aged the most beautiful pair.

Post pictures, ask questions or tell your story at www.twitter.com/needsupplydenim.

I never thought it could happen, but it did: I love light denim.  It all started with the Luxury Dirt Ksubis.  Then I went for the Acne Moc Hide for my light baggy jeans.  (They’re not super light but they’re not raw or black, so they count.)  And now I must have these Nudie White Snow High Kais.  They’re shockingly flattering and the acid wash is on point.  Not too cheesy/80′s…it’s just right.  Pretty soon my dark jeans are going to start to get jealous.

I love these new Nudies so much that I already bought them.  The color is perfect, and the fact that the weft is silver makes them even more amazing.  

Weft is the filling thread used in weaving and is on the underside of the fabric.  Most jeans have white weft, but Nudie and a few other denim lines have been using colored weft lately in some of their jeans.  The silver weft gives the color of these jeans an interesting depth.  See more Nudie Jeans.

When A.P.C. founder Jean Touitou set out to make jeans, he knew what he was after. “It was 1987,” he says. “The only thing you could get was a very washed thing. It was disgusting and not proper. I wanted super-raw.” When he finished, he had created the perfect blue jeans—superbly tough Japanese denim, cut slim and straight through the leg. He brazenly called his creation the New Standard. A five-pocket western, it’s a clear descendant of the timeless Levi’s 501. And as with everything A.P.C., the genius is in the simplicity. “As you know,” Touitou says, “I try very hard to have no details.” View our selection of A.P.C. denim.

courtesy of www.men.style.com

These jeans stand out to me. I don’t have a pair yet, but they are on my list of upcoming purchases. I saw a guy in the post office the other day and he had a pair on. They looked really nice broken in and worn. It’s a softer denim, seems a bit lighter. View our selection of Good Society denim here.

Noticed these jeans on thecobrasnake site. Great wash. I think we’ll see a lot more of this.