Not all selvedge denim is raw; not all raw denim is selvedge; and dark denim is often neither. Confused? Join us for a brief fashion history lesson, with the help of one denim historian and two jeans aficionados.
Before modern means of production, denim was painstakingly woven on a shuttle loom. This kind of denim was identifiable by its selvedge, originally known as ‘self edge’, and sometimes referred to as ‘selvage’.
“In short, selvedge is the vertical edge of the denim fabric that prevents the end of the denim from unravelling,” explains Tracey Panek, resident historian at Levi’s (makers of the first ever denim jeans, the 501, in 1873). “It is a visible feature on the leg seam of Levi’s early vintage, a stripe of white revealed only when the hem is cuffed.”
The 152-year-old 501 jeans are kept in a fireproof safe, together with the brand’s oldest denim jacket, the oldest women’s jeans in the world, and Kurt Cobain’s iconic jeans from Nirvana’s Heart Shaped Box music video. “They are on loan to us for a year,” says Panek. “The selvedge is visible through the rips on the thigh.”
In the 1980s, the mill retired its shuttle looms in favour of a modern, more economical, wide loom, which meant it could double the width of its denim. “That’s when, for most Levi’s garments, it was so long to the selvedge,” says Panek, explaining that these days, Levi’s only uses selvedge denim for a select number of pieces, mostly reproductions of their vintage styles.
If you look at the selvedge denim available at Levi’s, or specialist brands including Hiut and Nudie Jeans, you’ll see that it is mostly deep indigo in hue. That’s because on the whole, selvedge denim is raw, which means it is unwashed. You can, of course, buy raw denim that isn’t selvedge. And not all navy denim is unwashed – in fact, most is washed (or dyed) a specific shade of indigo to get that clean-rinse effect.
This brings us onto the rise of deep-blue denim, as seen on the spring/summer 2025 catwalks of Sinead O’Dwyer and Marques’Almeida – and on the street too, as worn by editors, buyers, and the likes of Bella Hadid and Kendall Jenner, who favour Y2K-inspired double denim and a Nineties-style straight-leg jean, respectively.
“Over the past three months, searches for indigo denim have increased by 226 per cent,” says Kay Barron. The Net-a-Porter fashion director names Citizens of Humanity and Agolde as both personal favourites and the site’s top denim brands. “Their spring collections highlight an innovation in indigo dyeing, created in collaboration with a denim mill using regenerative cotton and a new bio-based, eco-indigo dye.”
Barron herself has an enviable denim collection, which she wears day and night. “I’m a big fan of double denim,” she says. “You also can’t go wrong with a classic white tee and a pair of indigo-rinse jeans. I particularly love a slightly flared pair with a small block heel to elevate, literally. Like any denim, indigo jeans can be dressed up or down but they typically have a more polished, premium look compared to other washes.”
Navaz Batliwalla – founder of popular fashion blog Disney Roller Girl, author of The New Garconne, and loyal jeans wearer – agrees.
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“I love the clean, pristine look of dark denim,” she says. “I like to wear indigo rinse for an evening or corporate-core aesthetic, with dark, 100mm-heel boots, a silky knit, and my Officine Générale blazer.
Batliwalla’s go-to jeans are Levi’s Column style in a saturated indigo rinse. “The shape is a gentle barrel leg – I don’t like an extreme barrel as I’m only 5 foot 3. I have them taken up in-store to an on-the-ankle length that works with flat sandals, heeled boots and everything in between.” For those who are taller, Batliwalla recommends Studio Nicholson’s Ruthe model or Auralee’s Hard Twist Denim 5P jeans.
Meanwhile, in raw selvedge denim, the humble denim jacket is transformed into something extra-special. “I have a Type II Levi’s Vintage Clothing jacket in a dark rinse that I love to wear on more formal occasions,” says Panek. “It’s made of raw selvedge denim that’s still stiff enough for me to pull up the collar if I want. Depending on my mood, I embellish it with a gold or silver pin.”
