Denim jeans are available in all types of washes, finishes, and prices, but if you are looking for the “real thing” only raw denim will do. Raw denim has not been put through a pre-wash process, and can be difficult to find – and when you do, it is usually pricey. DenimKratos has made it their mission to bring back the look, feel, and comfort of “real” jeans, with each pair designed with the ultimate attention to quality, fit, and details – at a price that makes sense.

Why Raw Denim?

Raw denim, when woven by a top-quality fabric mill, achieves the most attractive fade patterns over time – but you need to handle your jeans right to bring on that authentic look and feel. The secret to a fantastic pair of jeans that are your go-to forever: Don’t wash ‘em!

Hard core denim aficionados often avoid washing raw denim jeans for up to six months, and simply hang them out in the air to freshen. You may not want to wait six months, but if you crave a pair of jeans that fits perfectly and has the look that only naturally worn fade patterns can bring, DenimKratos is your new best friend. Not only does this brand have the perfect fit and feel, they are priced right. Why pay the maximum for raw denim with the cut and fit that says “pricey” when you can get the perfect pair of jeans for less?

Authentic, Vintage Look in Jeans with a Perfect Fit

The natural indigo-dyed layers will be revealed slowly over time, and give you that sought-after worn appearance that is impossible to achieve through any manufacturing process. For an authentic, vintage look – exceptionally comfortable, with a modern fit that shows off your best qualities – try on a pair of DenimKratos jeans and expect to be amazed. Not only do these raw denim jeans have a fit like no other, after being broken in, you’ll never want to wear another pair.

Warp and Weft: The Magic of Raw Denim Done Right

In producing an authentic worn look, it is all about the warp and weft. How the raw denim is produced makes a big difference in the appearance of the natural wear patterns, and at DenimKratos, we haven’t cut any corners. Our denim mill, Cone Mills, weaves raw denim that fades just right – and has a hint of stretch for comfort. The “left hand twill weave” of our raw denim makes it possible to get the perfect fade patterns, just like cowboys or miners had in the old West. They are built to last.

Getting Real with Raw Denim Jeans: DenimKratos

What makes a pair of jeans your all-time favorite? The absolute comfort and soft feel of naturally worn raw denim cannot be duplicated in manufacturing. Getting a real pair of jeans means commitment. They look great when new, and even better after they naturally wear, revealing the creases and patterns only your body can create -- for the perfect (and yes, eye-catching) fit. Check out a recent review on DenimKratos from The Denim Hound! We know you want the look, and we have provided all you need to know about caring for your raw denim jeans at DenimKratos.com. Once you know us, you’ll never forget us. We make the real thing.

The Founding Fathers of Jeans

Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis

Like so many American stories, we find the history of jeans interwoven with the lives of immigrants in pursuit of opportunities and new beginnings.  In the 1850’s, a European immigrant named Levi Strauss around San Francisco, California began making brown trousers with little or no belt loops and neither  pockets for miners by using cotton tent canvas from existing stock selling it out of his family’s dry goods store.  Cinch belts helped to keep the pants up as the miners worked among the rocks and rivers.  They were cheap, comfortable and they did the job of protecting the wearer from the raw elements.  The same qualities we look for today would propel Levi Strauss & Co into the history books.

Somewhere along the way of selling pants, Levi Strauss teamed up with a Russian immigrant tailor named Jacob Davis who was Levi’s customer and had his own shop in Reno.  On May 20, 1873, the two business partners obtained US Patent No. 139,121 for improvements in fastening pockets (rivets) on pants to make them more durable.  Slogan such as “It’s no use they can’t be ripped” were used to describe the innovation.  Also during this time, Strauss had switched fabric to serge de Nimes, a cotton twill fabric with origins from a town named Nimes in southern France, which he had dyed blue.  This is how denim, which is nearly synonymous with jeans got its name.  “Serge” in French means fabric, and “de Nimes” means “from Nimes”.  The name “jeans” is named after the Italian city of Genoa, where sailors wore blue cotton canvas.

By the 1880’s, around the end of the second industrial revolution in America with the adoption of railways, steam ships, and large scale manufacturing, American denim jeans was well embedded as tough, rugged work pants, and had become the uniform of choice among working men.  Around this time, Levi Strauss & Co had incorporated the orange stitching, trademarked arcuate design on back pockets, bar tacked to further reinforce pockets along with rivets, added a watch or coin pocket and the leather “Two Horse” patches to further illustrate the durability of their jeans.  Finally, the company started to assign manufacture lot numbers and the infamous 501’s waist-high overalls were assigned 01-weight denim.

Henry David Lee

Henry David Lee, was already a successful merchant before 1911 when he first decided to include work-wear as part of his company’s portfolio of products.  Prior, the H.D. Lee Mercantile Company had mainly manufactured and sold foods that included coffee, tea, cereal and canned food.  However, in 1911, Lee produced their first bib overalls.  Two years later, in response to Lee’s personal chauffeur, the Lee Union-All was invented which allowed the wearer to quickly pull the overall over regular work-wear clothing to get to dirtier jobs and remain presentable afterwards.  The design was an immediate hit among the growing automotive industry and mechanics.  And with the dawn of aviation age, it would eventually evolve into the flight suit.

Lee continued to innovate to match the ever changing American lifestyle throughout the years while producing durable work-wear for laborers such as the cowboy pant for seamen, loggers and of course, cowboys called the 101.  Lee was also one of the first jean companies to incorporate zippers into their jean design called the 101Z with a zip-fly, and offering tailored sizing and various inseams for personal fit.  Meanwhile, Strauss & Co dialed back the use of crotch and back pocket rivets as chafed cowboys, parents and teachers were complaining that it scratched up everything from saddles to furniture.

In the early 1930’s, Lee introduced a tight fitting denim jacket called the 101j and then followed up with a padded version named the Storm Rider.  Levi Strauss and Co also introduced jeans specifically made for women.  And later throughout the post-World War era of the 1950’s and 1960’s, with the ever increasing popularity of movies and television, the help of iconic pop-culture stars such as Elvis Presley, James Dean, Montgomery Clift, Marilyn Monroe, Marlon Brando, and Steve McQueen, propelled Lee jeans, Levi Strauss and others from respected work-wear to fashionable, and rebellious clothing statements.  It was during the tumultuous cultural revolution of 1960’s when women adopted denim as a staple in their wardrobes.  Jeans became ever slimmer as fabric stretched from its tough canvas origins, a movement that continues today, fathers to our slim fit and skinny jeans.