Not all Levi’s are made equal, not even the one’s with the same model number! So here’s a guide to help you get the most durable and quality pair of Jeans.
1853 - During the Californis Gold Rush for miners.
They don’t make them like they used to
Collection
- Levi’s
- Levi’s Premium
- Levi’s Vintage Clothing (LVC)
- Levi’s Made in Japan
Tabs:
- All upper case until
- Orange - for their fashion line 1960s
- Silver - Introduced in 1988 baggy trend
- Black with gold lettering - Sta-pressed anti wrinkle
- Levis for gals
- Dark blue - premium
LEVIS on old & Levis on new
Pathc:
- Leather
- Paper/ Jacron (Cellulose + Rubber)
Rivet
- Copper
- Steel
- Zinc alloy Rivet in front and back
- Bar tacks instead of rivets
Sticking
Stitches per inch, higher is better
Material for pocket bags
Longer cotton fibers - cotton grown for longer Modern cotton - grown quicker and thus shorter
Chain stitch vs Loop stitch
- Men’s usually have chain stitch & Women’s have loop stitch
- Which is better
Shuttle loom
- 4 times slower
- They produce denim half width vs Projectile loom
Selvedge - Self edge - shuttle loom - less likely to fray
Single sticked back pockets vs double sticked back pockets
Material
100% Cotton will last longer than jeans with mixed materials
Polyester starts to smell a lot faster than Cotton - thus needing more washes
Shrink to fit is better - raw denim
Weight
Country of Origin
Given the same material composition, pairs produced in some countries are better than others,
Japan Egypt > Vietnam > Sri Lanka/Bangladesh ≈ India
Tests of Quality
Things that wear out fast in a poor pair,
- Buttons
- Pockets
- Belt loops
Vintage