Massdrop x Naked & Famous 14oz Streaky Slub Denim

For those who like their denim with loads of texture, we teamed up with Naked & Famous to make the 14-ounce streaky slub. Each pair features custom rope-dyed selvage from the denim capital of the world: Okayama, Japan. The fabric is woven on vintage low-speed shuttle looms using yarn that has waves, bumps, and different thicknesses throughout. This results in surface irregularities and a more organic, tactile hand than you get from denim woven with uniform yarn. Cut and sewn in Montreal, these jeans have a micro selvage edge that’s about one-third the size of a typical selvage ear. A bit heavier than your average denim, they’ll feel somewhat stiff at first and require 3 or 4 weeks to break in. Gradually, the rigid, durable fabric will produce distinct wear patterns that reflect your use. 

Before the denim is woven, it’s rope dyed: a process that involves repeatedly dipping a rope of cotton yarn into a series of indigo dye baths. Between dips, the yarn is exposed to the air and the absorbed indigo slowly oxidizes, turning the yarn blue. Because the yarn is never left in the bath long enough for the dye to penetrate to the core of the yarn, the outer circumference is dyed while the core remains white. With wash and wear, the denim will gradually shed layers of dye and slowly reveal the white core underneath. Combined with the weaving process, which happens on a traditional shuttle loom, this makes for an extraordinary depth of color and a handmade feel that can’t be mass-produced. To learn more, check out our Intro to Raw Denim.

Once the denim is ready, it makes its way from Okayama to the Naked & Famous factory in Montreal, where it’s cut and sewn into the finished pair of jeans you see here. This collaboration is done in the company’s best-selling Weird Guy fit. Comfortable from the waist to the hip, the Weird Guy was recently revised based on customer feedback with a standard mid-rise and a slight taper from the knee to the hem. Each pair is complete with a four-button fly, Kentucky-made YKK hardware, and a vegetable-tanned leather patch that’ll darken and develop an aged look as it’s exposed to the sun. The custom patch features the company’s 1950s pop art–inspired logo.