Massdrop x Naked & Famous Ichiban Selvage Denim

Naked & Famous isn’t your average denim company, which is good, because we didn’t want to make your average pair of jeans. We wanted just the right fit, just the right weight, and just the right amount of slub. We wanted them to break in quickly, fade beautifully, and look and feel incredible for years to come. Introducing the Massdrop x Naked & Famous Ichiban, featuring 13.75-ounce sanforized selvage denim from the denim capital of the world: Okayama, Japan. Custom made for these jeans, the fabric has a light slub and a deep indigo color. And because it’s rope-dyed, it’ll fade faster into a unique pattern that reflects your use. Here for $99.99, these offer a great introduction to those new to raw denim and an easy-wearing addition to any enthusiast’s collection.

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. Plus, this fabric is natural indigo dyed, which means the dye comes directly from the indigo plant. 

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 patch features the company’s 1950s pop art–inspired logo, and your pair’s individual serial number can be found attached in front of the care label.

"There's a decent amount of weft (natural-colored rather than white) poking through, which lends them a slightly brighter appearance in spite of the relatively dark indigo (which is, as it turns out, natural rather than synthetic). My favorite aspect has to be the selvedge line, which is a lighter blue that I haven't seen before." - notwithit, StyleForum contributor

"...but the really amazing part of this is the patch itself, which is natural leather. I can't wait to see how this tans. The selvedge line is classic, and the jeans, all in, are just really beautiful." - adamdurbin, StyleForum Senior member

"The fabric is the perfect medium weight imo, coming in right under 14oz. Not heavy, but definitely not light either. The first time I put the pair on, I was surprised by how soft the fabric felt." - payodpanda, Massdrop community member