Two hundred and seventy five dollars is a lot of money. If a person were to eat McDonald’s McDouble sandwhich off the dollar menu, they would be able to consume sufficient calories for nearly fifty four days with $275. It takes the average family about one and a half working days in order to raise $275, while a person earning minimum wage in the US would have to work nearly an entire week to raise it. So when a pair of Jeans cost $275, it needs to be an fantastic pair of jeans in every sense imaginable. Raleigh Raw Denim hits the mark by being not only a quality product, but also one that is made responsibly with respect to the environment and utilizing the local (for me) labor markets.
 |
| At three months, the fades are just starting |
Raleigh Denim starts as cotton grown in South Carolina. From this cotton, Cone Mills’ White Oak Plant in Greensboro, N.C., makes some of the finest American-made, selvedge denim imaginable. While White Oak denim is used by a variety of Jean makers, one distinguishing feature on Raleigh Raw Denim is the unbleached Weft. As you know from my Brother’s moniker, the Weft of a jean is the normally white fiber visible on the interior of the jean, and is a thicker fiber that is commonly left in the jean when holes develop. Raleigh Denim uses the unbleached denim from Cone Mills, so theirs is more of a cream-color than white. The jeans are fading to a bright blue, but I expect that the cream will come through with additional wear.
 |
| The center belt loop has a selvedge line in it, a nice detail you are sure to notice. |
If you pick up a pair of Raleigh Raw denim, you will find the attention to detail striking. In addition to being well assembled, they utilize a number of details in their assembly that make for a beautiful pair of jeans. Firstly, the exterior stitching is all done with a gold-colored thread that contrasts nicely against the dark blue if the jean. But they also use a red thread on the interior for the hemline and waist. Both of these utilize a chain stitch, so you can expect the jean not to pucker when you do give them a first, second, or any wash. The back pockets as simple: no design stitching on the pocket itself other than the reinforced stitching that holds it to the jean. The side pockets are deep enough to comfortably fit a 4 or 5 inch Smartphone in addition to a wallet or keys. A fifth pocket on the right side is useful for a USB drive or other small item, and also has another nice detail: It is made from a piece of denim that had a selvedge line on it, so the selvedge is shown off down the side. While many jeans utilize Copper for the rivets and buttons, Raleigh elected to use bronze instead. Exposed Rivets reinforce the front pockets, while the back pockets use only reinforced stitching. This has become increasingly common among denim manufacturers as opposed to hidden rivets on the back pocket due to the possibility of scratching leather and other surfaces when sitting in jeans with rivets on the butt area, although the fading of a hidden rivet can be a neat feature.
 |
| These One-Year old, three times washed Raleigh Denim Originals are what I hope mine will come to look like. This pair belongs to the Brooklyn Denim Company |
-Mash