Denim Sourcing Guides

Practical answers to the questions apparel buyers actually ask us, written from 35 years of selling denim to manufacturers — then a route straight to the fabric in stock that fits the answer.

First Quality vs Second Quality Denim What the grades mean when you are buying wholesale, what you actually give up, and when second quality is the right buy. Read the guide → How to Source Denim for a Clothing Brand A practical order of operations for a brand buying denim for the first time, from silhouette to confirmed yardage. Read the guide → Denim Fabric Weight Guide: 6 oz to 16 oz+ What ounce weight actually measures, what each band is used for, and why two fabrics of the same weight can feel nothing alike. Read the guide → Stretch vs Rigid Denim Which to choose for a given fit, what the elastane percentage actually changes, and what to test on the swatch. Read the guide → Selvedge Denim: What It Is and When It Is Worth It Also spelled selvage. What the self-edge actually tells you, what it does not, and when to specify it. Read the guide →

Comparisons

When you have narrowed it to two and need the deciding factor.

Selvedge vs Regular Denim What the self-edge changes, what it does not, and when the yield penalty is worth paying. Compare → 98/2 vs 99/1 Stretch Denim One percent of elastane is the difference between comfort and fit. Here is which you need. Compare → 12 oz vs 14 oz Denim Two ounces sounds like nothing. It changes the garment, the sewing and the cost. Compare → Lightweight vs Heavyweight Denim The two ends of the range make different garments, not better or worse ones. Compare → Bull Denim vs Regular Denim Same family, different job. Bull denim is about strength and surface, not indigo character. Compare → Denim vs Twill for Workwear Both are twills. The question is really indigo versus piece-dyed, and how much abrasion the garment will take. Compare → Japanese vs American Selvedge Both are shuttle-loom denim. The difference is in yarn character and what the market expects from each. Compare → Raw vs Washed Denim Whether the fabric arrives finished or you finish it yourself changes costing, shrinkage and lead time. Compare → Sanforized vs Unsanforized Denim The single question that decides whether your pattern survives the first wash. Compare → Ring-Spun vs Open-End Denim How the yarn was spun, and why it explains two fabrics of identical weight feeling nothing alike. Compare → Right-Hand vs Left-Hand vs Broken Twill Which way the diagonal runs, and what it does to hand, fade and leg twist. Compare →

Looking for fabric rather than advice?

Browse wholesale denim by weight, construction and end use, or go straight to the full live inventory.