cargo's premium denim picks

[hermes]

the may 2005 issue of cargo mag has an interesting feature on their best picks for premium denim

as follows:

salt works
corpus
big star usa
hollywood trading company
energie
ddc lab
carpe diem
nomad tribe
nudie
notify
kasil
loomstate
red+

the red+ pair featured actually looked kinda nice (straight legged relaxed fit five pocket "blue collar" in ragg wash) - i've never seen this brand but it reminded me of the finish on one of my helmut lang pairs

any comments on red+?

 

[LA Guy]

Here is my take on their picks:

1) Salt works - decent cuts, good, though not particularly distinctive finishes. A fair number of their jeans are stretch though, which is a no-no in my books. Fair number of cuts/washes to choose from. Reasonably priced too (around $130-140).

2) Corpus - one of my favorites. In my top ten. 'Nuff said.

3) big star usa - totally corporate shill. They are cheap for a reason. The denim is not even as good as the denim on Lucky jeans, and the washes are incredibly boring.

4) hollywood trading company - decent, and certainly high quality. Guess where you can get them? I don't know why they felt the need to make their own jeans though.

5) energie - for the Eurotrash in us all - hate there stuff. The clothing is even worse. I hear Italians use the brand name as an insult, and I think that how a domestic market sees a produt speaks volumes.

6) ddc lab - been around a long time. I have seen some really interesting, space age designs, and some really classic ones. Generally good quality (though not my style). Will be a good brand once a consistent identity is developed.

7) carpe diem - cool jeans, especially if you are into the preppy/urban thing. Lots of interesting details, and decent denim. However, if you are short, you lose the graduated hem, which is one of the really interesting things about the jeans.

8) nomad tribe - never seen the brand. The pictures didn't make me want to go find a pair. Though I'll take a look to give them a fair shake.

9) nudie - Greycast Regular Ralph in top ten. Need more be said?

10) Notify - Overprocesses and overly body conscious. Looks good on some girls. Think True Religion interpreted Italian style, and yep, there you go - way over the edge.

11) Kasil - have been impressed by cuts and finishes. But again, why the need for stretch denim. You can buy Rufskins if you want your jeans that tight.

12) loomstate - they suck. The end.

13) Red+ - haven't seen the brand. Will try to check out next time I am in LA (this weekend) or NYC, whichever is convenient.

They missed J.P. Da'mage, which blows Big Star out of the water, and a whole lot more. But hey, this is Cargo, which is catering to the American Jackass.

 

[Brian SD]

8) nomad tribe - never seen the brand. The pictures didn't make me want to go find a pair. Though I'll take a look to give them a fair shake.

They're awesome - you should give them a look. They make arguably the most authentic-looking washes that I've seen on pre-washed jeans. They're definitely a different take from the NY/LA-style.

 

[Mike C.]

If I had to add to the list, I'd put APC (of course) and Chip N Pepper. I don't really like the fit of Chip N Pepper, however their washes are tough to beat.

 

[LA Guy]

I don't really like the fit of Chip N Pepper, however their washes are tough to beat.

Sorry to disagree Mike C., but while I actually like the cut of Chip and Pepper, I find that the washes are way overdone. I'd rather wear True Religion, and that is saying something.

 

[Brian SD]

BTW, found this picture of Nomad Tribe's back pocket: Pretty cool. Can also take a look at the denim (which looks quite heavy and of good quality), and the really fantastic vintage wash.

 

[Parker]

Just wondering, why does Loomstate suck? I checked out a pair of their (I think) Mission model today which I thought looked kinda nice. Not too low-rise, not too flared, not overly distressed, subtle stitch and pocket design and organic cotton. Almost bought them, but I thought I remembered the denim authorities didn't go for them. Is is the construction? quality? trendy Rogan guys?