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Our Favourite Made-to-Fade Raw Denim Jackets
Even for expert-level faders, denim jackets represent a unique challenge. To bring out a selvedge jacket’s potential requires a deep investment of time and effort, but not as much time as you might think.
The Redline Rally has shown us that incredible results are achievable within a year (the three fades pictured below were all produced in the Rally). For many of us, though, the process takes longer—perhaps much longer.
If you want a beautifully faded jacket, you need to make your purchases count. You need a selvedge jacket that had proven fade potential, and you need to fall deeply in love with it. It can’t just be one jacket among many in your rotation. It has to be that one adored jacket at the centre of your life and your style.
You don’t need a dozen good denim jackets. You just need one GREAT one. All of the jackets below could be that one. They all have exceptional fade potential, and they are, we feel, the best-looking selvedge jackets out there.
TL;DR: The Five Best Selvedge Denim Jackets
If long lists aren’t your thing, here are five selvedge denim jackets that, between them, can fully satisfy just about everybody.
The brands we recommend below all have a range of denim jackets. Some of the links will take you to pages that have more than one of the brand’s jackets. All of these are worthy of inclusion on this list. Let your style preferences guide you towards the right selvedge jacket for you.
DENIM, EXPLAINED
Not Sure Where to Start?
If you’re trying to make sense of raw and selvedge denim, the guides below will help you narrow things down—by brand, weight, and what actually matters when choosing jeans.
- Selvedge Masterlist – A big-picture overview of the most important jeans brands—and how they differ.
- Lightweight Raw Denim – A curated guide to lighter-weight jeans that are easier to wear day to day.
- Best Heavyweight Jeans – A guide to heavier denim, what makes it special, and who it’s actually for.
Iron Heart 526 Type III (14-21 oz.)
Arguably the best denim jacket on the market, Iron Heart’s 526 (their version of the classic Type III) appears first on this list for good reason. If you’ve got a Type III in your sights, try one of these on before you pull the trigger on anything else.
We’re big fans of the lightest denim version of the 526, which tips the scales at 14 oz., but, if your’e after the most dramatic fades, the heavier versions of the jacket will get you there. Nothing comes easy with Iron Heart, though. If you want the exceptional fades these jackets can produce, you’ll have to work for them.
Iron Heart doesn’t miss when it comes to denim jackets. If their popular Type III isn’t your jam, try their Type II or their Rider’s Jacket.
Iron Heart is available at: Division Road (US), Franklin & Poe (US), Brooklyn Clothing (CA), Iron Provisions (US), and of course at Iron Heart International.
Tellason Coverall Jacket (16.5 oz.)
Though Tellason’s Coverall jacket took shape in the twenty-first century, the design cues here are much older. Some of the most remarkable fades we’ve seen in the Rally have been produced on the 16.5 oz. version of this jacket.
The newspaper pocket on the chest (remember when people read newspapers?) is large enough to fit a book or a bottle of wine. Whatever you like to carry with you, you’ll have pockets to spare with this one.
The Coverall Jacket is available in a number of weights and price points, but the 16.5 oz. version is our hands-down favourite. We also highly recommend Tellason’s Type III in the same weight.
If you want to learn more about Tellason’s denim jackets, we’ve reviewed both the Coverall (here) and the Lined Type III (here).
The Flat Head 60s Type III (14.5 oz.)
The Flat Head built their reputation on the back of this Pioneer Denim. Flat Head’s flagship selvedge, this 14.5 oz. middleweight is prized the world over for its high-contrast fade potential and striking vertical texture.
They’ve used the same denim in this jacket, and they’ve kept the design simple. If you’re looking for fades that will grab attention, this denim has about is as good a track record as you can find.
Also worth a look are Flat Head’s Type I and their slim-fitting Type II.
The Flat Head is available at: Redcast Heritage (ES), Franklin & Poe (US), and Iron Shop Provisions (US)
Rogue Territory Supply Jacket (15 oz.)
While the classic denim jacket forms have legions of devotees both old and new, there are plenty of denimheads who want to go their own way and depart from tradition. RGT caters to these stylish modern rebels.
Rogue Territory’s Supply Jacket has built up a considerable following as one of the cleanest modern designs out there, and the Japanese denims used by the brand produce stunning fades when the jacket is pushed hard with daily wear.
We’re partial to the denim version of the Supply Jacket, but the jacket’s most iconic iteration is the Bond-approved Waxed Tan Ridgeline.
You can buy Rogue Territory here: Redcast Heritage (ES), Stag Provisions (US), Brooklyn Clothing (CA)
Sugar Cane 1953 Type II (14.25 oz.)
The Type II is a tricky balancing act. There are so many details—pockets, pleats, rivets, and contrasting stitches. Get one of these not quite right, and the whole thing comes crashing down.
Sugar Cane don’t just pull it off, they make it look easy. One of the most harmonious Type IIs on the market, Sugar Cane’s 1953 should be at or near the top of your list if you’re looking to add the Type II, an icon of ’50s style, to your collection,
Sugar Cane is available at: Redcast Heritage (ES), Franklin & Poe (US), Blue in Green (US), Hinoya (JP), and Iron Shop Provisions (US).
Brave Star Ironside
Particularly in its heavier iterations, Brave Star’s Ironside Type III attracts serious lifestyle faders who bring the absolute best out of the jacket. The jacket gives as good as it gets, responding to wear and tear with explosive high-contrast fades.
Cut and sewn in America, and made from a rotating carousel of Japanese and American selvedge denims, the jacket can be scaled up or down depending on your preferences and lifestyle. If you want results like you see below, grab a heavy one and get to work!
Brave Star’s Mojave and Steadfast jackets are also worth a look and have just as much fade potential as the Ironside.
TCB S40’s (14 oz.)
A runaway hit in the selvedge scene since their debut, TCB’s no-nonsense approach to vintage style have earned them legions of fans, who know that, with TCB, you always get far more than you pay for. Massive bang for buck.
Made from a blend of three American cottons, this jacket will fade like the genuine wartime article. Cut generously, the S40’s will glide on over tees or sweaters. A great layering piece. Wash and wear frequently for best results.
We can also recommend TCB’s stellar Type III, which sells out exceptionally quickly (another one to keep an eye on and leap at when it is restocked).
TCB is available at: Redcast Heritage (ES) and Cultizm (DE)
Freenote Classic Denim Jacket (17 oz.)
Another Californian brand that prefers inspiration to imitation, Freenote Cloth are in a class of their own when it comes to shirts and jackets. If you’re glutted with the country and western standards, Freenote is playing jazz, improvising and riffing on the blue notes with every new release.
Their Classic Denim Jacket, with its combination of rounded corners and sharp edges and its cleverly concealed hand-warmer pockets (reinforced with exposed rivets), is a testament to Freenote’s ability to tastefully combine the old and the new in ways that always feel fresh.
Freenote make what is, for our money, the best lined denim jacket in the game: the RJ-2. Worth the investment and then some.
Momotaro Type II GTB (15.7 oz.)
It seems only appropriate that when you go to battle, you do so in Momotaro’s iconic battle stripes. Like all good warriors, you’ll make a deeper impression when your armour is no longer brand new—the more scars on your shield, the better.
The painted-on stripes around the arm will chip and fade as you put the jacket through its paces. A faded Momotaro jacket is a serious prize, and one can be found hanging in the the wardrobes of most serious selvedge collectors.
Momotaro’s Type III is also a killer. If you don’t have a Type III yet, you won’t do much better than this one.
Momotaro is stocked at: Division Road (US), Hinoya (JP), Cultizm (DE), Brooklyn Clothing (CA)
Mister Freedom Ranch Blouse (10 oz.)
For the most part, denim jackets reference models by the big three legacy brands. Mister Freedom put all of the classics in a blender and, somehow, the result managed to hang together brilliantly. Designed in California and made in Japan, the Ranch Blouse was an instant icon.
Our favourite feature is undoubtedly the rounded collar (a nod to the 1920s A-1 pilot’s jacket). It’s just one of the details that make this jacket entire unique and immediately recognisable. A piece for connoisseurs of denim art.
If you’re looking for a true statement piece, Mister Freedom’s Denim Peacoat turns heads quick enough to cause whiplash.
You can buy Mister Freedom at: Franklin & Poe (US), Blue Beach Denim (TW), Cultizm (DE), Clutch Café (UK), Hinoya (JP)
Warehouse Type I (13.5 oz.)
Vintage reproduction specialists Warehouse & Co. have been seen as the benchmarks of quality in the Japanese scene since the ‘90s. They’re best known for their throwback (way back) pieces that capture the spirit of the era when denim was a true workaday fabric.
Warehouse are constantly finding new inspiration, modelling their Type I jackets on now this wartime model and now that pre-war one. They do modern pieces very well, but it’s our advice to lean into their wheelhouse with something that feels (and fades) like true-blue vintage.
Warehouse is notoriously slow when it comes to re-stocking retailers, and you never know what they’ll release next. If you see a piece in your size that speaks to you, grab it while you can.
Warehouse is at Lost & Found (CA), Hinoya (JP), and Clutch Café (UK).
Tanuki Yurai Type II (16.5 oz.)
The first piece that comes to mind when anybody asks about double indigo selvedge jackets, Tanuki’s Yurai Type II features a dark indigo tone on the outside of the jacket and a rich and vibrant coralt blue on the inside. It’s one of the most striking double indigo selvedges on the market.
The fade potential with this denim is off the charts. As good as this jacket looks when new, it just keeps getting better as you put it through its paces. A true treasure from true blue artisans.
Tanuki also make a remarkably sharp Type III, featuring some very distinctive angled pockets.
SOSO’s Ghost Indigo Jacket
If quality and weight are synonymous for you, this jacket (the heaviest on this list by a wide margin) should rocket to the top of your list. SOSO, who made their name with what was, at the time, the world’s heaviest selvedge, are still a go-to name for those who want to wrap themselves in some of the heaviest denim on the market.
Best of all, you don’t have to hold your breath and hope that, when it arrives, the jacket fits you the way it should. As a made-to-measure brand, SOSO will make the jacket to your precise specifications in your choice of three styles. If heavy jackets are your thing, this one will be a perfect fit.
If 25 oz. still isn’t heavy enough, try SOSO’s 33 oz. Breaker of Legs selvedge, the heaviest denim jackets on the market. If you don’t want to get quite that heavy, try their 20 oz. Ghost Indigo or their 13.5 oz. Classic Redline.
Benzak Trucker Jacket (15 oz.)
Benzak Denim Developers may hail from the low-lying Netherlands, but they have scaled to the highest peaks of the selvedge scene thanks to their ability to deliver some of the sharpest cuts and fade-primed denims in the game.
Their Type II might be the best version of the jacket produced in Europe. As you can see from the fades below, it’s worthy of serious dedication. Use it and abuse it for long enough and you might see similar results.
We’re also big fans of Benzak’s Trucker Jacket, with its unmistakably cheeky rounded chest pockets and flaps.
Oni Coverall (12-20 oz.)
The brand of choice for those who want denims brimming with rough texture, Oni is perhaps best known for their Secret Denim. More recently, though, their Coverall has become a signature piece for the brand, and they’ve leaned into this, releasing new versions frequently.
The Coverall is a distinctly Japanese take on the classic piece of French workwear. Unlike the Type I, II, or III, the chore coat is cut longer, making this the perfect jacket to pair with flannels or other long shirts. As stylishly adaptable as they come.
Denim versions of the Coverall disappear from shelves remarkably quickly, particularly crowd favourites like Secret Denim. When you see an opportunity, leap at it.
You can find more Oni products from: Blue in Green (US), Redcast Heritage (ES), and Hinoya (JP)
Samurai Type III (15 oz.)
For those who put fades first, Samurai have always been an obvious choice. More than any other brand, they bring fades to the very centre of their design process. This is as true for their jackets as it is for their jeans.
Their middleweight Type III is, true to the Samurai spirit, razor sharp on all its edges. The chest pockets are small, which helps streamline the design. Wear daily and wash rarely (or never) if you want to bring the absolute best out of this beauty.
Samurai regularly releases 21 and 25 oz. versions of their jackets. Prized by fade enthusiasts, these pieces come and go extremely quickly, so keep your eyes peeled.
You can buy Samurai from these retailers: Franklin & Poe (US), Brooklyn Clothing (CA), Blue in Green (US), and Redcast Heritage (ES).
So Many Jacket, So Little Time
The selvedge scene is spoiled for choice when it comes to selvedge jackets. Excellent jackets from brands like Big John, Stevenson, UES, and Studio D’Artisan could absolutely be included here, but we didn’t want this list to be exhaustive (or too long to read in one sitting).
If you’ve had a great experience with a brand that’s not included on this list, let us know in a comment below. We’ll consider adding it when we update the list, which we do regularly.
Keep Track of What I’m Working On
I’m Thomas, founder of Denimhunters. Once a week, I send an email with what I’m working on and writing—new guides, deals, and things worth paying attention to.
Can we enter with an indigo leather jacket? I am looking at either a Y2 type Ii or Double Helix.
Leather pieces aren’t eligible for the Rally this year (leather is a whole different ballgame). The closest we can get you to patina is waxed pieces.
This is an awesome resource for raw denim jacket enthusiasts! The level of detail is incredible – from the breakdown of different brands and weights to the contest history and fit advice.
I especially appreciate the fact that they highlight both high-end and more affordable options.
Is there a particular brand or style of raw denim jacket you’re drawn to?