What does “selvage” mean?

Before WWII, almost all denim was made on shuttle looms, which work by holding lengthwise (warp) yarns in place, while a “shuttle” zig zags up the fabric with the crosswise (weft) yarns — as a result the crosswise stitching comes from a single piece of yarn, leaving a self-sealed edge on the side of the denim. This is why, when selvage denim rolled up at the cuff, you see a tell-tale white edge (it’s white because in denim only the lengthwise yarns are dyed indigo, the crosswise yarns are white).

These old shuttle looms create denim with irregularities that we think are beautiful. We have big love for selvage denim — so on our selvage jeans, we add extra details that make the most of it, letting you see the white selvage edge on the coin pocket and back center belt loop.