This is a guest post by Nick English, founder of Stridewise—one of the web’s leading publications dedicated to quality boots, heritage menswear, and well-made everyday carry.
The Tiger Cub Economies Are Making Some Really Great Selvedge Jeans
Everyone wears jeans; some people want the best possible version of jeans, and most of them wind up looking at Japan.
Beyond their famous, culturally reinforced attention to detail, denim enthusiasts tend to buy Japanese denim because of the high concentration of brands using vintage shuttle looms, traditional and experimental dyeing methods, historically informed designs, and cutting-edge fabric science.
But while Japan has been building its brand as a futuristic planet of the most advanced products imaginable, selvedge denim brands have been quietly sprouting all across the Tiger Cub Economies.
TL;DR and Editor’s Note – Looking Beyond Japan
Based on first-hand experience, Nick from Stridewise gives a glimpse into the thriving Southeast Asian selvedge scene—one that deserves far more attention outside the region.
“I’ve wanted to cover the Southeast Asian denim scene for years, especially after putting together my guide to the best raw denim brands and my definitive guide to Japanese denim brands, so I’m very excited that Nick asked me to publish this article.”
Thomas, Founder of Denimhunters
Why Southeast Asia Is a Selvedge Sleeper Hub
The old-fashioned selvedge denim we love is made on shuttle looms, and it’s a widespread misconception that all the world’s shuttle looms are in Japan. You probably already know that shuttle looms can be found in the United States, Italy, the UK, China, and elsewhere.
But there are dozens of brands in Southeast Asia that are making their own high-end raw denim jeans—many even make them with selvedge denim woven domestically. There are, in fact, plenty of shuttle looms in Indonesia and Thailand, and many brands dotted around the region are worn and loved by local enthusiasts.
You might have heard of a few Southeast Asian outfits—Thailand’s Piger Works and Indonesia’s Oldblue are relatively well known—but there are dozens of others that fly under the radar.
Why aren’t they better known outside of their home countries? Sometimes it’s because of domestic economic policies that make exporting costly or impractical. This can cause many businesses to be more or less sealed from the outside world.
But many Southeast Asian denim workshops go unrecognised by the international community of denimheads simply due to the expense and labour of marketing and selling to overseas markets. Reaching Western customers typically requires more staff, skills, and capital.
Introducing Wise Goods
A brief aside: I, your writer, am trying to change that by building an online store called Wise Goods that will specialise in stocking such Southeast Asian brands.
It won’t be ready to take orders until later in 2026, but we’re already importing half a dozen brands from four countries.
Sign up to the Wise Goods e-mail list to be the first to know when we’re open for business!
Here are nine Southeast Asian denim brands I think more people should know about.
Editor’s Note: This isn’t intended as a definitive list of every Southeast Asian denim brand. Instead, Nick has focused on labels he believes deserve more international attention right now—brands chosen for their originality, local influence, distinctive fabrics, or the role they’re playing in shaping the region’s growing selvedge scene.
FROM MALAYSIA
Raw Denim House
Modern workwear with local mythology woven in
Malaysia doesn’t currently make their own selvedge, but Raw Denim House use denim sourced from China and Japan to design, cut, and sew their jeans in the nation’s northeastern state of Terengganu.
RDH has managed to build a pretty distinct identity, selling both classic jeans and their own distinct patterns that include cargo jeans, double knees with diamond stitching, and “bush pants” with flap pockets on the thighs.
When I visited them, I was especially interested in the way they infused their designs with local mythology: some jeans had arcuates inspired by local interpretations of the monkey god Hanuman, others were decorated with their town’s mascot: the fighting rooster, once used to settle the area’s inter-kingdom tax disputes.
Raw Denim House are active on Instagram, which is probably the easiest way to follow new releases and special projects, though they also have a website.
FROM MALAYSIA
Marrow
Postmodern silhouettes and a fresh direction
Malaysia’s population of 35 million is relatively low for Asia, yet they absolutely dominate the Indigo Invitational. My point is that, especially on a per capita basis, Malaysia’s denim power deserves close attention.
Marrow is so new that their collections have yet to be released, but they promise to be a unique fixture in Southeast Asia’s denim space with designs inspired by postmodern streetwear and quiet utility.
They’ve also built their own workshop in Kuala Lumpur’s Semua House with the intention of reviving the area’s traditional garmentmaking industry.
Helmed by London-trained designer Shaofen Seah, Marrow will release modern and roomy garments that wouldn’t be called “heritage” or “classic” in the same way as most raw denim brands, but their core principle is making clothes that move, evolve, and endure—ideas at the heart of any true denimhead enterprise.
At the time of publication, Marrow are still preparing their first releases, so their Instagram is currently the best place to follow the project and keep up with upcoming drops.
FROM INDONESIA
Oldblue
Heavyweight selvedge and one of Indonesia’s best-known denim exports
If you’ve heard of one Indonesian denim company, it’s probably Oldblue.
The first Indonesian outfit to sell selvedge over 20 ounces in weight, they’re more likely than the other brands on this list to be found in foreign stores. Another way they’ve strengthened their visibility overseas is by collaborating with Japanese brands like Samurai and retailer Okayama Denim.
It makes sense, then, that they’ve got an unusually wide array of fits and an unusually cool website that does a great job of displaying their diverse range of heritage wear—even though it rarely reflects what you can actually buy.
The product line is always changing, but they regularly sell heavyweight selvedge woven by Japan’s Kaihara, super slubby denim from Thailand’s Atlantic Mills, and all-Indonesian jeans made with selvedge woven in West Java.
Oldblue also stands out for securing the right to sell White’s Boots in Indonesia and for their range of heritage outerwear that’s rich in fabrics like wabash and duck canvas.
(Website) (Instagram)
Oldblue’s website is one of the best organised in the region, though the constantly changing product lineup means not everything shown is necessarily available at any given time. They’re also active on Instagram, where new releases and collaborations tend to appear first.
FROM INDONESIA
NBDN
Batik details, sashiko patches, and constantly evolving fabrics
NBDN is based in West Java’s creative hub of Bandung, which is also home to Indonesia’s famous bootmaking scene.
They tell me their name stands for both “Not Branded’ and “Branded On,” to signify how one can take something “unbranded”—like soil and cotton—and create something that develops value, both as it’s turned into clothing and then as it’s worn and loved.
Every pair of jeans boasts its own hand-sewn sashiko waist patch, and many of their models are named after mythical or endangered creatures.
Personally, I’m a big fan of when they integrate batik, a method of using wax to dye fabrics that has a powerful history in the region. You’ll sometimes find batik inside their jeans or on the sleeves of their jackets.
The lineup is ever-changing (they’re constantly selling out), but a visit to their headquarters revealed a range of garments that include purple weft selvedge, wabash canvas, and slubby stonewashes.
NBDN is available at Cultizm. Because the lineup changes so frequently and international availability can be limited, NBDN’s Instagram is probably the best place to keep up with new releases, though they also have a website.
FROM INDONESIA
Blue States
Fast-moving releases and heavyweight selvedge at unusually low prices
Blue States was brought to my attention by famed denim historian and designer Mohsin Sajid, who thinks they sell some of the nicest fabrics in the region.
They stand out as a brand founded by two brothers who belong to Indonesia’s longstanding ethnic Chinese minority, who some affectionately call Chindonesian.
To the consumer, Blue States might stand out for their phenomenally low prices: their lineup includes 23 oz. selvedge jeans for 70 US dollars.
The brothers have used relationships with selvedge denim mills in both Indonesia and China to create an exceptionally fast and nimble business model, capable of creating and restocking product lines more quickly than many others in the area.
Sometimes, Blue States will also sell other items like military pants and a cool shawl-collar take on the denim jacket—a surprisingly common design choice in the region.
Blue States have both a website and an active Instagram, though, as with many brands in the region, availability changes quickly as fabrics and production runs come and go.
FROM VIETNAM
Copper Denim
Affordable raw denim, wabash, and military-inspired workwear
Vietnam is home to an enormous amount of denim production, including industry goliath Saitex and a Levi’s production plant in the northern Ninh Binh province.
Raw selvedge denim doesn’t have a huge foothold in Vietnam, but Copper’s founder, Tu Pham, is intent on spreading its influence.
Sure, there’s no English on his website (you could try Google Translate and pray), but the extremely well-priced Copper Denim is the country’s most dedicated hub of raw denim, and Tu’s solid understanding of the space means they’re usually selling raw denim-adjacent favourites like sateen fatigues and wabash jackets.
If you’re curious to learn more about how mid-century Americana caught on in Vietnam, I visited them a couple of years ago and filmed one of their denim hangs.
Copper’s website is currently only available in Vietnamese, so their Instagram is probably the easiest way for international customers to follow new releases and get a feel for what they’re doing.
FROM THAILAND
Secret Island
Contemporary fits and experimental fabrics at lower prices
A sister brand (or perhaps sub-brand) of Piger Works, Secret Island is the newest brand on this list, so it’s all the more impressive that they’re making waves in Thailand’s bustling denim scene.
Wisely launching with a contemporary wide fit in addition to the classic straight and slim ones that are more widespread in the region, Secret Island is innovative and significantly less expensive than Piger Works, releasing funky fabrics like anti-odour denim and perhaps their flagship: a super slubby brown denim called Sand.
Secret Island currently operates through their Instagram, which is where new releases and fabric experiments tend to appear first.
FROM INDONESIA
Craft Denim
Natural indigo and wildly textured handloomed denim
Of all the cool brands I’ve visited in Southeast Asia, Craft Denim left the strongest impression. They don’t make selvedge denim with pure indigo; they make handloomed denim with natural indigo.
In fact, Craft only uses natural dyes, almost all of which have long histories of use in Central Java.
Earlier in 2026, they sponsored an enormous mangrove tree planting program in collaboration with a local school and the Indonesian Red Cross Society: mangroves are used to dye fabrics, and they help to protect local agriculture from erosion.
Combine all that with phenomenal textures and other funky takes on traditional favourites—like a Carhartt Detroit-style jacket made of handloomed sashiko—and you’ve got a truly singular company.
Craft Denim are active on Instagram, where they regularly share new fabrics, natural dye experiments, and one-off pieces that can be difficult to find outside the region.
FROM THAILAND
Simple & Raw
Perhaps my favourite Thai brand, I’m a huge fan of the complex images that often decorate the interior of their jeans, on pocket bags and yokes.
That said, it’s possible that I just like them because of how easy it is to use their (English language!) website: it’s easy to sort by fit (thanks for the ‘vintage’ option!) and by weight (some 25 oz. jeans are currently going for under $200).
They’re not the cheapest brand in the region, but they’re becoming one of the most talked about thanks to the combination of impressive fits, farang-friendly website, and plenty of other workwear classics like canvas jackets, twill work pants with back cinches, pleated ripstop trousers, and herringbone twill baker pants.
Simple & Raw have one of the easiest websites in the region to browse internationally, and they’re also active on Instagram, where new fabrics and releases tend to show up first.
This Denim Boom Is Bigger Than You Think
That’s nine brands from Southeast Asia that I’ve been looking at closely. But this list barely scratches the surface:
Sage Denim (Indonesia), Piger Works (Thailand), Nama (Thailand), Warpweft (Indonesia), Cheese Denim (Indonesia), and Sukajin (Malaysia) all deserve to be talked about, and I didn’t even touch on the one-man brands like Marimandi (Malaysia) and Selvedgework (Thailand).
I hope this overview served its purpose of making you more informed and more excited about this increasingly visible corner of the selvedge denim industry. This scene runs far deeper than a single article can cover, and I suspect we’ll be hearing a lot more about these brands in the years ahead.
Keep Track of What I’m Working On
You’ve made it to the end of this article, well done.
Hi, this is Thomas, founder of Denimhunters. If you liked this article, you should check out the DH Weekly. It’s my weekly column and newsletter that I publish every Friday, with new guides, deals, and things worth paying attention to.
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