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Denims, Fits, Sizing, and More: Everything You Need to Know Before Buying Brave Star Jeans
Brave Star is the Los Angeles denim brand that made raw selvedge jeans affordable without cutting corners. Founded in 2005 around Cone Mills White Oak denim, it was one of the first all-selvedge, Made in USA labels.
The brand was forced to pause after the 2008 financial crisis, sold off to a conglomerate, and then triumphantly bought back by founder Mik Serfontaine in 2012. A year later, Mik relaunched his brand through Kickstarter—and has been cutting and sewing jeans in the LA factory ever since.
Today, most fabrics come from Japan’s shuttle-loom mills, with occasional deadstock Cone drops. Jeans are sewn in Los Angeles and sold only through the Brave Star webshop—or at their LA showroom.
TL;DR: American-Made Jeans Without the Sticker Shock
Brave Star proves you don’t need to spend $250+ for quality selvedge. Their jeans are cut and sewn in LA from selvedge denim, and start at just $118. The denims are raw, the design is simple, and the fades come quickly—making this a smart entry point into the scene. Buy a pair here.
Picking Your First Pair of Brave Stars?
Brave Star’s line-up can be a bit overwhelming at first glance, but if you start by focusing on fabrics and then fits, choosing your pair will get easier.
I’ve highlighted what I think are the standout fabrics and fits below to give you a clear sense of what Brave Star does best.
Popular Brave Star Denims
The LA-based jeansmaker offers a variety of fabrics, from mid-weights to ultra-heavyweights, but a few have become cornerstones of their range. Here’s a small handful of selvedge denims that’ve come to define Brave Star:
Deadstock White Oak (USA)
The brand launched in 2005 with Cone Mills White Oak fabrics at its core, and remarkably, they still have rolls of denim left. With the mill now closed since 2017, every release is finite — once the last roll is gone, it will never return.
The 14 oz. Golden Handshake was their clearest link to America’s denim heritage. It’s essentially sold out now, with only a few sizes lingering, but it shows how Brave Star made historic fabrics accessible at unheard-of prices.
Other drops keep White Oak alive in different ways. The 10 oz. Prospector reissues the lightweight 2×1 twills used in early 1900s buckle-back jeans, complete with plain white selvedge and a mid-blue shade that predates coloured IDs.
The 12 oz. Woodsman represents one of White Oak’s last innovations: a right-hand twill blending 81% recycled cotton with 19% wood-pulp fibre. It’s a denim that balances authenticity with sustainability.
You can also read more about White Oak and its history here.
21.5 oz. Gauntlet (Japan)
At a solid 21.5 oz., these are not for casual wearers. Woven with rope-dyed indigo and a 3×1 left-hand twill, the fabric feels like denim armour at first. However, thanks to long-staple cotton, it softens after only a couple of weeks, making it far more wearable than its weight would suggest.
Indigo chips off quickly at seams and stress points, delivering early high-contrast fades. If you have been waiting for a heavyweight challenge, this is it.
25 oz. Sumo IV (Japan)
The ultra-heavyweight of Brave Star’s line-up. This 25 oz. right-hand twill denim is rope-dyed to a deep indigo and built from extra-long staple cotton for strength.
Finished with red selvedge ID, vintage-style hardware, and a hefty veg-tan leather patch, the Sumo IV is as serious as raw denim gets. It sells out fast, but if you can grab a pair, they are a true collector’s piece.
Check out all Brave Star’s heavyweight selvedge here, or …
Core Brave Star Fits
The brand’s fits cover everything from classic straight legs to modern tapers. Here are the most relevant cuts to consider if you are looking for your first pair:
True Straight
A regular rise with room in the seat and thighs, tapering only slightly from the knee down. It’s Brave Star’s cleanest, most versatile straight fit, finished with an 8.25-inch hem that works well with boots.
Mojave (Western Cut)
One of Brave Star’s newest fits, inspired by mid-20th-century cowboy silhouettes. With a subtle knee-to-hem gradation, it is built to sit cleanly over work or Western boots, reviving a classic American profile.
Slim Straight and Slim Taper
The Slim Straight keeps things lean without going tight, while the Slim Taper narrows more sharply below the knee for a modern silhouette. Both are popular entry points for guys who want a trimmer fit without sacrificing comfort in the seat and thighs.
How Brave Star Makes Its Jeans
The jeans are cut and sewn in their own Downtown LA factory, using selvedge denim from Japan’s leading mills and Cone Mills deadstock when available.
Hardware comes from Kentucky, leather patches are stamped locally, and stitching is done with durable red-orange core-spun thread.
The key to their value is the direct-to-consumer model. There are no retailers. You either buy in-stock jeans from their website or showroom, or you join a pre-order batch. Pre-orders give early access to unique fabrics at the lowest price, but delivery takes longer.
The pre-order model reduces waste, funds small-batch production, and keeps Brave Star’s jeans firmly in the $118–$168 range—instead of the $250+ you’d expect for Made in USA selvedge jeans.
What to Know When Buying Brave Star
Sizing: Brave Star jeans run close to tagged size, but check the charts carefully—waists can stretch an inch or even two with wear. Rises on slimmer fits sit lower than on heritage cuts, so if you need extra height, the Strongman or Mojave are safer bets.
Break-in and Fades: The fabrics start stiff, but will soften with wear and wash. Left-hand twills like the Gauntlet fade faster, showing seam chipping and pocket wear within months. In general, the denims are more about clean, high-contrast fades than wild slub textures.
Shipping: Brave Star ships all orders with USPS, and domestic orders include tracking. For international orders, once they leave the US, they are handed off to the local national postal services (Deutsche Post in Germany, Royal Mail in the UK, etc.). Tracking on international orders may be unreliable at that point, and Brave Star does not take responsibility for lost or delayed parcels. International buyers should also expect to pay customs duties and local VAT.
Hemming: You can opt for chain stitch hemming on a vintage Union Special 43200G. The machine produces the roping effect that denimheads prize. Customised inseams are final sale, but for buyers who want the full vintage detail, this service is a valuable option.
Ready to Add Brave Star to Your Rotation?
Brave Star has built its reputation on combining raw selvedge denim, simple construction, and a price point that undercuts most of the market. You get a direct line to the makers in Los Angeles, with options that range from deadstock Cone to ultra-heavy Japanese fabrics.
They are not the most experimental jeans out there, but if you want a reliable pair that will break in fast and fade hard, Brave Star delivers.
The post Brave Star: Heavyweight Jeans Without the Hefty Price Tag appeared first on Denimhunters.
DENIM and PATCHES sourced this post originally published on this site