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He has led the CFDA for 20 years.

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Why Tubular Isn’t Proof, 3 Tees That Are Loopwheeled, and a Big Week for Weirloom

I had a meeting this week with an online retailer I’m sure you know, who told me he’s ready to stock Weirloom when I have more products ready. How’s that for motivation?!

That wasn’t the only conversation this week that made the brand feel a lot further along than it did just a few months ago. I know, annoyingly vague. I’ll get more specific in a second.

And while I was with my photographer shooting a pair of jeans I’m excited to launch soon, he showed me a T-shirt he’d bought that was advertised as loopwheeled. I immediately questioned if it really was. Down the rabbit hole I went, again.

Tubular Doesn’t Mean Loopwheel

With selvedge, you’ve got a visible edge. Loopwheel doesn’t give you that kind of proof. A T-shirt can be tubular knit, with no side seams, and still be made on a modern machine.

Genuine loopwheel is about the machine and the low-tension knitting process. The company LOOPWHEELER says its nearly century-old machines run at around 24 rpm and produce roughly one metre of fabric per hour. Per hour! 

That’s obviously incredibly slow. More importantly, it isn’t something you can verify just by turning a T-shirt inside out like you can with selvedge denim.

Provenance matters. If a brand is selling something as loopwheeled, I want to know where it was knitted, and what kind of machine was used. That should be the easy part of the story to tell.

Whitesville is a good example of why that distinction matters. The popular two-pack is tubular and made in Japan, it isn’t loopwheeled. It’s still a very good T-shirt—it’s just not the same thing. Brooklyn Clothing just restocked it in all four colours.

3 Loopwheel T-Shirts I’d Buy With Confidence

If you want the real thing without playing detective, here are three tees that I know for sure are loopwheeled:

Flat Head Heavyweight Tee

• Dense heavyweight long-staple cotton jersey, loopwheeled in Japan
• Triple-stitched no-sag collar and seamless tubular construction
• I’ve worn one for years and rate the durability highly

Buy this Flat Head tee here →

Iron Heart IHT-1610L

• 6.5 oz. Japanese loopwheel cotton with a smoother, more even finish
• Longer body, slightly boxy fit and high-cut armholes
• I own a couple; the extra body length is a big reason they work for me

Pick up an IHT-1610L here →

UES No. 8 Slub

• 9.5 oz. one-washed loopwheel jersey with pronounced slub and nep
• Heavy and substantial, with the texture doing most of the talking
• Slim, slightly shorter fit; size up two from usual Western sizing

Get into some UES here →

Things Worth Your Attention

Out of everything I looked at this week, these are the five stories that made the cut:

• Zimbabwe cotton in five directions – Gustin’s Zimbabwe Denim is back in no less than five colours. It’s 13.5 oz. paired with a dense hand with cross-hatch texture.
• Sumi instead of white – Pure Blue Japan’s 16 oz. Double Nep pairs an indigo warp with a sumi-dyed weft, giving the whole jean a smokier blue-black cast that continues through the patch, stitching and pocket embroidery.
• Repairs are open again – Franklin & Poe is taking limited denim-repair jobs again on a first-come basis, and the shop has also just landed a substantial Freenote outerwear drop.
• Sashiko doesn’t have to be indigo – SOSOBROTHERS’s 12 oz. Brown Sashiko puts the texture into a warmer colour and is available across jeans, shirts and jackets.
• Persimmons meet denim – A new Carved in Blue piece looks at kakishibu, the centuries-old Japanese dye made from fermented unripe persimmons, and how brands including Kapital, Naked & Famous, and Studio D’Artisan are using it in denim.

Building My Brand: Getting Ready for Wholesale

In January, I took Weirloom to its first trade show with three jeans, a T-shirt, and a shirt that wasn’t even fully ready.

I’m glad I did it. I signed a retailer, learned a lot, and made the wholesale side of the business real. But it also showed me how much still had to be in place before Weirloom could walk into a bigger room properly prepared.

That’s what this week has been about. Martin and I spent a full day working through the wholesale pitch and the collection we’re building towards the AW27 sell-in season.

“Wholesale has to pay the bill for building the brand,” he says, and I couldn’t agree more. Retailer pre-orders give production committed volume, and allow us to add webshop stock on top instead of funding the whole run speculatively.

Then came two signals that made the work feel a lot less theoretical. A very established retailer in the raw denim scene—one I expect most Denimhunters readers will know—told us he’s ready to stock Weirloom when the collection is ready. And the organisers of a Copenhagen trade show invited us to exhibit.

On top of that, I’ve photographed the first prototype of Weirloom jeans made entirely in Japan. It’s already back there for a few adjustments, plus the final labels and hardware, but the first prototype was remarkably close. The denim is soft, textured and natural-looking. That’s as much as I’m going to say until the spec is locked.

From the Archive: The First Weirloom Trade Show

Before I took Weirloom to its first trade show, I wrote about why the brand couldn’t stay “behind a screen”. Retailers create trust, give people somewhere to handle the product, and were always meant to be part of how I’d grow it.

I was still building the pitch deck then, and doing everything myself. Reading that now makes this week’s progress hit very differently.

The post How Do You Know If a T-Shirt Is Really Loopwheeled? appeared first on Denimhunters.

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PURPLE has launched its Fall/Winter 2026 campaign, “The Classmates”. This is the follow-up to its Spring/Summer 2026 campaign, “The Neighbors.”

The campaign was photographed by Kaito and styled by Terrence Munn. The location of this shot is Saint Violet Academy, a fictional school built around the idea of what “cool kids” wear.

Every school has its characters. FallWinter 2026 brings them together through a collection of denim, tees, flannels, outerwear, matching sets, and fall essentials. And each category is interpreted through a different point of view.

Let us point out that PURPLE is broadening its aesthetic rather than abandoning its streetwear roots. They have included their P001 Skinny, P004 Flare, P005 Slim Straight, P011 Straight Leg, and P018 Wide in their current collection as well. So, PURPLE is actually a good example of the “everything is happening at once” denim market. Its assortment

You can shop for PURPLE’s Fall/Winter collection on the brand’s website, as well as at Neiman Marcus and at Saks Fifth Avenue.

The post PURPLE – Fall/Winter 2026 Lookbook first appeared on Denimology.

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Cinq à Sept’s Spring 2027 collection has a clear denim story: relaxed, slightly slouchy jeans with a polished, feminine New York styling.

The fits include relaxed straight/cropped denim in a medium blue wash. This style features a loose, easy leg with an interesting horizontal partly opened seam around the knee.

Also included are a pair of high-waisted wide-leg jeans. They have a slightly structured, almost trouser-like shape rather than a baggy silhouette. The front seam which is running along the full length of the jeans give your legs a slimmer look.

The interesting part is that Cinq à Sept isn’t treating relaxed denim as purely casual. The jeans are being dressed up with bouclé jackets, delicate blouses and polished accessories.

Summing it up. Cinq à Sept fits the emerging “polished relaxed jean” direction: the leg gets roomier, but the overall look remains feminine and refined.

You can shop for the current Cinq à Sept collection at Revolve, Bloomingdale’s, and at Saks Fifth Avenue.

The post Cinq à Sept Spring 2027 – Denim Looks first appeared on Denimology.

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After many attempts over the past few seasons to make a comeback, now they’re so back! At least, judging from what we saw in stores here in New York City.

But there’s an important distinction: they are returning as one of several strong fits, not replacing high-rise or mid-rise jeans.

PacSun and Hollister (we love the adjustable waist!), to name a few, made low-rise jeans a top “priority.” Both brands are featuring most of their denim fits in a low and super-low rise. And there are so many more brands including low-rise jeans in their Fall/Winter 2026 collections.

PacSun Kaia Ultimate Low Rise Baggy Jeans ($64.95)

Hollister Andi Adjustable Waist Low-Rise Baggy Jeans ($54)

Low-rise baggy is the strongest combination. The newer low-rise jean isn’t necessarily the ultra-tight Y2K version. It often comes with loose, slouchy or wide legs. The low-slung/baggy direction was already visible in many of the previous 2025/26 collections.

And the low-rise straight/slim cut is also returning as part of a broader move toward slimmer, cleaner jeans.

Levi’s Low Straight Jeans ($110)

Fall 2026 isn’t “high-rise out, low-rise in.” It’s more like the waistline is being democratised again. Designers and brands are offering low, mid and high rises simultaneously, while the leg shape is undergoing an even bigger change.

And this is important given the recent “are baggy jeans out?” question: low-rise baggy jeans may actually be one of the ways baggy denim evolves for FW26—less giant and shapeless, more deliberately slouched and low-slung.

AE Lowest Rise Baggy WIde-Leg Jeans ($52.46)

R13 Cuffed Cross-Over Low-Rise Jeans ($795)

AGOLDE Low-Slung Baggy Jeans ($270)

The post Low-Rise Jeans Are Definitely On The “Rise” first appeared on Denimology.

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Gucci’s Fall 2026 collection, Demna’s first major Gucci runway collection, makes a strong case for clean, sexy, fitted-to-straight denim rather than the ultra-baggy look.

Key denim looks:

1. Straight, clean jeans
The clearest men’s denim look is a light-wash, straight-leg jean with a relatively clean finish, worn with a tight black tee and Gucci belt.

2. Sexy, fitted denim
Another standout is a deep blue, coated jean worn with a skin-tight black polo. It gives denim a much more body-conscious, sensual attitude.

3. Low-key rather than heavily distressed
Gucci isn’t pushing shredded or aggressively vintage denim here. The denim is relatively clean and polished, allowing the silhouette and styling to provide the attitude.

4. Light blue is important
The pale/light-blue jean is particularly notable because it contrasts with Fall 2026’s strong dark-indigo trend elsewhere. Gucci shows that light denim isn’t disappearing for fall. It’s being made sharper and more sophisticated.

5. Slim/mini-bootcut influence
Gucci’s fall/winter 2026 denim fits also includes slim, subtly flared mini-bootcut silhouettes.

Gucci Fall/Winter 26 is another important signal that Fall 2026 isn’t simply about oversized baggy jeans. The season is becoming much more multi-silhouette. Straight, slim, bootcut, relaxed and baggy can all coexist. Gucci’s particular message is cleaner, sexier and more polished denim, especially light-blue straight jeans and slim/bootcut shapes.

The post Gucci Fall/Winter 2026 Denim Looks first appeared on Denimology.

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Lulus Style Guide: Affordable Jeans Fashion for Every Moment When creating a wardrobe that’s suitable for each stage of life, it doesn’t require a new look each time. The best fashion items are ones that can switch between casual, work, weekend, and evening outfits in an easy way. Lulus provides…

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Since I started writing for Denimology, I faced the same question every year: Is it okay to wear white jeans after Labor Day? And my answer has always been: It’s absolutely okay to wear whatever makes you feel good.

And in the past few decades, designers and fashionistas have declared whites after Labor Day are definitely a “do”!

White jeans after Labour Day are totally acceptable in 2026. For Fall 2026, they fit into the broader move toward winter whites and lighter neutrals. Most designers and brands are treating it as a year-round neutral.

The more fashion-forward version is ivory, ecru, winter white, or cream rather than the stark summer white.

You can check out below some of our teams favorite picks for “white after Labor Day” denims available to purchase right now.

For Her:

For Him:

The post The “White Jeans After Labor Day” Question first appeared on Denimology.

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