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Plus Tellason’s New Sneakers, a Suvin Gold Tee, and Why Fullcount Wins at Pre-Washed

Summer is officially here, and I’ve already started digging through my summer closet and topping up. I picked up a couple of nice secondhand short-sleeve shirts—seersucker, linen, that kind of thing—and a pair of Tellason fatigue shorts from Brund.

This issue leans that way too: lighter things, T-shirts, sneakers, and a summer sale or two. The exception is the lead story, where I finally sat down to review Gustin.

After that, there’s a sponsored piece on Tellason’s new sneakers, a few product and sale updates, and some thoughts on pre-washed denim prompted by a special new Fullcount release.

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I Finally Put Gustin to the Test

I’ve been talking with the people behind Gustin since they launched, and we’ve discussed doing something together more than once over the years. It never quite happened—until they sent me two pairs to review.

I roped in Frederik, my brother-in-law and house model, to do the wearing. He gets the jeans, I don’t pay for models, and you get to compare him across my other reviews.

What I was watching for was consistency—the thing I think about most after launching my own jeans last year, because if you’re not consistent with sizing, details, and finish every time, you break the trust you’ve built. On that front, Gustin is as solid as any brand I’ve handled.

The review gets into the rest: the two core fabrics, where Gustin spends and where it simplifies, a couple of finishing choices I’d have made differently, and the sizing, which is the one thing I’d really pay attention to before ordering.

And if you want to go deeper on the fits, fabrics, and how the campaigns work, we’ve also got a full Gustin buying guide.

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The Sneakers I Reach For Instead of My Boots

I used to own a lot of boots. A few years back I sold off most of them, and now there are really only two pairs I still wear—and one of those, a roughout pair of Wescos I love, almost never gets worn because I won’t lace them up for a 20-minute school run.

So I default to sneakers. For a long time that felt like a guilty secret—when I started out I had it in my head that proper denimheads wore boots, so I did too. These days I’ve made my peace with it.

The hard part is finding sneakers that look right with heavier denim, not just any jeans. So when Tellason teamed up with Italian maker Valsport, it caught my attention: a low, old-school tennis shoe, made in Italy, with denim details kept so quiet you have to look twice to spot them.

A sneaker collab might look like a stretch for a brand known for jeans and workwear. But there’s a good reason it isn’t, and it goes back a long way for Pete and Tony. I get into that in the article, along with the design choices and why the collaboration makes more sense than it first appears.

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Things Worth Your Attention

A few other things caught my eye this week—a couple of restocks, a sale worth knowing about, and a new collaboration that got me thinking.

UES Ramayana T-Shirts Land at Redcast Heritage

Yes, another Redcast update, and another T-shirt—but it’s the season, and the good ones keep dropping.

This time it’s UES’s Ramayana tees, made from Suvin Gold, one of the rarest and finest cottons in the world—it sits closer to cashmere than ordinary cotton in feel.

What makes them interesting is the construction. Rather than spinning that fine cotton into a delicate yarn, UES spins it thick, so you get the smoothness of premium cotton with the body of a proper heavyweight tee. They’re restocked in white, black, navy and grey, now up to XXXL.

If you’ve read my guide to the best loopwheeled T-shirts, this isn’t one of those—it’s a different route to a great tee, leaning on the cotton and the yarn rather than the knitting method. One heads-up: they run very small, so check the size chart before ordering.

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Cultizm’s Summer Sale Is On

A sale at Cultizm isn’t exactly breaking news. But there have been two fresh announcements since last week’s Weekly, so it’s worth flagging.

The first is the summer sale itself, with up to 50% off across a genuinely deep selection—no code needed, just head to the sale page.

There’s also a separate summer deal running alongside it: 20% off full-price items with the code SUMMER at checkout.

Between the two, there’s a lot of good stuff to dig through.

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If You’d Rather Skip the Break-In … Get Fullcounts

When it comes to jeans, almost everything I recommend, and everything I wear myself, is either raw or one-washed.

But pre-washed denim is getting more popular in this scene, and I’ve got nothing against it. If a broken-in, ready-to-wear pair is what you actually want, there’s no reason not to go for it.

What got me thinking about this is a new collaboration: Amsterdam’s Tenue de Nîmes has done its first-ever jean with Fullcount, a light “Palm Springs” hand-wash limited to 50 handmade pairs.

They also ran a nice interview with Kotaro from Fullcount around it, which is worth a read. It’s a lovely project, even if I’d never reach for a wash that light myself.

More to the point, if pre-washed is your thing, Fullcount is about the best you can get—Osaka-made on shuttle looms with no shortcuts.

Their own washes are really something else; the Dartford and the Santa Monica in particular, which you can see above across the slim, straight and wide fits.

The Tenue exclusive will be hard to get, but you can find Fullcount at Redcast Heritage (ES), Blue in Green (US), Cultizm (DE), and Clutch Café (UK).

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From the Archive: Tellason’s Wide-Leg Fredy

Since Tellason’s already in this issue, it’s a good excuse to point back to a review I’m fond of: the Fredy, the brand’s wider-leg jean.

I reviewed it last year. It was “wide on time” then, and it still is.

Wider cuts have only kept growing since, and the Fredy is Tellason’s answer to that without chasing anything—a fuller leg done in a way that feels timeless rather than trend-driven.

My review goes into the fit, the proportions, and why this kind of cut works better than people expect once you actually wear it.

The post American-Made Selvedge Jeans for $99? I Was Sceptical Too appeared first on Denimhunters.

DENIM and PATCHES sourced this post originally published on this site

LOEWE’s Fall/Winter 2026 campaign marked the continued evolution of the house under creative directors Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez.

Rather than a traditional studio campaign, the imagery was photographed by Talia Chetrit on the volcanic island of Tenerife, creating a dramatic contrast between raw landscapes and LOEWE’s highly crafted luxury pieces.

The imagery highlights the visual contrast between the island’s jagged lava rock formations and the collection’s fluid, sculptural craftsmanship. The campaign features a mix of fresh and familiar faces, including ambassadors and actors like Isla Johnston, Levon Hawke, Seydou Sarr, and Eva Victor.

The visual language shifted away from the highly conceptual surrealism associated with LOEWE’s previous era and toward something more tactile and sensual.

You can shop for the current Spring/Summer 2026 LOEWE collection at NET-A-PORTER, Harrods, and at Saks Fifth Avenue.

The post LOEWE – Fall/Winter 2026 Ad Campaign first appeared on Denimology.

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Italian-Made Sneakers for (and with) Raw Denim

I’ve owned plenty of boots over the years, and I still appreciate a good pair. But it’s sneakers I wear most. And that used to feel like a guilty pleasure.

Back in the days when I was launching this site and still figuring out my take on denim style, I had this idea that proper denimheads had to wear boots. So I did too. These days, sneakers are my go-to choice of footwear, pretty much year-round.

It’s not a statement about style, or a reaction to anything. It’s just everyday life. I work from home, I have kids, and I’m in and out the door constantly. More often than not, slipping into a pair of Vans or New Balances is just so much easier than lacing up my Red Wings or Wescos.

The tricky part is finding sneakers that pair naturally with raw denim and the kind of clothing we wear around it. Plenty of sneakers work with jeans. Fewer feel right with heavier denim, work shirts and the rest of a wardrobe that tends to be a little more substantial.

These sneakers do it all.

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You Have to Look Twice for the Denim

The Tellason x Valsport sneaker is a low-profile, old-school European sports shoe, closer in spirit to a classic tennis trainer than a rugged attempt at turning boots into sneakers.

And importantly, it does not immediately announce itself as a raw denim collaboration. The denim details are there, but they are kept to the stripe, the heel tab and the tongue lining.

From a distance, you are looking at a simple, easy-to-wear sneaker with a warm-toned sole and a shape that will sit easily under a pair of jeans. Look closer and the Tellason connection becomes clearer.

That was very much intentional. When I asked the guys at Tellason whether the subtle denim use was there from the beginning, Tony Patella’s answer was simple:

“100%. A lot of consideration went into how we could make the shoe as ‘Tellason’ as possible. Subtlety versus screaming has always been our style.”

That is probably the smartest decision in this collaboration. A full denim sneaker could easily become the sort of thing you like as an idea more than you actually wear. This one still feels like a sneaker first. The denim is a detail, not the whole reason for the shoe to exist.

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Tellason and Sneakers Go Back a Long Way

At first glance, a sneaker collaboration might seem like a slight departure for a brand best known for jeans, chore coats and work shirts. But for Pete and Tony, sneakers are hardly a new interest.

Pete’s first memorable pair arrived in 1974, when his father bought him a pair of Nike Wimbledons. A navy Cortez followed, then Vans in 1975.

At the local Vans shop, he would choose the colour of each canvas panel on a paper outline of the shoe, then get a phone call two weeks later when the finished pair was ready to collect.

Tony grew up in a sporting goods store. When he was 12, his father bought the local shop in his hometown, becoming Nike’s 83rd account in the world.

That gave him access to the Waffle Trainer, Cortez, Bruin and the other models that would later become classics. His first job after college was as a sales representative for Converse.

That background matters. Tellason making a sneaker is not a denim brand wandering into a category because it seems commercially convenient. It’s a product category that Tony and Pete have lived with since they were kids in California.

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Made in Italy by Valsport

The connection with Valsport happened through Uwe from Amtraq, Tellason’s European distributor. Tony kept seeing Uwe wearing Valsports and eventually asked for an introduction.

There’s an Italian connection on Tony’s side too. His Italian roots are clearly something he is proud of; every now and then, he’ll reply to an email with a one-sentence phrase in Italian.

Valsport is based in the Veneto region of Italy, close to the companies that already make some of Tellason’s products. For Tony, the appeal was the people, the history, and the fact that Valsport have been making sneakers in Italy since 1920.

The aesthetic fit too. Tony describes Valsport’s shoes as “old school” and “analogue”: classic tennis and running-inspired designs, without the technical appearance of modern performance trainers. They are designed for everyday wear, which is really the point here.

The Tellason x Valsport collab works because it does not try too hard to prove its denim credentials. It’s understated, wearable, made in Italy, and the Tellason details reveal themselves quietly. Which feels very Tellason indeed.

The post These Sneakers Make More Sense Than You Might Think appeared first on Denimhunters.

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Review: Why Gustin Is Probably the Best-Value Option for American-Made Selvedge Jeans

Most denim brands work the same way: produce the jeans first, stock them, then sell them. Gustin does the opposite.

Instead of building inventory upfront, the brand launches products as crowdfunding campaigns. Customers buy the jeans, then production starts, and delivery usually takes a few months.

That waiting period is the trade-off. But it’s also the reason Gustin can sell American-made selvedge jeans at prices that might look too good to be true.

But after reviewing two of the brand’s longest-running selvedge offerings—the Okayama Standard and the 1968 Cone Mills—my clear takeaway is this:

These jeans are better than I expected, and great value for money.

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The Business Model: A Question of Price vs. Time 

Gustin’s business revolves around crowdfunding. The brand launches jeans as limited campaigns. Customers place orders before production begins, and once enough pairs are sold, manufacturing starts.

In practice, the process usually looks something like this:

• Campaign runs for roughly 2 weeks
• Production takes around 8 to 12 weeks
• Delivery lands roughly 10 to 14 weeks after ordering

That sounds long because, by modern retail standards, it is.

The upside is that Gustin avoids carrying large amounts of inventory, which helps keep prices considerably lower than any comparable jeans: American-made selvedge jeans like these easily cost twice as much in conventional retail.

The catch? To get the best value, you have to be patient.

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First Impressions: Better Than the Price Suggests

Before handling these jeans in person, I expected compromises—and I expected them to be obvious.

That’s usually what happens when pricing in raw denim starts looking unusually aggressive. But that wasn’t my reaction here.

The fabrics feel good. The construction feels solid. The finishing is excellent. The hardware doesn’t feel cheap. And visually, both pairs look much more substantial than the pricing would initially lead you to expect.

The interesting part is where Gustin seems to prioritise spending, those areas buyers immediately notice and pay close attention to:

• the denim itself
• overall construction
• hardware
• American manufacturing

The simplifications show up more in secondary materials and finer finishing details. And honestly, that allocation makes sense for this kind of product.

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Gustin’s Two Core Selvedge Denims

I could’ve chosen more experimental fabrics for this review, but that wouldn’t have been representative of the brand.

The Okayama Standard and the 1968 Cone Mills have both been part of the brand’s line-up for years. They appear consistently through campaigns and Featured Stock, and they’ve effectively become the brand’s core fabrics.

That makes them a much better way to evaluate Gustin as a whole. One leans slightly more modern and textured, the other leans more classic and heritage-oriented.

The Okayama Standard

Of the two denims, this is probably the pair I’d recommend most people start with. 

It’s a 14.5 oz. Japanese selvedge with slightly more surface texture and a darker, greener tone. Compared to the 1968 Cone Mills fabric, it feels a little more substantial overall without becoming heavy or difficult.

Importantly, it still feels very approachable. This isn’t an extreme heavyweight or aggressively textured denim. It sits in a comfortable middle ground where it feels substantial enough to justify the price while still being easy to wear casually.

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The 1968 Cone Mills

The 1968 leans more classic and straightforward. At 13.5 oz., it’s slightly lighter, and the fabric surface feels cleaner and flatter overall. 

This is also the pair where the crowdfunding model really clicks into place.

At $99 during campaigns, the proposition becomes unusually easy to understand: solid American-made selvedge jeans in a classic fabric at a price that still feels unusually competitive.

Still, if I were choosing between the two, I’d probably go with the Okayama Standard because it feels a little more distinctive overall. That said, the 1968 Cone Mills pair probably delivers the stronger value story at crowdfunding pricing.

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Okayama Standard vs. 1968 Cone Mills

Before getting into the individual impressions, here’s a quick side-by-side comparison of the two fabrics. Both sit close to the core of Gustin’s line-up, but they have slightly different personalities—and very different pricing stories.

	Okayama Standard	1968 Cone Mills
Weight	14.5 oz.	13.5 oz.
Origin	Japan (Okayama Prefecture)	Cone Mills spec
Colour tone	Slightly greener cast	More classic red cast
Surface texture	More textured	Flatter and cleaner
Overall feel	Slightly more substantial	More casual and straightforward
Crowdfunding price	$139	$99
Featured Stock price	$199	$149

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Fit and Sizing: Read the Charts Carefully

This is probably the section of this review most buyers actually need to pay closest attention to.

Gustin uses measured sizing rather than vanity sizing, and that changes the experience considerably if you’re used to mainstream denim brands.

According to Gustin, many customers need to size up around two waist sizes from what they normally wear. Based on my experience, that advice should be taken seriously.

My brother-in-law, who modelled the jeans for this review, normally wears a 33 or 34 in most jeans. We ordered size 35, but a 36 probably would’ve worked better. The jeans still fit him, but it became very obvious that Gustin’s sizing shouldn’t be approached casually.

The Straight fit—the brand’s original cut—is also slimmer than the name initially suggests. It sits closer to a modern slim-straight fit with moderate room through the thigh and a relatively clean leg opening.

The Vintage Straight worked particularly well on my brother-in-law because of his build. He’s an ex-hockey goalie with fairly large thighs, and the extra room through the upper leg and rise created a noticeably more balanced silhouette overall.

The main takeaway here is simple: Read the measurements carefully. Especially if you normally wear stretch denim or have larger thighs.

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Details Like Much More Expensive Jeans

Part of what makes Gustin’s pricing feel really surprising when you handle the jeans is they don’t feel stripped back in the places denim buyers tend to notice first.

Some examples of what you get:

• Selvedge ID on the fly—not something you expect to see on $99 jeans
• Visible selvedge detail on the belt loop beside the patch
• Western-style veg-tanned leather patch
• Tucked belt loops
• Double-felled inseam construction
• Reinforcement lining at the bottom of the back pockets
• Solid hardware and clean overall construction

That doesn’t mean every detail is equally premium.

The pocket bags, for instance, are lighter and slightly see-through when new, and some finishing choices come down more to preference. Personally, I’d prefer blind bartacks on the back pockets rather than exposed bartacks, and I’d also prefer a flatter lock stitch at the pocket opening instead of chain stitching there.

But that balance is also what makes Gustin interesting. The brand appears to focus spending on enthusiast-facing details while simplifying some of the finer points around refinement and secondary materials.

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Easy to Wear, Easy to Understand

One thing both pairs do well is avoid feeling overly precious or reproduction-focused. Some raw denim feels like a long-term project the second you put it on. These don’t.

The Okayama Standard especially strikes a nice balance between structure and everyday wearability. It feels substantial enough to satisfy someone looking for proper selvedge denim, but not so heavy or aggressive that it becomes inconvenient. The 1968 Cone pair feels slightly more straightforward and casual overall.

Both pairs work naturally with fairly standard casual wardrobes—boots, sneakers, sweatshirts, flannels, workwear staples—and neither pair feels especially intimidating if you’re newer to raw denim.

And honestly, I think that’s part of Gustin’s appeal. These are enthusiast jeans, but they don’t require enthusiast-level commitment to wear.

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Who Should Buy Gustin … and Who Shouldn’t

Gustin makes the most sense for buyers who:

• are comfortable waiting a few months
• care more about fabric and overall build than extreme refinement
• are willing to pay close attention to measurements before ordering

The model is especially compelling at crowdfunding pricing, where the trade-offs feel easiest to justify and the pricing advantage is most obvious.

Gustin also makes a strong case for buyers who want American-made selvedge without immediately moving into much higher price territory.

On the other hand, if you want immediate delivery, extremely refined finishing throughout, or a forgiving, mainstream sizing experience, Gustin’s approach may simply not fit how you prefer to buy clothes.

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Final Verdict: Great Value and Sensible Trade-Offs

I think Gustin’s biggest challenge is that the pricing almost makes the brand seem less credible than it actually is.

When people see American-made selvedge jeans selling for $99, the natural assumption is that something must be wrong. But after seeing these jeans in person, I can tell that’s not the case.

These are solid jeans, made from nice denims with solid construction. And the fits make sense once you understand the sizing. And while Gustin clearly simplifies some secondary materials and finishing details, the overall package feels far more legitimate than the pricing suggests.

At crowdfunding pricing, especially, it becomes easy to understand why the brand has built such a loyal following over the years.

The post These $99 Selvedge Jeans Are Way Better Than Expected appeared first on Denimhunters.

DENIM and PATCHES sourced this post originally published on this site