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Selvedge, Chain-Stitched Hems, Concealed Rivets, and Other Signs of Quality Jeans to Know
One of the biggest draws of selvedge denim is that you tend to get exactly what you pay for. In the wider world of menswear, it’s not always easy to tell when you’re paying for the product—or simply its label.
In the world of selvedge denim and heritage workwear, labels mean far less. You pay for what a brand’s reputation is built on: quality and durability.
Below, we’ll tell you what to look for whenever you encounter a new pair. With a bit of practice, you’ll be able to assess a pair’s quality in just a few seconds.
TL;DR – The 11 Hallmarks of Well-Made Jeans
Just want the list? Here’s what to look for:
- Selvedge Denim – Shuttle-loomed fabric with a self-finished edge on the outseam.
- Chain-Stitched Hems – Flexible and characterful; essential for roping.
- Quality Sewing Thread – Cotton or core-spun; matte, not shiny.
- Stitch Per Inch – Count them; tells you what the brand prioritises.
- Flat-Felled Inseams – Strong and clean on the yoke and seat; bulkier on the inseam.
- Durable Pocket Bags – Sturdy twill or herringbone, never synthetic.
- Lined Back Pockets – Soft and smooth behind the back pocket signature.
- Belt Loops Done Right – Tucked ends and/or a raised ridge down the middle.
- Well-Made Hardware – Substantial metals, firmly and permanently set.
- Concealed Rivets – Visible from inside the jeans, hidden on the outside.
- One-Piece Fly – The rarest detail on this list; its absence means nothing.
Even if you have complete faith in the brands and retailers you patronise, it’s our advice to trust but verify. Pop the hood and evaluate each pair on its own merits.
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What to Look for in Quality Jeans
Whenever you encounter a new pair—especially from a brand you’re not familiar with—spend a few minutes with it, examining it inside and out. You should find at least a few of the signs below.
Remember that these signs have nothing to do with how the pair fits or looks on you. They are the marks that expert hands leave behind during the manufacturing process. This isn’t a matter of style but of substance.
For each of the eleven signs below, we’ll tell you what to look for and point you to brands that get it right.
Quality Hallmark #1: Selvedge Denim
For us, selvedge denim is the starting point when looking for a great pair of jeans that will fade beautifully. Most serious denimheads, having made the switch to selvedge denim, never go back. It’s selvedge or nothing. If you’re new to the term, you can learn more about what selvedge denim is here.
However, that selvedge ID (found on the outside of the cuff) is not always a reliable guarantor of quality. The selvedge space is becoming more and more crowded with each passing year, and some brands capitalise on the association of selvedge with quality.
High-quality selvedge denim brims with character. The colours—indigo and white—dance together on the surface, drawing the hand and the eye. The denim has loft and texture. Its quality is unmistakable.
This character is a product of how the yarns have been dyed and woven. It demands a deeper investment from both the brands who use it in their products and from the consumers who appreciate it.
Shuttle looms run more slowly than modern looms, producing narrower rolls of fabric, and they work well with the kinds of irregular yarns that create variation and depth in the denim surface.
Non-selvedge tends to be more consistent and flatter. You might see the same thing in inferior-grade selvedge denims. Even when you see that selvedge ID, look closer.
How to verify if it’s selvedge: Turn up the cuff and look at the outseam. On selvedge jeans, you’ll see the clean finished edge running inside the seam, usually with a coloured stripe. If the price seems unusually low for a pair claiming to be selvedge, that’s when to look more carefully.
TFH’s beautiful Pioneer Selvedge has off-the-charts fade potential.
Quality Hallmark #2: Chain-Stitched Hems
Found nearly everywhere you look on great pairs, chain stitching is something of a standard for heritage selvedge brands.
Different chain-stitch machines are used for different parts of the jeans, but the one denimheads care most about is the Union Special 43200G, patented in 1939, which is used specifically for the hems.
When denim is fed into the chain-stitching machine, it twists a little. As the jeans fade, a distinct roping effect emerges on the hems. Like whiskers, honeycombs, stacks, and train tracks, this distinct fading effect is deeply appreciated by fade enthusiasts.
Most of our favourite retailers have a Union Special 43200G on the premises. If you need your pair shortened, they’ll be able to do this while preserving this essential detail.
Why is it essential? Not because a chain stitch is any more durable. In fact, chain stitches are more prone to unravelling than lock stitches. If the thread breaks anywhere, the chain stitch will slowly come apart. Lock stitches don’t have this problem: break one stitch and the rest will keep on keepin’ on.
The chain stitch, though, is far more flexible than lock stitches, making it less prone to breaking in the first place.
It accordion-opens, making chain-stitched pairs better suited to hard-worn workwear and western wear. This flexibility helped make the chain stitch one of the signatures of golden-age American workwear produced in the first half of the twentieth century.
That’s why you’ll find chain stitching beyond the hems—on the waistband, the yoke seam, the seat. Anywhere the denim needs to move and give with the wearer. As Thomas puts it: “Chain stitching goes wherever the denim needs to room to grow.”
What to look for: Turn up the cuff and check the hem. A chain-stitched hem has a distinctive looping stitch on the underside—it looks almost like a braid. If the leg has been shortened, check whether the chain stitch was preserved. A flat, single-thread stitch means it wasn’t.
The relatively inexpensive, big-bang-for-buck jeans feature chain-stitched hems.
Quality Hallmark #3: Good Sewing Thread
We usually turn up our nose at anything less than 100% cotton, but there are a few exceptions. One of them is the thread that’s used to hold your jeans together.
Starting in the late-’50s, denim brands started using polyester threads. More flexible and less prone to breakage than cotton, polyester was broadly accepted as an important innovation for denim manufacturers and spread throughout the industry in the ‘60s and ‘70s.
Polyester threads do have an aesthetic downside, though. They are more lustrous than cotton, drawing more attention to the stitching, and they do not fade with the denim the way that cotton threads do, drawing even more attention to the stitching as the denim fades.
To get around this, premium brands use thread with a polyester core that’s been wrapped in a layer of cotton; core-spun thread. You get increased strength, but also the more traditional look of cotton threads: the best of both worlds.
We’ve got a soft place in our hearts for 100% cotton threads. Used mostly by vintage reproduction brands, cotton threads will break down with your denim, requiring more repairs, but this was part of the traditional denim experience before polyester threads became standard.
What to look for: If you’re not sure what thread a brand uses, it’s usually in the product description. Shiny, smooth-looking stitching is a sign of polyester. If the thread looks a little duller and more matte, you’re probably looking at cotton or polycore.
With extremely high SPIs made from cotton threads, Strike Golds age beautifully.
Deeply respectful reproductions of classics, TCB uses cotton thread for all their pre-’60s jeans.
Quality Hallmark #4: Stitch Per Inch (SPI)
Every seam on a pair of jeans is sewn at a specific stitch density—measured as stitches per inch, or SPI. It’s one of the clearest windows into how a brand thinks about construction. And unlike most details on a pair of jeans, you can measure it yourself.
Take a look at the stitching running along the inseam. If you have a ruler or a tape measure, place it alongside the inseam and count the stitches per inch. Most well-made pairs will fall into the range of 7-11 stitches per inch (SPI).
It’s common to find different SPIs across a pair of jeans—the inseam might have one, the waistband another. What you’re looking for is the SPI on the major structural seams, where it tells you the most about what the brand prioritises.
What might seem a simple indicator of quality manufacturing is actually a complex balancing act. Denser stitching sits flusher with the denim, producing a cleaner look, but it’s also more rigid and unforgiving. Especially when used on heavy denim, it might lead to puckering or tearing.
Lower-density stitching is not as clean aesthetically, but it’s more faithful to traditional sewing methods from the early part of the twentieth century. It looks a little rougher around the edges, but it is more flexible and better suited to heavy denims.
There isn’t a magic number to look for, but this doesn’t mean it’s a number that should be ignored. The SPI tells you a lot about what the brand you’re looking at sees as important.
If you’re looking for something traditional and flexible, look for a relatively low SPI (5-8). For something more rigid and clean, look for a higher SPI (9-11).
What to look for: Place a ruler or tape measure along the inseam and count the stitches in one inch. Anything between 5 and 11 is normal for well-made jeans—what matters is whether it matches what the brand is going for.
The Strike Gold use long stitches and cotton thread for a truly classic feel.
With an SPI of 8 for major seams, 3sixteen pairs are right in the sweet spot.
With one of the highest SPIs in the game, Stevensons have an exceptionally clean finish.
Quality Hallmark #5: Flat-Felled Inseams
Jeans are only as durable as the seams that hold them together. And few seams are as strong or as clean as the flat-felled seam.
A flat-felled seam joins two pieces of fabric by folding the raw edges together into an interlocking “s” shape and stitching them down with a double row of chain stitching. The result is as tough as nails and looks exceptionally clean.
Most flat-felled seams are sewn with a double row of stitching—sometimes in two different colours—though some are made with one or three rows. Expert eyes can often spot these seams from the outside of the jeans.
You’ll find flat-felled seams in several places on a well-made pair—most commonly on the yoke and the seat, where durability matters most. On the inseam, though, things get more nuanced.
Most brands use an overlocker here—a machine that joins the two pieces of denim, trims the excess, and keeps the raw edges from fraying.
The overlocked inseam is slimmer, more flexible, and closer to the original: vintage Levi’s have overlocked inseams, and many of the best Japanese brands do too.
Because the flat-felled seam folds multiple layers of denim together, it creates a noticeably chunkier inseam. If you wear your jeans with two or more cuffs, you’ll feel it. On heavyweight denim, flat-felled inseams aren’t really an option for this reason.
Flat-felled seams are a sign of careful construction. But they’re not inherently superior—and on the inseam especially, it comes down to what you want from the jeans.
What to look for: When you turn up the cuff to check for the selvedge, give the inseam a look as well. A flat-felled seam shows as a double row of stitching, often in two different colours. An overlocked seam has a single row with a looping finish on the edge.
Milled and sewn in Japan, these meticulously crafted pairs feature clean flat-felled inseams.
Many of Naked & Famous’s heavy and heritage pairs feature flat-felled inseams.
Renowned for their meticulous construction, many Railcar jeans have flat-felled inseams.
Quality Hallmark #6: Durable Pocket Bags
Another common point of early failure on inexpensive pairs, pocket bags are subject to a great deal of use and abuse. We stuff our hands in our pockets or fill them with all manner of things. Sooner or later, they start to go to pieces at either the entry point or the bottom.
Since the pocket bags are always tucked away on the inside of your jeans, it’s not uncommon for brands to treat them as an afterthought. This means it’s always a pleasant surprise when the pocket bags are, like the denim we love, heavier than standard.
The best way to examine the pocket bags is before you try on the pair. Open the pair up and examine the pockets from the inside. Excellent ones are made from a sturdy twill or herringbone fabric that is cotton-soft yet sturdy. If the pocket bags are smooth, glossy, or rough, it’s probably a synthetic fabric.
If the pockets look smaller than they should be, or if the bottom of the pocket bags are not finished with a turned-over french seam (i.e., if you can see the rough edges of the fabric), leave the pair where you found it.
Thomas adds: A 100% cotton pocket bag is the purist’s choice, but a cotton-poly blend will often outlast it. After almost a year of daily wear on my Weirloom jeans, that’s exactly what I’ve found—no signs of wear-through yet.
Especially if you carry keys or other pointy things in your front pockets, ripped pocket bags are virtually inevitable. Even the most durable fabrics have their breaking points. Pairs featuring sturdy pocket bags, though, might go 500 or more wears before those catch-alls need repairs.
What to look for: Reach into the pockets and feel the fabric before you try them on. Sturdy twill or herringbone that feels cotton-soft is a good sign. Smooth, glossy, or rough means synthetic—and low-grade pocket lining will often be slightly see-through. Check the bottom of the pocket bag too—if you can see raw, unfinished edges, put them back.
Johann Ruttloff’s reinforced pocket bags are a remarkable piece of craftsmanship.
The San Francisco brand go the extra mile to make sure their pockets hold up.
Quality Hallmark #7: Lined Back Pockets
If your jeans often go to pieces on the backside, a lined back pocket is something you’ll want to look for. Many brands skip this, but if you think it’ll make a difference for you, put it on your checklist.
I rarely check this detail before trying on a pair for the first time. It’s a nice surprise when I slide my hands into the back pockets and feel something soft and smooth where I’m expecting the rougher feel of the backside of the denim.
It’s not a miracle worker—if you carry a wallet with a large button, it’ll eventually eat its way through the lining too. But if you’re not putting anything with hard or sharp edges in your back pockets, a lined back pocket will buy you considerably more time before repairs are needed.
The back pocket signature is one of the most recognisable details on a pair of jeans. Some brands use it to hold a pocket lining in place—but it’s a common misconception that this is what the stitching is for. A signature tells you nothing about whether the pocket is lined or not. The only way to know is to check.
What to look for: Slide your hands into the back pockets. If you feel something soft and smooth where you’d expect the rougher backside of the denim, there’s a lining. It may be full or partial—both are a good sign.
With only one exception (the 21 oz. 634s), all Iron Hearts come with full back pocket lining.
The line of stitching in the middle of Tellason’s pockets is attaching a half liner to the back pockets.
Surely Europe’s finest denim atelier, Ruttloffs are packed with eye-popping features.
Quality Hallmark #8: Raised and/or Tucked Loops
Belt loops see a lot of action. They’re often one of the first places to fade, and they’re a typical point of failure—if you’ve ever snagged a paper-thin pair on a door latch and seen the belt loop either torn off the jeans or the denim split wide open, you know what I’m talking about.
Well-made pairs pay particular attention to this area, and there are two details worth looking for—though they serve different purposes.
The first is the tucked belt loop. Rather than simply stitching the bottom of the loop to the outside of the waistband, the end is tucked inside it. It’s a small detail, but it makes the attachment point significantly more secure.
The second is the raised belt loop—a slight or dramatic ridge running down the middle of the loop. This isn’t about reinforcement. The ridge protects the stitching on either side from wear, and it fades beautifully, especially on heavier denim.
Neither detail is a surefire sign of quality on its own. There are inexpensive brands that tuck and raise their loops, and there are exceptionally well-made pairs that do without one or both. But when you find them together, it’s usually a good sign.
What to look for: Check where the bottom of the belt loop meets the waistband. On a tucked loop, the end disappears inside rather than sitting on top. Run your finger down the loop—a raised loop will have a distinct ridge down the middle.
Tucked loops are a standard feature on Freenote Cloth’s made-in-USA jeans.
Clean and durable tucked loops are a signature feature for Rogue Territory.
One of the very few brands that both tuck and raise the loops on many of their pairs.
Quality Hallmark #9: Well-Made Hardware
On quality pairs, buttons and rivets (and occasionally zippers) should be exceptionally sturdy. Well-made hardware sits firmly and permanently in the denim. It feels substantial when you fasten the jeans—not flimsy, not loose.
Good brands don’t cut corners in this area. They invest in sturdy hunks of brass, iron, copper, and sometimes silver—or some combination thereof—sunk deeply and permanently into the denim.
Copper is the classic choice for rivets—it’s what Jacob Davis used when he invented riveted workwear in 1871, and heritage brands still use it today. It’s strong, corrosion-resistant, and develops a natural patina over time.
Some brands stamp their name on buttons and rivets. Others, like Tellason, choose not to—and that tells you nothing about the quality of the metal.
There’s one exception worth knowing: laurel-leaf buttons are a throwback to pairs produced during WWII in the midst of material rationing. They’re stamped with a distinctive laurel pattern and have a large hole in their centre. Reproductions from this period are not complete without them.
What to look for: Take a close look at the hardware whenever inspecting a new pair. You should be able to feel the substance of the buttons when fastening the jeans. The top button should stay firmly in place—not bending to the side, which is a sign it’s not securely fastened. If shopping online, look for pairs that describe what metals they’ve used.
Quality Hallmark #10: Concealed Rivets
Until Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis’s patent for riveted overalls ran out in 1890, Levi’s was the only brand that riveted their workwear, and they went out of their way to draw attention to this fact.
They would have shuddered at the thought of hiding their rivets behind a layer of denim, but the brand’s customers complained about the rivets scratching furniture, upholstery, and saddles.
In 1935, Levi’s head of manufacturing Milton Grunbaum patented a solution. According to Levi’s, the concealed rivet first appeared on the 501 in 1937—announced with a now-iconic salmon-coloured pocket flasher bearing the words “The Rivet’s Still There.”
The patented concealed rivets placed a barrier of denim between the rivets and the customer’s leather or wood, and most agreed that the newly engineered back pockets were an improvement on the original.
While Levi’s finally gave up on the back pocket rivets in 1966, replacing them with heavy bartack stitching, Japanese reproduction brands revived the tricky sewing technique. They’re now a fairly reliable sign of quality. If you can see rivets on the inside of the back pockets but not the outside, this is definitely a good sign.
What to look for: Turn the jeans inside out and check behind the back pockets. Concealed rivets are visible from the inside of the jeans but hidden behind a layer of denim on the outside.
Concealed rivets are a key feature of Iron Heart’s excellent selvedge denim jeans.
Manufactured in Japan by Sugar Cane, Mister Freedoms have concealed rivets.
Concealed rivets are a standard feature on nearly every pair Momotaro makes.
Quality Sign #11: One-Piece Fly
This is arguably the rarest detail on this list—and the only one where its absence tells you nothing negative about a pair of jeans.
The one-piece fly (aka continuous fly) was invented by David Neustadter of Neustadter Brothers, a San Francisco workwear firm established in 1852 and one of Levi Strauss’s earliest competitors.
Their overalls were sold under the Boss of the Road label. Neustadter patented the continuous fly on 30th October 1877—though it’s believed the detail appeared on their first work pants as early as 1875.
The patent described the intention plainly: to strengthen the garment at the point where the inner seams meet, where the greatest strain is received, and at the same time to simplify construction.
The technique involves making the fly from a single continuous strip of fabric rather than two separate pieces. Denim ateliers highlight this rare detail by using the selvedge edge; no overlocking needed (that would be blasphemy here).
Today, only a handful of brands in the world use it. Finding it on a pair of jeans is a sign that whoever made them is operating at a very high level—but its absence is no mark against a pair. Some of the best jeans ever made don’t have it.
What to look for: Clean and elegant, the one-piece fly is easy to spot. When unbuttoned, the one-piece fly hinges all the way open. Denim ateliers often highlight this rare detail by using the selvedge edge, with the selvedge edge touching itself when the fly is fastened.
Exceptionally rare, the detail is definitely one to keep your eye out for, but it’s definitely not a sign of inferior quality when it’s absent. Only a small handful of denim brands around the world make pairs that feature a one-piece fly.
Well-Made from the Waist Down
No pair ticks all eleven signs, and none needs to. A pair of Iron Heart 21 oz. selvedge with overlocked inseams and concealed rivets is just as well-made as a Companion piece with a one-piece fly and flat-felled everything—they’re just making different bets on what matters most.
If you’re starting from scratch, the best place to begin is our guide to the best raw denim brands. Find your next pair →
Want to go heavier? Our heavyweight guide has you covered →
Working with a tighter budget? Start here →
And if you want to go deeper on any of the details covered in this guide—rivets, chain stitching, selvedge, and more—the Denim Wiki is where to go.
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Hi, I’m 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.
The post How to Spot Well-Made Jeans: The 11 Hallmarks of Quality appeared first on Denimhunters.
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