Also: KATO’s Comfortable Selvedge, New Releases, and My Updated Selvedge Denim Guide
Earlier this week, Google announced what it calls the biggest update to search in more than 25 years.
This could fundamentally change how people find information online, including how they discover independent sites like Denimhunters, and whether they visit them at all. But before I put on my tinfoil hat, there are more enjoyable things to get into as well.
I’ve published a brand profile of KATO, the Japanese-American label that has done more than most to make stretch selvedge feel like a serious option for denim enthusiasts. I’ve also collected a few other things I think are worth your attention this week. And I’ve updated one of the cornerstone articles from the Denimhunters archive.
In This Issue of the DH Weekly
- KATO – Comfortable selvedge without the painful break-in
- New Releases – Wesco, Samurai, Fullcount, and the Indigo Invitational
- Google Search – Why its AI shift worries me
- Selvedge Denim – My newly expanded guide
Get the DH Weekly in Your Inbox
Google may be changing how readers find sites like Denimhunters, which makes it even more important that I can reach you directly.
The DH Weekly goes out every Friday with new stories, product picks, industry observations, and denim history. Sign up below to get it in your inbox.
KATO Makes the Case for Comfortable Selvedge
As denim enthusiasts, we tend to accept discomfort as part of the deal. If you want raw denim with texture, fades, and character, the break-in might be a little painful. KATO has spent the past decade questioning that assumption.
The brand is best known for its 4-WAY STRETCH SELVEDGE™, which adds flexibility in both directions while still aiming to preserve the weight, texture, and fading potential that make raw denim interesting in the first place.
For anyone new to raw denim—or simply used to jeans with stretch—that makes selvedge considerably easier to get into. But KATO is also interesting for experienced denimheads: not because it replaces traditional rigid denim, but because it challenges, and might change, your assumptions of stretch denim.
In the new profile, I look at KATO’s approach to comfort, its heavyweight Mammoth stretch selvedge, and the 17 oz. all-cotton Monster Slub that shows the brand is about more than stretch.
Things Worth Your Attention This Week
I’m not actively shopping for engineer boots, although a pair of Mister Lous is what I’d get. I certainly don’t need more jeans, but a good collaboration is always tempting. And I would absolutely melt in a 15.7 oz. T-shirt. None of that makes this week’s releases any less interesting.
Wesco x Brooklyn Clothing Anniversary Mister Lou Boots
Brooklyn Clothing Co. is celebrating its 37th anniversary with three exclusive Wesco Mister Lou Engineer Boots, made in custom-ordered Horween Chromexcel leathers: Timber, Havana, and Calvados.
The Mister Lou is Wesco’s slightly sleeker take on the classic engineer boot, with a reduced shaft, almond-shaped toe, brass hardware, natural leather midsoles, and resoleable stitchdown construction. Combined with Chromexcel, these should develop plenty of tonal variation and character as they’re worn.
The collection launches today (Friday, 29 May at 10AM MST), and the boots retail at CA$1,195 / US$895.
Wait a minute. Did you say 37 years?! But that means the store was opened in … you got it, the 1980s (same decade I was born)!
Brooklyn Clothing Co. has been one of Canada’s best destinations for denim, boots, and heritage menswear for decades, literally. I’ve written a shop guide about Brooklyn that you can read here.
Samurai Restock at Redcast Heritage
Everyone’s favourite Spanish denim destination has received a sizeable restock from Samurai, including several of the brand’s core jeans in the more wearable 15 oz. range.
That is still substantial denim, of course, but a little easier to live with than some of Samurai’s heavier fabrics as temperatures start climbing.
And in case that sounds too sensible for summer, they have also restocked Samurai’s 15.7 oz. T-shirts, available in four colours.
I’m not sure anyone needs a tee that weighs nearly as much as a pair of jeans, but I also know that will not stop some of you 😂
Fullcount x Blue in Green Summer Collection
New York’s Blue in Green has released a very good-looking exclusive collection with Fullcount, built around four easy summer outfits.
The centrepiece is the 0107 BiG Special wide straight jeans, available either in a rinsed or a beautifully washed version. There’s also a matching Type II denim jacket in the same two washes, also made in an exclusive fit.
But my favourites might be the military-inspired M43 jacket and field trousers, available in washed indigo and black herringbone. Both already have that softly worn-in look that works especially well with this kind of military clothing.
Three Months Left of the Indigo Invitational
We are now nine months into Year 5 of the Indigo Invitational. Inconveniently, this is also the time of year when putting away your jeans and reaching for a pair of shorts starts to feel very appealing.
If you’re still in the running, this is not the time to stop. We’re getting into the home stretch, and summer months can make a real difference to your fades.
So keep going, even when shorts are calling. And remember to submit your monthly update.
Why the New Google Is a Problem for DH
I’ve been working on this site for more than 15 years. There have been ups and downs, but it’s still here—and doing better than ever.
It started as a hobby project, and for the first decade, that is largely how I treated it. I made my living from other work, which meant I did not financially depend on Denimhunters. But the site has grown steadily over the past couple of years, and if that growth continues, it could provide my full-time income by the end of this year.
Earlier this week, Google announced a major change to its core product that made headlines around the world. I knew it was coming, and I’ve been preparing for it. But now it’s real. So why do I care?
Will Google Cut Off Sites Like Mine?
In a nutshell, Google wants to answer your questions directly. Instead of sending you to a site that explains how to wash raw denim, compares jeans brands, or helps you find the right pair, it will give you the answer inside Google search.
And I understand why that is useful. I use Google myself, and I’ve enjoyed the AI-generated answers when I just need something quickly. The problem, and where it gets unfair, is that those answers have to come from somewhere.
When I explained this to my wife, her immediate reaction was: “Can they really do that?! Can they take the information from your site, show it on Google, and not send people to you?”
Yes. They can. And they will.
That is concerning for a site like Denimhunters because my business depends on people actually visiting. You read an article, click through to a brand or a retailer, maybe buy something through one of those links, or simply contribute to the traffic that supports advertising on the site.
Why Your Visits Matter More Than Ever
Traffic to Denimhunters is in a good place. Here are some key numbers:
- From 2024 to 2025, total traffic grew by 18% total.
- Historically, more than 80% of traffic has come from search, predominantly Google. This month, that number is down to around 76%.
- Direct traffic has grown from around 13% historically to almost 22% this month.
That is actually really encouraging. Traffic is growing, and more of you are coming directly to the site, opening my emails, and returning to read what is new. And as Google becomes less reliable as a way for independent sites to reach readers, that direct connection becomes increasingly important.
So I’m not saying Denimhunters is about to disappear. It isn’t! But the foundation underneath independent websites is changing just as the site is reaching a point where it might finally make me a full-time income.
So, yes, the alarming framing of this week’s DH Weekly was maybe a tiny bit clickbait. But I wanted you to read this, because the concern behind it is very real.
How You Can Help
Whether you found Denimhunters through Google, came directly to the site, or read this in your inbox: thank you! It genuinely means a lot.
If you want to help even more, keep coming back. Make sure you’re subscribed to the DH Weekly, and share Denimhunters with someone you think might enjoy it.
And if you are already planning to buy something I’ve written about, consider going through one of the links in any of the articles before you do. You pay the same price, and I receive a small commission that helps keep Denimhunters going.
From the Archive: My Guide to Selvedge Denim
One of the most-read articles over the years has been my guide to selvedge denim. I updated it last spring as part of a broader effort to prepare for the arrival of AI search.
With Google’s latest announcement, that work has suddenly become more urgent. So I’ve gone back to the guide once again and turned it into a much fuller article.
If you’re new to raw denim, it’s a good place to start. It explains what selvedge actually is, why that little line inside the cuff matters, how selvedge differs from raw denim, and whether it really makes a better pair of jeans.
And if you already know the basics, there’s a lot more in there now: more detail on how denim is made, what selvedge can—and cannot—tell you about quality, and what I’ve learned from more than 15 years of writing about denim and almost two decades of selling raw denim jeans in retail.
Google may still use some of that information to answer questions without sending readers through. But making the one of the most popular articles on Denimhunters more useful and more grounded in real experience is the best response I have.
The post Is Google’s New Search My Biggest Challenge in 15 Years? appeared first on Denimhunters.
DENIM and PATCHES sourced this post originally published on this site