Dearborn Denim

What I learned from my last job working at a men’s store was that while almost every guy wears blue jeans, most of them don’t care about all the things that menswear nerds get excited about when it comes to denim.

The selvedge means nothing. Raw denim made from pure Zimbabwe cotton woven on Japanese looms and dyed with natural indigo feels uncomfortable and stiff. The joys of breaking in jeans to get individualized fades and button flys are all things average jeans-wearing Joe doesn’t care about.

Here’s what actually sold: rinsed, zip fly jeans with stretch built into the fabric. And none were American (or Japanese) made and still managed to retail north of $200 a pair. It was eye opening to a person like me who worshiped at the alter of stores that took denim culture seriously like Self Edge, where I bought my first pair of 3Sixteens.

But there’s good reason why these jeans sell: they’re insanely comfortable the moment you put them on. If you’re the kind of person who has zero patience for breaking in jeans and feel like raw denim is a chore you’d rather not bother with, then it’s understandable. If you’re not looking for the street cred of a selvedge stripe visible when you roll your cuffs and like the idea of your jeans stretching because you have larger than average thighs and calves, then you’re after a pair of jeans very different than what you’ll read about at Heddels.

And that’s the context I wanted to provide when mentioning Dearborn Denim, a Chicago jeans company for men and women. Dearborn Denim makes their jeans right here in the Windy City. Started by Rob McMillan back in 2014, Dearborn Denim originally began as Four Star Denim (for you non-Chicagoans, that’s a reference to the city flag). McMillan’s denim brand stands apart in the fact that it’s manufactured at a company-owned factory in Chicago – not by a third party. The fabric is a stretch denim woven by Denim North America in Georgia and all thread and trimmings are also sourced domestically.

For the men’s line, there are two fits: tailored and slim. Each available in three washes. There’s also a women’s line available, too.

I first discovered them over the holidays where they had a booth at a gift show I attended. Jeans made in Chicago for $50 seemed almost too good to be true, but I bought a pair after trying them on.

The first thing you’ll notice is that the fabric is substantially lighter than your 100% cotton raw denim jeans. The fabric is a blend of 78-20-2 cotton-polyester-spandex. What you’ll notice next when you put them on is how they stretch. It’s an odd sensation after wearing raw denim for half a decade, but insanely comfortable. Looks like jeans, feels like joggers.

Because of the thinness of the material, I think they’re more suitable for warmer weather, which is when I plan to wear them (raw denim can be unbearable in humid summers).

In terms of sizing, I tend to wear 33" waist trousers and sized to a size 31 in the tailored fit. Being a stretch jean, sizing down more than you might normally is probably a good idea.

Dearborn Denim is worth a shot if the idea appeals to you. Long term I’m not sure how they’ll break in or fade, but for the price I’m willing to see.