25 Best Jean Brands 2026, According to GQ's Denimheads

The Best Jean Brands Will Lead You Straight to Denim NirvanaFrom the mall-brand stalwarts to the small-batch Japanese purists, these are the truest, bluest names in the game.Courtesy of Levi's, Glenn's Denim, 3sixteen, APC, Orslow; Design: Brittany LogginsJeans may just be the most popular pants in the world, which makes the best jean brands, well, kind of a big deal. The downside to that degree of popularity, though, is the paralysis of choice liable to plague even the most veteran denimhead when the time comes to actually buy a pair.These days, every brand worth its weight in Japanese selvedge hawks its own version of the perfect dungarees, often done up in multiple silhouettes and a gang of confoundingly-named washes. Take a gander at your favorite label’s denim assortment, and you’ll encounter an encyclopedia's worth of product details, from specialty buttons and rivets to elaborate thread colors and back patches. (And that’s before you consider how much you want to pay for ‘em.) Plenty of product categories engender some sense of choice paralysis; jeans, though, might be the only one that lands you in a full-blown choice coma.That’s where we come in. Almost every brand sells its own pair of jeans, but not all of them are created equal. We went deep on the men’s jean brands that never fail to steer us in the right direction—from the true-blue artisanal specialists to the mass-market reliables—curing our choice paralysis in the process. Here they are, presented in alphabetical order.3sixteen3sixteen lives, eats, and breathes denim, and the NYC brand expends a ridiculous amount of energy guaranteeing its wares trounce the competition. Its specialty jeans are crafted using custom fabrics from the legendary Kuroki Mills in Okayama, Japan—a name to know as you level-up your collection, whether you're on your sixth pair of jeans or your 60th.3sixteenCS-220x Classic Straight Double Black Jeans3sixteenClassic Straight Selvedge Denim JeansA.P.C.For many menswear fans, A.P.C. was a gateway not only into raw denim but into menswear as a whole. A.P.C.'s minimalist aesthetic coupled with high-quality fabrics made its logo-less jeans a hit in the late 2000s, when fashion was beginning to sober up from logomania. To this day, the Paris-based label continues to produce streamlined jeans and denim products better than most.Abercrombie & FitchYes, Abercrombie & Fitch is better known for its cargo shorts and polos, but the Moose’s more recent reinvention has made it a destination for much more menswear goodies including denim. We were skeptical at first, but were left pleasantly surprised when we first handled Abercrombie’s jeans in person. The denim itself is dense, hefty, and substantial, especially when you opt for its 100% cotton options which, frankly, leave most of the other mall brands in the dust. That said, unlike its competition, Abercrombie doesn’t offer any higher-end fabric options (i.e., Japanese denim).Abercrombie & FitchBarrel JeanAbercrombie & FitchRelaxed Workwear JeanAcne StudiosAcne Studios is better known these days for envelope-pushing fashion, but the Stockholm-based brand opened its doors as a film studio back in the '90s. When it started making a limited run of jeans exclusively for friends and family, the brand found its bag. Acne's got its hyper-sensitive finger on the pulse, with beautiful washes, full cuts, and surprising details like detachable denim belts.Acne Studios1981 Trompe l'Oeil Wide Leg JeansAcne Studios2021 Trafalgar Paint Slatter Wide Leg JeansBuck MasonBuck Mason just seems to have the Midas touch. The modern-day menswear label is on a generational run the likes we haven’t seen since Ralph Lauren and its denim offering is just one of its many fortes. Buck Mason’s range of jean silhouettes leans mostly classic, ranging from tasteful slim fit to classic straight leg to a ‘60s-style fit with a higher rise, relaxed leg, and oh-so-subtle taper. As for the denim itself, Buck Mason opts for top-tier Japanese denim from respected mills and produces many of its jeans in the States with a bewildering amount of vintage-y details that real denim nerds can spot. They’re a big upgrade from the previous categories we’ve talked about, but the price jump is well worth it.Buck MasonRaw Full Saddle Sanforized Selvedge JeanBuck MasonD042 Big Bulkhead DungareeDieselIf you're looking for some of high-quality denim jeans with all the subtlety of an airhorn, welcome to Diesel. The Italian brand hasn't yet met a pair of jeans it can't warp, wash, and bedazzle into a maximalist showoff's dream. Under the creative direction of Glenn Martens, Diesel's denim innovations have helped put the brand back on the fashion map, with its jeans regularly selling out.DieselLow Waist 1985 LarkeeGapGap's iconic khakis commercials from the late '90s made the mall brand a mecca for dusty tan chinos, but the brand is rooted in denim. It continues to produce solid jeans at reasonable prices while offering a smattering of more upscale selvedge options, too. We’ve enjoyed the iconic label’s ‘90s loose fit jeans and were really impressed with its washes, many of which are tastefully done without veering into aggressively fake whiskering, a pitfall too many brands fall into. Gap’s range of silhouettes is wide, but you’re less likely to find a pair of skinny jeans these days.GapHeavyweight Relaxed Straight JeansGlenn's DenimGlenn Liburd is a real-life denim legend, having worked decades in the denim industry with The Big Three, not to mention a stint at Savile Row. His encyclopedic jeans knowledge has coalesced into a brand that is truly the cream-of-the-crop. Custom, American-made selvedge denim with masterful construction, somehow delivered at a surprisingly accessible price point? Yes, yes, and yes.Glenn's DenimGD113 Relaxed Wide Leg JeansGlenn's DenimGD111 Slim Straight JeansKapitalBonkers knitwear, threadbare sashiko jackets, woven puffer vests: Kapital fuses chaos and craft into an off-the-wall fun that rockstars and NBA athletes flock to. The brand's denim range stands out in particular for the insane level of detail and handwork that's often hidden behind the jaw-dropping ideas. Even on a patch-encrusted pair that would make a Boy Scout jealous, the intricate chainstitch embroidery, hand-done details, and top-notch fabric prove that quality never takes a back seat to the concept.KapitalMonkey Cisco Straight-Leg Leather-Trimmed Embellished JeansKapitalRat Flared Patchwork Frayed JeansKerukNo machines: just two pairs of hands, needles, and thread. That's all Keruk needs to make a pair of jeans. It's extremely rare for anyone to make a garment without a sewing machine, which makes these the ultimate grail for any denim enthusiast.LeeLee was one of the early denim pioneers, and the first to use a zipper fly. (Oh, and it invented overalls, too.) Today, the brand tends to ride on the budget side of the spectrum, with fits and washes that trend particularly dad-like. That said, Lee's denim continues to deliver on the brand's legacy of hard-wearing, good-value jeans. Lee, if we may, is a little sleepy by comparison. But the brand has more recently turned some of its attention to making products that harken back to its workwear roots. Think chore coats, raw denim, and burly canvas pants. Lee 101 takes it even further by using board-stiff Japanese denim and archival patterns to resurrect some of Lee’s most iconic products.LeeRegular Fit Straight Leg JeansLee101 Regular Straight JeansLevi'sNot including Levi's in this list would be like omitting Michael Jordan from the Hall of Fame. Levi's isn't just the most well-known jeans brand on the planet, it's the one that literally invented the damn things (way back in 1873). After all these years, they're still the yardstick by which all other jeans brands are measured. The straight-legged 501 remains the iconic pair of jeans, available in a million fits and rinses. The 505 has a slightly roomier thigh, a bit of taper, and a zip fly (versus the 501's button fly). The grand daddy of denim dungarees has every fit you can imagine, every wash the human eye can perceive, and for probably the best value, too. While countless brands make a $60 jean just fine, very few (if any) can match Levi’s quality.Levi's501 Original Fit JeansLevi's550 Regular Fit JeansLevi's Vintage ClothingLevi's Vintage Clothing is the reproduction arm of Levi's, delivering strict, stitch-for-stitch recreations of styles from the brand's vault. That includes hyper-accurate raw denim 501s from, say, 1944, but it also includes facsimiles of thrashed and shredded jeans picked up at high-profile auctions—with real-deal holes and patches reproduced from an actual pair of very rare vintage jeans. It’s a sublabel thats for the geeks and real heads, so don’t expect any sort of innovation here. So if you like that old school look or just the old school quality and don’t mind paying a beefy price tag, LVC is where it’s at.Levi's Vintage Clothing1944 501 Original Fit JeansLevi's Vintage Clothing1933 501 Original Selvedge JeansOrslowOut of the Japanese brands influenced by—or outright reproducing—period-correct work jackets and 1950s-era dungarees, Orslow is one of the most straightforward and accessible. The brand doesn't so much revive über obscure references as it does recreate jeans ripped straight from the kind of movie scenes that litter a menswear inspo board. From mid-century Ivy-inflected slim-straight jeans to classic 501-esque straight-leg five pockets with a classic redline selvedge detail, Orslow is a jeans brand that plays the hits just the way you want them.OrSlowPaint-Splattered Straight-Leg Selvedge JeansOur LegacyOur Legacy's eye-catching designs—the dialed-in Swedes cultivate a vibe that's somewhere between punk and sleazy—has earned the label legions of devoted followers. The brand's Camion boots are a big hit with fashion fiends, but the real innovation happens in the jeans department: think tromp l'oeil denim prints, slashed panels, and reflective trims. Our Legacy’s Third Cut jeans are perhaps the brand’s most popular cut and feature a mid-high rise and a relaxed, straight leg. Most of their denim is cut from high-end Italian (and sometimes Japanese) denim and given a unique, yet subtle, eye-catching wash.Our LegacyThird Cut Trompe l'Oeil Straight Leg JeansOur LegacyThird Cut JeansPaul KruizePaul Kruize's jeans are bespoke, and the not-insignificant price you pay for that pleasure comes back in details you'll see and feel. While most other brands use a range of machines to make a single pair of five-pocket blue jeans, Kruize operates a single machine to produce his product. Additionally, he stitches the buttonholes by hand and makes sure that every seam is felled (a.k.a., covered on the inside, which takes more work). The result? Jeans that are as beautiful on the inside as they are on the outside. Given the bespoke nature of these jeans, you should expect it to be a very long and involved process, not a quick-hit luxury fix. So be prepared to develop a relationship with the designer and savor the experience.Rick OwensRick Owens' dark, brooding designs are instantly recognizable, but his wild takes on jeans still manage to steal the show. To be clear, they range from very expensive to very, very, very expensive. But of the countless designer brands taking their slice of the blue jeans pie, Owens is one of the few that actually delivers on quality by using serious, heavy-duty Japanese denim to make his mind-bending creations. Rick’s jeans aren’t for the faint of heart and are really made for those who want to be a part of his inimitable universe. That said, his Geth jeans are maybe his most approachable and are a good stepping stone to his more avant-garde dungarees.Rick OwensBolan Distressed Bootcut JeansRick OwensGeth Cotton & Nylon JeansRRLRalph Lauren's heritage Americana-inspired RRL sub-label is known as the triple-distilled essence of the menswear legend's personal cowboy-flavored aesthetic. Where Polo exists for the masses, RRL dives headlong into obscure references pulled from the company's bottomless vintage library. Witness the filled belt loops, hidden rivets, and throwback-style waistbands. And in the realest nod to modern denim reality, most of RRL's jeans are made in the U.S. using Japanese selvedge denim.RRLStraight Fit Denim JeansRRLEast/West Relaxed Straight Fit Selvedge Denim JeansSamuraiSamurai's aesthetic is that of a Japanese biker blasting American rock ‘n’ roll. In keeping with its love of extremes, the brand makes some of the heaviest jeans around, including some with a truly bonkers 21 oz. denim. That's nearly twice as heavy as your average pair of Levi's, making Samurai's denim both a physical challenge and a badge of honor among denim cognoscenti.SamuraiS520XX21oz Relax TaperedSamuraiS2000HX II 15.8oz Samurai Cotton GL3 Selvedge Denim Relax StraightStudio D'artisanGather 'round, kids, for a quick history lesson. Studio D'Artisan is one of the famed “Osaka 5,” the group name for five Japanese denim brands launched in the early '90s that were all dedicated to reproducing vintage Levi's with painstaking accuracy. (The other members: Evisu, Denime, Warehouse, and Full Count.) Where the other four brands expanded their missions, Studio D'artisan remains arguably the most revered because it hasn't wavered an inch. It produces the same grail denim season after season while laser-focused on craft—particularly by sourcing top-shelf materials like super rare Suvin gold cotton.Studio D'ArtisanSP-085S Ishikawadai Regular Straight JeansStudio D'Artisan1877S Kyoto Black Dyeing Sashiko JeansSupremeThe secret of Supreme is that it’s often the brand's less-hyped pieces that deserve your attenion—and its jeans may be the ultimate proof. Look past the wild-style options with insane graphics splashed all over and you'll realize that Supreme's standard impeccably-fit jeans use some very good mid-weight selvedge denim that's built to take more than a few nasty spills on a skateboard. The trouble is you’ll have to navigate Supreme’s notoriously fickle website where product pages are as ephemeral as its hyped-up IRL product drops. So be prepared to set a timer for drop day or be willing to pay some kid to wait in the queue for you.TenderTender's approach to denim does not look like most other jeans you've ever seen. The U.K.-based brand focuses on clothes inspired by turn-of-the-century rail-worn designs, often employing natural dyes, indigo-alternatives, and unique pattern cutting to produce some of the most delightfully off-beat (and often heaviest) jeans you're likely to see.TenderType 132 Wide JeansTenderType 156 Split Back JeansThe Real McCoy'sThe Real McCoy's aims to create some of the most accurate vintage reproductions around—and it succeeds phenomenally. One example of the brand's obsession: its denim is woven from scratch on specific vintage looms to get the right tension and texture, making them nearly indistinguishable from genuinely vintage jeans. The Real McCoy’s, as prolific as they are, is still difficult to obtain even with the handful of Stateside retailers. So if you see a pair in your size, don’t give it a second thought—unless you don’t mind going to Japan to track down a pair in store.The Real McCoy'sLot.001XX JeansThe Real McCoy'sMP25002 TrousersUniqloUniqlo's mastered the affordability-to-style matrix better than any other brand in its category, and it excels at knitwear, outerwear, button-ups—and, of course, denim. The mega-retailer is a consistent go-to for anyone looking to cop their first pair of raw jeans. Just $50 for Japanese-milled selvedge? Still can't beat it. With such a low price ceiling, however, many of Uniqlo’s other denim options have better fit and finishing than they do fabric. So if you’re looking to cop some Christophe Lemaire-designed jeans for the low, this is the place to get them—even if the denim itself won’t last that long.UniqloDistressed Straight JeansUniqloSelvedge Straight JeansWranglerAs the name suggests, Wrangler is geared toward cowboys—and that's not just some southern-fried fashion branding. Wrangler's long been the official jean of professional rodeo hunks, and at one point even claimed to make the heaviest denim in the world (14 oz., if you're wondering). The brand still lists denim weights on its website—a sign that it speaks the language of good jeans—and has since expanded into even hardier cuts. Though most of its jeans come with washes and distressing, Wrangler is one of the few brands that offers real raw denim at such a low price. If you’re after a good pair of bootcut jeans with a classic high-rise, you couldn’t do much better than Wrangler’s iconic Cowboy Cut jeans. Just slap on a pair of slick cowboy boots and a slim white tee and you’re a Glenn Powell lookalike (complimentary).Wrangler13MWZ Cowboy Cut Original Fit JeansWranglerComfort Flex Waist Relaxed Fit JeanGerald Ortiz is a style commerce writer for GQ covering fashion, grooming, and occasionally lifestyle. Previously, he was the style writer for Gear Patrol and the managing editor at Heddels. He graduated from the University of California, Davis with three degrees, none of which directly relate to fashion (so it ... Read More