The 27 Best Denim Brands Every Man Needs to Know

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The thing about finding the perfect pair of jeans isn't that it's impossible. Sure, it can often feel that way when you're bouncing back and forth between the brawny, selvedge denim pair that looks good now but will look absolutely amazing in a couple years and the comfortable, stretch option that's pretty damn great from day one. Both are solid options. Both might even be perfect! Who's to say? And therein lies the rub: With so many options—light wash or dark? Slim? Skinny? Straight? Bootcut?!?!—it's almost impossible to choose just one pair.

Denim is one of the greatest ways in the world to nerd out on menswear. But who has the time? So, instead of sending you down rabbit hole after rabbit hole, we've instead pulled together a list of the 27 best jeans brands out there, ranging from your mass-market standbys to your hyper-niche specialists, with a little of everything in between for good measure. Happy hunting.

Todd Snyder

Todd Snyder, the NYC-based designer behind every other expertly elevated basic in your closet, is equally adept when it comes to denim. Go figure.

Mott & Bow

Mott & Bow makes a mean pair of slightly more formal denim for everyday wear, including these slim-but-not-skinny dark wash beauties. You can dress these up or down, which, really, is what makes a great, versatile pair of jeans.

A.P.C.

A whole generation of denimheads cut its teeth on A.P.C., and there's a good reason why: The Parisian label's signature jeans are just that good. Do they take some serious wear before they're truly comfortable? Sure. But that's kind of the point: You beat the hell out of them so you can make them your own.

Rag & Bone

If you're looking to level up your denim game, you can't beat a black pair of Rag & Bone jeans. They'll fit just right straight out of the packaging.

Outerknown

Kelly Slater's label has been based on sustainability and ethical production from the jump, so it's not a shocker that the brand's very good jeans are made in a Fair Trade-certified facility from organic (Italian!) cotton. Not a shocker—but still very well appreciated.

AG

Adriano Goldschmied built his entire career on selling pair after pair of perfectly cut jeans. (The Graduate, seen here, is something of a calling card for the brand.) They don't just start calling you "The Godfather of Denim" for nothing.

Madewell

J.Crew's sister brand entered the men's denim market strategically— the label's selection of jeans avoids overwhelming while still offering an option perfect for every occasion.

Polo Ralph Lauren

The entire world of Ralph Lauren is built on an idealized, incredibly stylish version of America. So, yeah, of course Polo makes pairs of perfectly executed distressed jeans that look like you've loved them for years.

Everlane

Should it really come as a surprise that Everlane—a brand predicated on making well-priced, well-made, and easy-to-wear iterations of all your favorite wardrobe staples—also makes some very good jeans? No, probably not.

Bonobos

For some time, Bonobos was synonymous with pants. And not just any pants, but slim-fit chinos. Thankfully, the brand decided to branch out, becoming a one-stop-shop for any well-dressed dude. This, of course, includes a great selection of jeans that are so sleek and so versatile that they work for pretty much everything and everyone—including chinos fans.

Naked & Famous Denim

The brand name, however it may read to you, is actually a reference to the overall focus on fabric. Naked & Famous's jeans aren't going to arrive pre-distressed, because the folks who designed them are denim nerds, and they want you to nerd out on the material, too. Plus, the minimal processing brings the price down. That's value, baby.

True Religion

The brand set out to reinvent the five-pocket jean, using a five-needle thread at two-stitches-per-inch process to create style that was instantly recognizable. It then added a signature horseshoe design on its back pockets, adding to its allure. Now, decades later, the label still has a devout following.

Calvin Klein

What comes between you and your Calvins? Nothing. This famous sentiment was first cooed by Brooke Shields in a commercial for Calvin Klein jeans in the early ’80s, reputedly ushering in designer denim. Several decades later, the brand is still going strong, offering an assortment of denim that upholds the sleeks cuts and smart details that first put the label on the map.

Uniqlo

Uniqlo does a lot of things well, and jeans are no exception. The Japanese mega-retailers offers up selvedge denim, for less than $50 per pair, with just a little bit of stretch for comfort (but not so much that your jeans feel weird and rubbery). What's not to love?

Wrangler

If authentic Western jeans is what you’re after, the buck stops at Wrangler. For more than a century, the brand has been offering denim to ranchers, workmen, rodeo stars—basically, cowboys and wannabes. The brand has certainly branched into categories beyond denim, but it's the rugged, boot-ready Cowboy Cut jean that continues to reign supreme.

Comme des Garçons Homme

Rei Kawakubo is a doyenne in fashion, one of the first designers to really look at clothes beyond performance or as mere pretty things. And with her brand, Comme des Garçons, she revolutionized womenswear with her Dada-esque designs. In 1978, she introduced a men’s line, overseen by her protege, Junya Watanabe. Under Watanabe’s eye, the collection stayed true to Kawakubo’s vision, reworking proportions and playing with fabrics, especially denim, that brought—and continues to bring—his pieces into the realm of high art.

Gap

The brand that started out selling old Levi's from a single store in San Francisco has slowly turned itself into a denim powerhouse, and another favorite around the Esquire office.

Levi's

The original jeans-maker is still turning out the hits. If you're not sure where to start, go for the can't-fail 501 in the rigid, shrink-to-fit wash. It doesn't get much more classic.

Carhartt

Workwear is always having "a bit of a moment" in some way or another, so it's always a good time to get yourself a pair of Carhartt's famous double-knee pants. Even better if they're jeans.

J.Crew

J.Crew needs no introduction; the company has been around for decades, growing from a catalog business to a brick-and-mortar behemoth to an e-commerce giant. Throughout this evolution, the brand continuously offered styles that are made to last a lifetime, which includes a vast selection of jeans in all cuts and washes. Alongside its cashmere and Ludlow suits, the brand’s denim deserves a place on the list of its greatest hits.

Paige

Paige's Transcend fabric disrupted what the denim world thought a pair of pants could feel like. These are soft (so very, very soft) and, crucially, won't dig into your stomach whatsoever when you're sitting.

Frame

In less than a decade, Frame, a brand founded by creative agency The Saturday Group (the boys behind Mr Porter), has become the go-to label for megawatt musicians, ballers, and other celeb folk. It started out by making the perfect skinny jean, one that was constructed so comfortably that even cling critics became fans.

Lee

Lee makes a lot of stuff for a lot of folks, but for the devoted denimhead, the 101 line is the place to look. The collection includes classics like the 101Z jean, done up in fabrics—like this absolutely monster 21-ounce selvedge from Japan's Kuroki Mill—that pay homage the golden age of denim. If you're a bit obsessive about provenance and history, Lee's got you covered.

RRL

Hey, remember those Polo jeans? Sure you do! Here are their cousins, hailing from some imagined ranch in the American West, where guys in rugged denim don't do any real work but look great doing it. Sounds like the life, huh? Well, that's RRL for ya.

Saint Laurent

Big and baggy hold no place in Saint Laurent’s vernacular. From Yves Saint Laurent and Tom Ford to Stephano Pilatti and Hedi Slimane, the designers of the French luxury brand have consistently kept the collection streamlined and tightly fitted. Now under the creative reigns of Anthony Vaccarello, the brand continues to offer skinny silhouettes—emphasizing denim more so than ever before—that nod to Mods and punks.

Fear Of God Essentials

We've said it before: Jerry Lorenzo just can't miss.

Gallery Dept.

Flared pants has emerged as the style of the moment, and much of the credit should be given to Josué Thomas, the founder of Gallery Dept. Back in 2017, Thomas launched the label as a way to rework vintage pieces, especially denim, and make them current. He started, of course, with flared jeans, breathing new life into the cut by distressing the hem and added patchwork and paint splatters. The hip-hop community, in particular, took notice, catapulting the niche, L.A.-based brand into the mainstream.

Tips For Buying and Choosing

No two pairs of jeans are identical, and no two preferences are identical. Whether you wear jeans on the daily or just on Casual Fridays, you want a pair that suits your taste, your lifestyle, and your look.

Comfort is of the utmost important, but when it comes to jeans, there are a lot of other things to factor in, too.

Fit: Do you prefer a slim-fit, or a wide-leg? A boot-cut or a flare? Low-rise or high-waisted? Think of what you're going to wear your jeans with—the type of shoe, the type of shirt—and go from there; it also helps to consider cuts of pants you already know you love.

Fabric: In this day and age, jeans can look all kinds of ways. Depending on what you're wearing them with, you might opt for a classic light or dark wash over something with a more burnished, rugged look. Additionally, you might prefer a raw, selvedge denim from Japan over a cotton from the US—that's getting into the nitty gritty of it, but, hey. That's our job.

Inseam: Your preference on inseam comes down to comfort, but the inseam of your jeans will definitely affect the overall look of the pants. If you're keeping things tight and skinny, a shorter inseam will serve you well; baggy, relaxed-fit jeans, however, can handle a much longer one.

How We Picked

Here at Esquire, we've tried and tested a lot of jeans. Like, a ridiculous amount. And throughout the years, we've made notes on the brands we love the most, which are the brands we see here. The styles above are from brands we wholeheartedly love, from the construction and quality of their jeans to the look and feel of 'em.

Shop More Esquire Essentials

• AGOLDE, for contemporary, celebrity-approved styles.

• 3sixteen, for high-quality selvedge denim.

• Citizens of Humanity, for timeless, Made in the USA jeans.

• Drake's, for luxury Japanese denim.

• Buck Mason, for classic, comfortable styles.

Why You Can Trust Esquire

We’re not going to say something is great unless it’s actually great. Every product in Esquire’s round-ups is carefully curated by our fashion and e-commerce teams.

When it comes to jeans, you can rest assured that we’re hand-selecting styles that we’ve personally tested, tried, and loved, along with styles that the rest of our stylish colleagues here at Esquire endorse for their own wear. We’ve had to go through a lot of trial and error, and these jeans are the ones that are simply the best.

Every pick on this list (and our other lists!) comes from years of wearing different things, seeing what we love and what we don’t, and going from there. No two tastes are the same, and no two men are the same. Your proverbial mileage may vary. But if you’re looking for the right place to start, with advice from folks who and care (possibly too much!) about this sort of stuff, this is the place to be.

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