If there is one piece of clothing that everyone really should own, it’s a pair of well-fitting jeans. From cowboys to hippies, indie rockers, to preppy jocks, jeans are that one designer item that has transcended time, gender, and many a fashion wardrobe. But with such popularity, it means practically every clothing brand under the sun produces its own denim, making wading through the abundance of mid-wash, dark-wash, light-wash, and even black jeans to find the best brands that much tougher.
Buying a pair of jeans for yourself isn’t always as simple as going into a store, picking up a pair, and taking them home. In order to nail the perfect pair you need to understand fit and fabric, as what one brand considers to be a 32-inch waist, or a slim fit, for example, could be polar opposite to another. And naturally, with anything in fashion, some brands are just more stylish than others.
Thankfully for you, we do know which jeans (whether you’re after skinny, slim fit, slim tapered, bootcut, straight leg, or relaxed) are worth your investment and have curated such a list to make it easier than ever to find a new pair of denim for any day of the week, any event, and any season.
If you’re tired of ill-fitting jeans or jeans that fall apart after a few wears, we’ve rounded up what brands make the best jeans for men that are durable, comfortable, and stylish.
Hugo Boss
Founded in 1942, German luxury fashion house, Hugo Boss is renowned for their opulent range of clothing, accessories, footwear, and fragrances. Hugo Boss’ designer jeans are tailored to fit you like a glove with the perfect amount of stretch. Available in many colours, from an incredible dark stonewash to classic indigo denim, Hugo Boss jeans are cut from the best materials available. Crafted with impressive details, their men's premium jeans are available in skinny fit, slim fit, and straight fit styles and are sure to become your new favorites in no time.
Tommy Hilfiger
Founded in 1985, Tommy Hilfiger is one of the world’s leading designer brands renowned for their classic American cool style that they describe as ‘preppy with a twist’. Famous for its signature red, white, and blue stripes, Tommy Hilfiger produces high-quality garments for men, women, and children using only the finest materials.
Tommy Hilfiger has a huge range of jeans for men available in multiple styles, fits, and colours. All expertly crafted, Tommy Hilfiger jeans can easily be dressed up or down and will make an excellent addition to any wardrobe.
Everlane
Everlane is an ethical clothing manufacturer that makes a particularly good pair of jeans. The company hand-selects all of the materials and manufacturers for every single product it sells to ensure they not only meet quality standards but also its stringent ethical and environmental standards. Everlane is a completely transparent retailer too, telling you, the customer, about how your jeans are made and where your money is going. Because of its direct-to-consumer sales approach, Everlane is able to charge much less than some of its rivals, yet still provide a high-quality product. Everlane has a comprehensive range of denim, including slim fit, regular, straight, and athletic cuts as well as an array of colours to choose from.
Todd Snyder
Before starting his own label, Todd Snyder was a key designer at the likes of Ralph Lauren, GAP, and Marc Jacobs. The experiences at these powerhouse firms gave him the confidence and ability to start his own label which has become a powerhouse in its own right and is a destination to visit for effortlessly cool style married with top-quality goods. A fair chunk of Todd's denim range is made from Japanese Selvedge, a benchmark in high-quality, and with the main spectrum of colours taken care of (light, mid, dark, black jeans) you can easily stock up a certified-cool capsule wardrobe.
Bonobos
Bonobos was born because founders, Andy Dunn & Brian Spaly, couldn't find men's pants that fit (they were either too tight or too boxy) and wanted to fix this common problem men face while shopping. They fixed it with their not-so-secret secret: all Bonobos' pants (and jeans!) have a curved waistband that conforms to the natural shape of men’s waists.
Bonobos’ selection comprises top-quality stretch denim jeans, high-end selvage, and soft brushed jeans. They have a variety of fits no matter how thick your thighs or legs are, and whether you're searching for a slim fit, straight leg cut, or a tailored feel, Bonobos has you covered. Available in an array of colours such as dark denim, faded medium rinses, or light washes, Bonobos make some of the best jeans for men available.
Mott & Bow
Founded in 2013, Mott & Bow is a premium clothing brand who create elevated basics at affordable prices. The brand is mostly known for their extremely comfortable and well-made jeans, as founder Alejandro Chahin spent most of his life working with denim at his family’s denim manufacturing facility. However, Mott & Bow, also make high-quality chinos, tees, shirts, and sweaters.
Mott & Bow’s range of men’s jeans come in a huge range of styles - skinny, slim, straight fit - and many washes and colours. Extremely comfortable and durable, there’s a reason why Mott & Bow jeans are considered as some of the best jeans on the market.
ASOS Design
ASOS, the British online retailer was founded in 2000, and since then they have primarily aimed their clothing at young adults, but they do have clothing appropriate for older adults too. They are extremely committed to creating clothing that allows people to have total freedom, to experiment, and to feel confident with their fashion choices.
ASOS Design has styles to suit every taste; with everything from all-day-every-day staples in classic washes to men’s stretch jeans for weekend chill, to ripped skinny jeans for ultimate street style.
Boohoo Man
"Fashion's best kept secret", Boohoo Man combines cutting edge design with an affordable price tag. Pushing boundaries to bring you the latest styles but with less of a strain on your wallet, Boohoo Man's philosophy is to not take fashion (or life) too seriously; and the result is menswear that is playful and trendy yet surprisingly affordable.
If you’re wanting to experiment with your denim, Boohoo Man is the brand for you. They have multitudes of ripped jeans, jeans with modern prints, and essentially very on-trend jeans that’ll take your street-style to the next level.
AG Jeans
AG Jeans combines sophisticated, tailored denim and the unbeatable feel of worn-in jeans. Its denim is constructed from high-grade fabric and expertly treated to achieve specific washes that emulate natural ageing, while an innovative stretch fabric retains the shape and ensures comfort. AG perfectly combines quality and price to ensure you’re getting high-quality jeans without having to pay ridiculous prices. Available in a smaller range of colours and styles, AG doesn’t have a comprehensive range, but what it does offer is superb quality and value.
Rag & Bone
Founded in the US in 2002, Rag & Bone offers the very epitome of American-style denim. All its denim jeans are manufactured in Los Angeles and are available in fits ranging from extra-slim to a more classic straight leg cut. Extra care is taken to ensure any pair of men's jeans you buy will feel just right from day, and with less common colours such as brown and incredibly light grey available to choose from, Rag & Bone could become you new favourite denim brand.
Outerknown
With Kelly Slater, one of the world's best ever surfers, responsible for creating Outerknown, it's certainly one that you should be taking notice of. Kelly was inspired to start his own brand following the expiration of one of his former sponsorship deals, and are we glad he did. With a stupidly heavy focus on sustainability, Outerknown is a brand to invest in if you actually care about the planet you live on. Each pair of men's jeans is made at "the world's cleanest denim facility" and offer incredible quality. Slim, straight leg, and tapered fits available in a multitude of colours means Outerknown has a pair of denim jeans for everyone.
G-Star RAW
G-Star RAW was born in the Netherlands in 1989 and quickly took the world by storm – it's often regarded as being the brand to really introduce the idea of luxury denim to the mainstream market. As its name suggests, G-Star RAW specialises in raw, untreated denim, giving you an incredibly tough and durable pair of jeans and it's a feature that has allowed it to become popular not just with high-street shoppers, but a raft of celebrities too. Despite its luxurious nature, G-Star RAW jeans are competitively priced, giving you plenty of bang for your buck.
Nudie Jeans
Nudie Jeans is one of our absolute favourite jeans brands here at DMARGE. How come? The Swedish manufacturer prides itself on producing sustainably made denim from 100 per cent organic cotton and runs on the ethos of every pair of jeans telling its own unique story. The company encourages all customers to refrain from washing their jeans for at least the first six months of ownership so that they can take on a character of their own, and should they ever become damaged or ripped, promises to offer free repairs for life. We also love Nudie's transparent approach to business, as a quick look on its website will show you a breakdown of the company structure including its finances. It's certainly a brand you should respect.
Levi's
Think denim jeans and Levi's will almost certainly feature in your top three brands. The company is practically synonymous with denim and was the company responsible for the explosion in popularity for blue jeans across the whole of America during the 20th century. While the company does now face stiffer competition than what it was used to during its heyday, Levi's remains a brand to be relied upon for quality denim jeans and select stores will be able to make adjustments to yours on the spot.
Acne Studios
For denim with a touch of Scandinavian flair, look no further than Stockholm-based Acne Studios. Not reserved to producing just clothing, Acne Studios' founder Johnny Johannson also dabbles in the worlds of publications, furniture, and exhibitions. It's the clothing range you'll no doubt know the brand for, however, and if not, then you really should.
We're huge fans of Acne Studios' clothing range as it exudes a distinctly minimalist flair, yet provides exceptional quality. The denim range comprises a wide variety of fits, from the expected slim fit jeans and straight fit, to more unusual fits such as bootcut and oversized.
Denham
DENHAM was founded in Amsterdam in 2008 by English jeanmaker Jason Denham. Jason has an unwavering passion for premium-quality denim and consistently pushes himself and the company to improve on its designs and fits. Denim is sourced from only the finest mills in Italy and Japan and the most sustainable practices are taken where possible.
Each pair of DENHAM jeans bares the company's scissor logo (crafted from 691 stitches) and the range encompasses numerous fits (such as skinny fit, straight fit, and slim fit jeans, and washes at affordable prices.
A.P.C.
Parisian brand A.P.C. opened for business in 1987 and quickly became known for its quality denim. Since then, several full clothing collections have come and gone, but the brand has remained associated with quality you can trust and style you want to be seen in. Jeans are still very much a point of focus for the label, with its range producing a quintessential range of fits and colours that can easily take up space in any modern man's wardrobe.
Prps
Americans can thank Prps for spearheading the charge for Japanese luxury-quality denim. Founded in 2002, the brand has remained undeterred in its desire to constantly research and develop its clothing range to ensure the utmost quality. A strong focus is placed on washed and selvedge denim, which can be had in a multitude of fits and styles, ranging from your traditional look jeans through to pairs with rips, patterns or anything style touches emblazoned on them. If you really want to flash the cash, you can take a look at the Prps Noir range, which offers the absolute last word in premium.
orSlow
orSlow is a brand that does away with jumping aboard the fast fashion bandwagon. Tucked away from denim-centric Tokyo in the Hyogo Prefecture, the brand's mission statement is to invest in the garment construction process in a slower, more considered manner that respects the heritage of workwear. This means products are handmade, resulting in items that will last much longer. With a fantastic range of slim fit jeans as well as classic straight cuts and modern skinny fit jeans, orSlow has pair of jeans perfect for everyone.
DSquared
Believe it or not, denim brands do hail from places other than Europe or Japan. Case in point is Dsquared2, which was "Born in Canada" and is now "Made in Italy". Founded by twin brothers Dean and Dan, D2 looks to combine tough, ripped, and rugged looking Canadian style with refined Italian workmanship. The company's jeans are on the pricier side but in return, you get a pair that is not only impeccably made, but comes from one of the hottest brands around.
John Elliot
John Elliott's eponymous clothing label was founded in 2012 on the basis of creating a line of fashion basics, but with the quality you'd expect from a high-end tailor. The label has since become a favourite among the celebrity world, being seen worn by the likes of LeBron James, Kanye West, and Justin Bieber, so if you consider yourself to be in the same echelon as names such as these, this is a brand for you. We wouldn't call the denim range extensive, but the jeans offered are ones that have been meticulously crafted down to the very last detail... rips included.
Edwin
Edwin has been in the denim game since way back in 1947. While its first pair of jeans didn't come around until 1969, founder Mr. Tsunemi had spent the previous 20 years importing and mending used jeans, so was well versed to set up his own denim company and help to ignite the Japanese denim industry. The brand continues to be one of the most influential in the world as it continuously remains on-trend and offers incredible quality for money.
Uniqlo
Japanese clothier Uniqlo is one to turn to for simple everyday pieces that really don't cost the earth. Investing in the affordable Uniqlo brand doesn't mean you need to scrimp on quality, however, as the company constantly churns out piece that belies their price. Uniqlo's denim range is vast, ticking off a variety of fits which are available in more sizes than you thought possible. The company also has its own alterations service which will make any adjustments for free.
