Selvage Denim Terms for the Fashion Industry

Woven on traditional shuttle looms, selvedge denim has a crisply finished, fray-resistant edge that you can see when you cuff the jeans.  A lot of selvedge is also raw denim, a favorite among denim lovers because it becomes unique with wear.

The "self edge" of selvedge denim comes from a continuous-thread weaving method of traditional American denim looms.  These traditional looms were replaced by larger, faster looms during times of soaring mass-market demand for jeans in the 1940’s, but their craftsmanship was left unmatched. You can identify selvedge denim by the distinct seam, typically white and a colored thread, on the outside seam of a pair of cuffed jeans.

Selvage is the edge of a fabric as it comes from the loom.  Selvages are woven or knit so that they will not fray, ravel, or curl.  Selvage denim refers to a unique type of selvage that is made by means of using one continuous cross-yarn (the weft), which is passed back and forth through the vertical warp beams.