Selvage Denim
Online, from Fashiontribes Daily on Podcaster News by Lesley Scott I learned of near-religious fanaticism about a kind of denim – selvedge or selvage – which is quite expensive and seems to have originally been made in Japan. Also that die hard denim freaks never wash their jeans – they just sprinkle some baking soda on them then store the jeans in the freezer until they are fresh again. This way, you never have to worry about your favorites being in the wash.
I looked into selvage which refers to denim that has been woven on a shuttle loom. The fabric produced on a shuttle loom is significantly narrower than a projectile (wide) loom and it requires more cotton to make and more time too. The narrow looms produces fading patterns unique to each pair of jeans and the denim is regarded by some fanatics as superior in terms of durability and texture. In selvage jeans, you will see the actual edge of the fabric where the weaving stops and is finished by the loom, as opposed to denim woven on a projectile loom, where the fabric has been cut off at the ends. Others say that selvage has no effect on durability, nor texture which is determined by weight and weave. Perhaps it is simply the way the denim fabric is finished at the edge with a coloured yarn on the loom that makes a stitch-like look that perhaps adds to the cool factor.