words_anthony albin
Got my hands on a couple pairs of jeans from Raven Denim for review: Max in Mineral and Vic in Alloy. Dena handles the social media for the brand and has been a fan of the label since creative director and designer Ya-el Torbati took the reigns in Spring 2009 (read a dluxelist designer q+a with Ya-el here). After wearing and wearing and wearing these jeans, I can confidently say they get the dluxelist men's section stamp of approval.
With the explosion in premium denim brands lately it's tough to tell the contenders from the pretenders. A great pair of premium jeans isn't about the price or which celebrity-du-jour is pimping them out on Robertson Blvd. Great denim has to feel good, fit good and look good. It has to to be durable and easy to maintain. When you slide into a really great pair of jeans, you just know it—and I knew it when I tried on RD's Vic style.
The Vic is a slim straight jean and is available in five washes for the Fall 2010 collection. For the more fashion-forward, check out the Max style available in three washes. It's a trouser jean with a slim, straight leg and slanted trouser pockets with wrap-around yoke at back. Visit Raven Denim's newly launched e-commerce site to see the rest of the men's (and women's) collections.