Everyone wears jeans. Whether you wear your denim periodically, or rock a single pair for a month straight to create killer fades, denim is a linchpin of any guy's wardrobe. Considering that denim jeans have been in production since at least the late 19th century, and swung into everyday wardrobes in the middle of the 20th century, jeans have seen reinterpretations and reinventions that cross generations and international borders.
The goal of this primer is to briefly explain the brands that are dominating the denim market today (or are at least making their presence known). Production history does help keep a brand relevant across time, but that alone does not make it a major player today. Much of the denim market is dominated by the United States and Japan, but it's not exclusive to those regions. From designer denim, to niche labels in Japan's countryside, there are several brands that are worth your time, and we've done much of the legwork in determining what each label has to offer. Look at this as A Brief Primer on the Best Denim Brands Right Now.