Levis x Fenom x Fragment Design (raw) - denim review

Oookay, sorry, need to take a breath... the second I opened this box the room filled with plumes of shuttle loom smoke. This is probably the hottest piece of denim that my hands have touched in the past 6 months! The Levis x Fenom x Fragment Design raw denim (not the shitty washed denim) straight from Japan. This jean sports crystal stitching all around with a hint of 3m in it I'm thinking, because it fucking BLINGS when it gets shot up in the limelight. The detail on this piece of denim is pretty nuts, to be completely honest.
My assessment:

First: The stitching. Oh, God, the stitching. The stitching makes the jean what it is, the indigo / crystal vibe-jean. The stitching has been double sewn in the important areas (the bottom of the leg, the pocket-liners, the crotch), just as any piece of premium raw denim is that comes flying at us like a fucking fashion-missile from Japan (see Evisu's, Neighborhoods, etc).

Second: The denim. I believe this is a 14oz denim? I hadn't checked, but it's pretty freaking thick, high-quality denim. I wore these out and they didn't bleed, which is also a perk.

Third: The crystal detail is huge. HUGE. These puppies aren't getting knocked off the jean when you go clubbing, as you might think. They are sewn into the fabric it seems, which is DOPE! BBC and BAPE do this Swarovski shit with their $500 teeshirts and $1500 sweatshirts, and from what I've heard, it's exactly the same quality as all'a dat shit. Expect these puppies to skyrocket in price in the next few months...

Fourth: The pocket design that makes your ass look rich, bitches! No other jean (other than the washed version of this jean) will look like this. This is one of a kind. Jeans that you'd find at Nordy's that have different cuts, etc. but boast the same design pattern need not apply to enter the same league as this jean. It's simple, you will NOT find another jean like this.

Fifth: The rivets. I wasn't too hyped to see that the rivets on the back pockets aren't metal. Most of the time, brands like BBC, and Evisu, and Neighborhood, and Swagger, will rivet the back pocket to the seat then stitch denim over it so that the rivet is hidden, but these jeans (like most Levis) lack that aspect.

Sixth: The cut. This is a classic cut with a bit of a tapered cuff. Full seat, full thigh, and more of a tapered cut at the bottom of the leg... which is fine with me because I'm not trying to fuck up the bottom of cuff.

Seventh: The price. I was lucky enough to snag these on a one-day-only bidding off the Bay for under $200 (retail was about $250-$300 I believe), which is probably why I'm sooo hyped on them. Whether they are worth that much to the everyday Joe that wants to look nice on the town is debatable, but lately I have seen them go for upwards of $600, which comes as no suprise to me. You be the judge, but you have to find 'em first BIA!

The front:



The back:



The Levis design on the back right pocket, with the Fenom x Fragment Design x Levis patch, and the Selvedge lined top of the pocket. The Levis red tab is a must:



The Fragment Design, Co. stitching on the back left pocket with crystal lining the top of the pocket:



The crystal side-zipper w/ 4'' pocket on the inside:



The crystal accents on the left leg:



Eighth: The selvedge. As I said in the Levis x Madsaki review, most limited/premium denim should have a selvedge line of some sort...you were probably like, "Whadafaa' is dis foo' talkin' bout?" This is what the fuck I was talking about...Denimology says it best:
Selvage, Selvedge, etc. denim is the term used to describe denim made on a shuttle loom. Since the consumption of cotton to make the denim on the loom is higher on a narrower (shuttle) loom than on a wider, projectile loom there is more time required to make the denim. WITH SELVAGE LOOMS YOU WILL SEE WHERE THE WEAVING STOPS AND IS FINIHSED BY THE LOOM, NOT JUST CUT OFF LIKE OTHER DENIM (e.g. you wont see the inside of the taper being sewn, but it will look unique)
Compare this silken pastel blue/ yellow selvedge to the inside of your Sevens or True Religions and you will see what I am talking about... This makes the jean more unique and limited, usually, because of the time required to make it.



My rating: I rate this jean a 9.5/10. If they put metal rivets on the seat of the jean, these would fetch an 11, but they don't. It doesn't matter all that much because they wouldn't look any different, but to the man who's about to spend $700 bucks on these, I would be a little peeved to find out that there is no metal holding my fresh-to-def pockets to my fresh-to-def ass. The denim = amazing. The quality = amazing. The selvedge = amazing. The crystals = amazing. The rivets = eh, so so. I'm also a pretentious asshole when it comes to denim, so you would probably rate these a 30/10, go and buy them quick before they are all gone!!

Most importantly, these jeans make you look fresh to DEF cuz you gots mad skrilla!