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The 20 Best Denim Brands To Know In 2025: From Affordable To Luxury
From the reliable classics to new names to know.
The final fashion frontier? That perfect pair of jeans. Whether you favour wide legs or low waists, forgiving stretch or raw selvedge, we're firm believers that The One is out there for us all. Luckily for you, we've wriggled into countless pairs to help you narrow down the search for your sartorial soulmate.
In case you missed the memo, let us refresh you: denim has gone stratospheric. No longer the preserve of pub nights and off-duty days, your favourite pair of jeans is now the main character in your wardrobe, working for pretty much any occasion (with the right styling hacks).
Denim dominated the runways: Coach went casual with worker jackets and boyfriend cuts, while Chanel stayed polished with coated fabrics and neatly cropped lengths. And Miu Miu, well, we know what Ms Prada is responsible for (if you haven't yet been warned, the skinny jean is back).
So, what to choose? This autumn, you have options: mom jeans, straight-leg jeans and even bootcut jeans (thanks, Bella) are all on the menu, but for many of us, finding the very best jeans is still no small feat. High-rise or low-cut? Wide-leg or straight? Washed-out or deep indigo?
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After all, great denim forms the backbone of any and every well-functioning wardrobe, but finding the pieces that sit right and hug tight can be a lengthy process – which is why we’ve scoured the internet’s virtual shelves to find the very best denim brands in existence.
If you’ve found that previous investments have let you down — and made you feel down in the process — then consider this your go-to guide of denim brands. From this season’s most ubiquitous new silhouette — why the barrel-leg jean purveyed by Citizens of Humanity, of course — to a classic big ’n’ baggy, wide-leg jean and even the resurgence of the denim maxi skirt, these brands are ready to cater to your every denim demand.
The Denim Brands To Know Now
Levi's
Best for: iconic cuts
Levi’s is obviously the label that requires no introduction, but for the uninitiated, the world's most famous denim brand is still at the top of its game.
Its vintage-style, no-stretch 501s might be the go-to mom jean for the fashion crowd, but we're also very into the super-high waist, incredibly flattering Ribcage jean, which creates the illusion of insanely long legs (especially when there's a heeled boot hidden beneath the hems).
Haikure
Best for: super-wide legs
As a relatively unknown name, to be able to entirely sell out a denim collection is a mark of true success. But that's exactly what Haikure has achieved, leaving its signature Bethany jeans (super-slouchy, brilliantly boyish) in high demand.
Really, the appeal here is clear: the Italian brand has mastered the silhouette of the season, crafting the most perfect wide-leg jean from non-stretch denim that feels satisfyingly weighty and falls to pool perfectly around your point-toe heels (forget trainers: a ladylike heel is the contrasting finisher to opt for now).
DL1961
Best for: supremely flattering fits
Few brands do denim to the exacting standards of DL1961. The family-owned operation actually began as a denim manufacturer for other labels, before channelling its hard-earned expertise into a collection that takes a forensic approach to fit, comfort and quality. Today, it's one of few denim brands to own its own factory, meaning every last detail can be thoroughly pored over.
That uncompromising attention to detail is clearly paying off: whether you opt for the ELLE-favourite wide-leg Hepburn or the viral long denim shorts – wear with high boots on transitional days – you're in for a comfortable, confidence-boosting fit (the brand uses multiple size models for each and every style to make sure of that).
There are other advantages to keeping your manufacturing in-house, too: the brand’s sustainability efforts are bigger and better than most. Textile waste from landfills and plastic from the ocean are both collected and transformed into new denim fibres, while waterless treatment processes mean the usual 1,500 gallons of water involved in producing a pair of jeans are whittled down to just 10. Plus, there's the fact that, with pieces that fit this well, you'll be wearing them for years to come.
Citizens of Humanity
Best for: the silhouettes of the season
You know the barrel-leg jeans that have been peppered all over the feeds of your favourite fashion insiders? They're the brainchild of Los Angeles-based brand Citizens of Humanity, which was launched amid the denim boom of the 2000s in 2003. In the twenty years since it launched, it's become the go-to for those in the denim know. Think wide-legged, tapered, slouchy - whichever way you like your denim, there's a style and a shape to suit you here.
Rails
Best for: comfort and quality
We recently discovered the denim collection we'd been sleeping on: turns out, LA favourite Rails makes some truly outstanding classic jeans. Specifically, it's the Topanga cut that everyone should try: this timeless straight-leg jean is made from sturdy denim that feels substantial but not restrictive (it also doesn't lose its shape after washing) and hits at that perfect waist-defining point before falling in just-slim-enough legs to the ankles.
They'll work with a tucked-in tee as well as a slouchy sweater, and elegant stilettos as much as trainers. In short, they're your Monday morning, don't-know-what-to-wear hero.
Agolde
Best for: directional cuts and standard-setting fabrics
Ask any style insider worth their salt and they'll tell you in no uncertain terms that Agolde is one of the most well-crafted denim brands. Not only are its jeans some of the best-fitting, they've also been endorsed by Rihanna and Selena Gomez among a slew of other of our fashion favourites. The fashion editor's picks are the low-rise baggy jeans, which are perfect for slow and lazy days with a knitted tank and a trench coat.
Paige
Best for: the perfect second-skin fit
Twenty years ago, fit model Paige Adams-Geller decided to channel her years of insider knowledge into her own brand – and today, Paige remains the go-to for denim that sculpts and lifts in all the right places.If you've struggled to find a pair of jeans that make you look and feel great in the past, you'll be happy here: try the Sasha for a waist-cinching, leg-lengthening result, or the Hoxton for a Nineties-style straight leg that fits just right.
Mother
Best for: rebellious details
In a bid to keep the craftsmanship of its denim localised, Los Angeles-based denim brand, Mother, partners with local businesses and manufacturers in the production of all of its styles. Make no mistake: these are jeans with heart that not only look the part, but give back too. For the perfect wide-legged jean, look to the Ditcher . Just take our word for it - this denim is too good to not be snapped up.
Frame
Best for: forensically sharp shapes
With all of the style sensibility that Scandis have become known for, Frame is a denim brand that has perfected the best-fitting jean. Founded by Swedish natives Jens Grede and Erik Torstensson in 2012, Frame has firmly established itself as a must-have purveyor of well-crafted jeans. Its formidable Le Sleek Straight style is the perfect just-slim-enough pair for wearing with just-about everything.
7 For All Mankind
Best for: legendary designs, made sustainably
Launched in 2000, Los Angeles-based label 7 For All Mankind creates the kind of denim pieces that'll become your wardrobe cornerstones for years to come.
Committed to reducing its environmental impact, the label has converted two of its best-selling lines into sustainable fabrics: Denim Lustre (made from 100% TENCEL Lyocell fibres, which is derived from renewable wood sources) and Slim Illusion (made from degradable yarns with no harmful chemicals or microplastics). Feel-good fashion needn't cost the earth, after all, and 7 For All Mankind's denim is proof.
Reformation
Best for: planet-friendly production
One of fashion's worst-kept secrets is Reformation, which started life as a vintage store in Los Angeles in 2009. It’s now responsible for some of the style realm’s most fashion-forward and earth-first pieces, but if your connotations of the label are that it’s solely a go-to for floaty wedding-guest dresses, think again
Ref debuted its denim offering in 2017 and trust us when we say that these are some seriously fantastic jeans. For the perfect fitting long-legged, slouchy fit, look no further than Reformation's Cary jean, which the ELLE UK office can’t stop waxing lyrical about.
Good American
Best for: a perfect fit for everyone
The brainchild of Khloé Kardashian and Emma Grede, Good American is the brand that caters to all sizes. The label launched in 2016 with a desire to offer denim that was size-inclusive to all shapes, and it’s cemented its positioning as a body-inclusive BNOC in doing so. If you're unsure exactly where to start, Good American’s 90s High-Rise jeans are as close to denim perfection as you can get (trust us).
Weekday
Best for: low waists and loose legs
One of the gems of the H&M group’s family is Weekday, which is a well-kept secret for denim among style insiders. In fact, Weekday’s jeans are so lusted-after that they landed themselves a spot in Lyst’s round-up of fashion’s most popular brands and products. The label’s Astro Loose Baggy, which comes in an array of hues, is an editor favourite. What’re you waiting for?
Topshop
Best for: the cult straight-leg jean
When ASOS bought Topshop from the administrators of Philip Green's collapsed Arcadia group in 2021, the fashion world responded accordingly — shares in the conglomerate slumped, similarly to how expectations of the former diamond in the high street’s crown would fare.
In just two years though, Topshop’s denim offering has been returned to its former glory and its editor-approved jeans are as good as they were when Topshop first launched them a decade ago. Now for this season? The famous Editor jean is joined by the slightly slouchier Runway cut.
Ganni
Best for: cool Scandi sensibility
Danish fashion brand, Ganni, is responsible for some of the denim arena’s most carefully considered and well-crafted pieces. Its balloon-shaped jeans have peppered Instagram feeds since the brand’s denim debut in 2018 and for good reason: these are jeans that do all of the talking on your behalf with none of the effort.
Rebecca Vallance
Best for: an elegant aesthetic
She might be best-known for designing party-ready dresses loved by the Beverly Hills set, but Australia-born Rebecca Vallance has now turned her talents to denim, too – and it's every bit as glamorous as you'd expect. Think structured mini-dresses, blazers and bustier tops, that would look just as chic with heels as a pair of trainers.
The Frankie Shop
Best for: Insta-famous pieces
Since its inception in Paris in 2014, The Frankie Shop has become one of the quietest, but most impactful brands. Fashion's love-in with nerdy vests? You've got The Frankie Shop to thank for that. The recent ubiquity of power-shouldered black blazers? Yep, that's also The Frankie Shop effect.
2024, though, was been the year that its denim has elbowed its way to the fore and it doesn't show signs of slowing down for 2025. The Hayla Contrast Denim Pants – foldable, two-tone jeans – have blown up on TikTok and are rarely in stock for obvious reasons.
Acne Studios
Best for: rips, bleach and runway-ready details
Acne Studios was founded in 1996 Jonny Johansson in Stockholm as part of a creative collective named ACNE that focused on graphic design, film, production and advertising. In the intervening years it’s established itself as a name to know in style circles — Charlie XCX follows Willow Smith and Kylie Jenner as the face of its most recent campaign — and a doyenne of well-made, stylish denim.
Toteme
Best for: neat Nineties shapes
Toteme was founded in 2014 by Swedish couple Elin Kling and Karl Lindman and, almost a decade since its inception, the brand has now firmly been ordained as a go-to for the pared-back minimalism for which the pair's home country is revered. Among its co-ordinating two-pieces and killer coats - both of which are Instagram catnip - is its denim offering, which is responsible for the kind of jeans that you buy once and wear forever.
Rouje
Best for: Parisian classics
Founded by Parisian Jeanne Damas in 2016, Rouje has firmly established itself a go-to for snug-fitting, well-made denim that doesn’t cost the earth. In fact, Damas’ love of denim runs so deep that, after deciding to launch Rouje, jeans were the first thing she designed.
Fast forward eight years, and, in case you’re keen on trying before you buy, Rouje now has stores in New York, London and Paris with more openings planned on the horizon. What’re you waiting for?
Naomi May is a seasoned culture journalist and editor with over ten years’ worth of experience in shaping stories and building digital communities. After graduating with a First Class Honours from City University's prestigious Journalism course, Naomi joined the Evening Standard, where she worked across both the newspaper and website. She is now the Digital Editor at ELLE Magazine and has written features for the likes of The Guardian, Vogue, Vice and Refinery29, among many others. Naomi is also the host of the ELLE Collective book club.
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