Guide: What are neppy jeans and why is the imperfect texture so popular?

Neppy jeans are jeans that have small naps that come to the surface of the denim fabric. This makes the denim look less perfect, giving it a slightly more old-fashioned and vintage look. Many Japanese brands like to create denim that is a little "neppy" to emphasize that the jeans represent craftsmanship – not industrial mass production.

How do jeans become neppy?

The secret behind nep lies in the yarn itself, not so much in the weaving, but a little there too. The yarn used in neppy jeans is slightly fuzzy. It sheds lint, and small knots of cotton fibers make the surface of the yarn uneven. Jeans can have neppy yarn in both warp and weft, but it is most common to have the neppy yarn in the weft.

When these threads are woven on a loom with low tension, they will come to the surface of the weave and give it the characteristic, fuzzy look that defines neppy jeans. This is not the same as slub.

Imperfection gives jeans character

In the old days, a neppy yarn was unattractive; the goal was to make the jeans look as perfect as possible. But now that we have machines that can make denim "perfect," more people have noticed the small details that give jeans character – the imperfect.

Are neppy jeans always selvedge?

Nep and selvedge are two different things and are not necessarily linked. However, the looms used to achieve this historic look on jeans often also weave selvedge. This means that the weft runs from side to side as a complete, unbroken thread.

Therefore, you can assume that a person with neppy jeans most likely also has a nice selvedge edge on their jeans. Perhaps you should encourage them to show off their cuff?