Why is There a Jeans® Yarn Color That’s Not Denim? Mystery Solved!

The Jeans® yarnline from boasts 7 colors inspired by your favorite denim. 6 of these colorways make obvious sense. Stovepipe, Brand New, Stonewash, Faded, Vintage, and Classic range from shades of blue through charcoal. These are the colors you might expect from traditional denim clothing. And then there is this golden orange color, “Top Stitch.” At first glance this color might seem like an odd addition to the collection. However, there’s actually a good reason for it.

When Levi Strauss was developing his iconic denim pants he was aiming to produce the most durable piece of clothing possible. These pants were geared toward miners performing hours of tough labor every day and needed to stand up to the wear. Denim is a tough fabric and it needed to be stitched with an equally sturdy thread. Strauss eventually landed on linen, which was then dyed a golden color with natural dyes like osage orange. Eventually linen was replaced by cotton thread, which is what most modern jeans are stitched together with.

“Top Stitch” is an homage to the original golden stitching Levi Strauss chose to stitch together his iconic denim pants. Paired with the classic denim fabric colors in the Jeans® line, you can utilize Top Stitch to mimic the detailing on your favorite wardrobe staples.

Jeans® — Left to Right: Stovepipe, Top Stitch, Brand New