Naked & Famous - "Guaranteed Uncomfortable Or Your Money Back"
The Elephant in the Room
Raw Japanese selvedge denim isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. Traditionally it’s heavy, stiff and takes a good while to break in. Not to mention the colour transfer you get from it onto your favourite white sofa or sneakers.
But not all things are created equal however, and over the years Naked and Famous (N&F) have done their best to change the perception of raw denim.
The Canadian clothing brand has been a market stand out since it was founded in 2008 because of it’s fabric range and playful innovation.
N&F’s new (2026) Autumn/Winter range is imminent and with it comes a third release of it’s Elephant Selvedge - “Elephant 2 Reborn”.
Elephant 2 elephant reborn
In 2008 "Elephant 1" became a favourite when it dropped in the AW Collection, it was the first in the long running Elephant series.
Your average "run of the mill" denim weighs around 12.5oz (ounces per yard of fabric, the standard denim weight metric).
At a whopping 22oz Elephant 2 is heavy, rigid and takes "a lot of patience” to break in.
“Since our second season back in 2008, the Elephant Series has been the heartbeat of our Fall/Winter collections”.
- Naked and Famous
Not including the up-coming release, there’s been 14 iterations of the Elephant series over the last 18 years each with slightly different attributes and all coming in between 19oz and 22oz with the focus on how the denim wears in over time giving unique character to every pair of jeans.
Elephant 1: The debut heavy selvedge (19oz) that started the series.
Elephant 2: The iconic 22oz red-line selvedge released in 2011.
Elephant 3: 19oz heavyweight denim released in 2013.
Elephant 4: 22oz heavyweight denim released in 2014.
Elephant 5: 20oz “slubby” heavyweight denim released in 2015.
Elephant 6: Heavyweight iteration featuring distinct textures and fades.
Elephant 7: "El Diablo" release in the series.
Elephant 8: Heavyweight iteration featured in later collections.
Elephant 9: "Wild Blue" 21oz Japanese selvedge released in 2020.
Elephant X: The 10th iteration, returning to the roots of Elephant 1 with a space grey weft (2021).
Elephant 11: "Grandrelle" 20oz selvedge with a static-like weft released in late 2022.
Elephant 12: "Broken Twill Big Slub" 20oz Japanese selvedge.
Elephant 13: "Red Core" 21oz super heavyweight selvedge.
Elephant 14 ("Dirty Elephant"): The 14th main instalment, a 20oz super heavyweight selvedge merging the Elephant series with Dirty Fade selvedge.
Elephant 15: Elephant 2 Reborn. Coming AW 2026
2024's "Elephant Redcore"
Unconventional
But as I said, not all things are created equal and this is where N&F really come in to their own.
Over the years their Spring/Summer collections have featured seasonal denims like the "MIJ14 Harukaze" (Harukaze means "Spring Breeze" in Japanese) 8.6oz 2025 release, one of the lightest Japanese selvedge’s to date. Also the 2022 9.5oz Blue Bird Selvedge, the 9oz Craftsman Selvedge or the 10oz Summer Sky Selvedge.
The 5.5oz "Ultralight" Jeans
Between N&F’s lightest denim to it’s heaviest Super Heavyweight 40oz (the world’s heaviest!) there is an unbelievable selection of jeans, really something for everyone. In a typical spring/summer season the brand can release up to 20 different fabrics, that’s more or less 40 each year!.
Although there’s no official count of every individual jean release, with seasonal lineups, weekly drops and limited editions, it’s fair to say the company doesn’t limit itself to a static catalog.
But while there’s constant change in fabrics, Naked and Famous do have a core set of six signature men’s and women’s fits;
Super Guy, Weird Guy, True Guy, Easy Guy, Strong Guy and Groovy Guy.
Groovy Guy
If you’re into the unconventional, novelty textiles like glow-in-the-dark, thermochromic, scratch-and-sniff, milk-yarn and reflective have been all been experimental lines, each proving successful with collectors in their limited run batches.
“People ask all the time where I get these crazy, silly, fun ideas. We just try to go back to when we were kids.”
- Brandon Svarc, N&F’s founder.
N&F's "Thermochromic" Selvedge Jeans - a heat sensitive denim that changes colour in response to changes in body temperature or ambient heat
Proudly Canadian
Brandon Svarc is a Canadian born entrepreneur. He grew up in a multi-generational family that has over 65 years in the garment industry.
Naked and Famous was created in 2008 by Svarc who was tired of celebrity culture and the impact it was having on the denim business. He wanted a brand that was know for quality, production values and how the clothes felt to wear not for who was wearing them.
N&F broke a lot of rules. The company doesn’t have runway shows or rely on endorsements. It doesn’t invest in ads – the Naked & Famous name is a playful nod to the decision to steer clear of expensive marketing campaigns featuring “nearly naked celebrities”.
The decision helps keep costs affordable compared to rival designer denim companies.
“I think different people buy our jeans for different reasons. I think there are two reasons. They appreciate Made in Canada and Made in North America equally. A lot of people appreciate that it's made in a first world country. They know there is no child labour. They know we aren't dumping dyes into a river. People appreciate that we are not made in China. I really love brands that make stuff where they're from. If you’re a French brand and you make your stuff in France, people appreciate the authenticity. We are a Canadian brand that makes stuff in Canada”
- Brandon Svarc
Made in Japan but proudly Canadian
Originally American raw denim was considered alongside Japanese but Svarc’s ideas and innovations weren’t met with the same enthusiasm from the oldest American denim plant as it was from heritage mills in Okayama, Japan.
“When I proposed the idea of making denim from cashmere to the Japanese, they were like, ‘good, no problem”.
Market Share
Selvedge denim accounts for roughly 10% of total global denim sales. To get a slice of that small percentage Naked and Famous uses a hyper-efficient business model tailored specifically to dominate their niche, operating outside the conventional rules of mass-market retail.
While most designer brands outsource their production to offshore factories, N&F cuts, sews and finishes almost all of their clothing in Quebec at their own small batch facility. This helps them by cutting out middleman manufacturing mark ups and enables them to react to market demands by producing small collections without being forced into massive order quantities.
Using fabric experimentation as viral PR helps the brand stand out and acts as free marketing pulling enthusiasts toward their core everyday, more conventional products.
Owning their own process pipeline means that Naked and Famous secures maximum margin. They run their own brick and mortar flagship stores in Montreal and New York, their online retail originally via Tate + Yoko is now integrated into their main website so when selling directly to consumers they pocket the full retail markup. With tight operational overheads it allows them to offer high quality Japanese selvedge to independent boutiques worldwide at prices that undercuts traditional luxury competitors.
Naked and Famous - Soho District NYC
Jeans from Naked and Famous start from around $170 for entry level Japanese selvedge and up to $888 for their fully “Made in Japan” range.
Their 40oz Super Heavyweight limited edition come in at over $2000, but not to worry, you’ll be lucky to find a pair anywhere.
Helpful Links
Naked and Famous 40oz Super Heavyweight
Brandon Svarc Interview via Gerhard
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