Self Edge New York — Local services in New York

This is literally the most amazing destination to go to score high-end Japanese denim and menswear on the entire East Coast. It's a Mecca for denimheads. I came to Self Edge to try on several Iron Heart type 3 jackets, and came away with the beautiful IHJ-82, indigo dyed corduroy type 3.

Besides the beautiful wood accents and antique Persian rug on the floor, the store is no-frills and all about the merchandise. For a Japanese denim enthusiast, this place is like heaven. A must-see place. I was able to check out so many different jackets and different pieces (in different weights of denim) today, something you can never achieve shopping online.

I am as white trash as it gets and I didn't find the staff to be upity or elitist in any way. And I think the other negative reviews are ignorant of what this store is selling. The store does not set the prices of the items here... the companies that make the pieces do. There is a reason the stuff here is expensive, it is made by ultra-skilled craftspeople in Japan on antique pre-WW2 looms and sewing machines. They are not mass-produced in sweat shops in 3rd-world counties and are very limited in production. There are typically fewer than 100 pieces of a particular garment in THE ENTIRE WORLD.

And then, these pieces here are skillfully curated by, the Japanese raw denim expert and icon Kiya Babzani.

I highly recommend a trip here if you are looking for a new pair of jeans... finding the right fit can be tricky and often the sizes are very different than American brands. I recommend looking at their website first and bring your favorite best fitting pair of jeans with you so they can be measured and compared to what is in the store.

I had such an excellent time here today and I love my new jacket! Thanks so very much!

Edit: also no place that does denim alterations or repair will accept unwashed jeans to be hemmed or repaired. They must be machine washed. So all the negative reviews about their policy in that...

It's funny, but I read other reviews where people have spoken of condescending, too-cool-for-school hipsters who treat you like you don't know what you're talking about. I went to this store this weekend, purely to have a pair of Japan Blue jeans repaired - and it was the easiest fix; the chain stitch on one of my hems had come undone, literally about 2 1/2" needing to be restitched. First off you have to deal with the standing in line scenario, until they let you in, due to overcrowding. Fine. Then when I got in and asked about the 'repair', I was rudely and pretty bluntly told that my jeans had to be cleaned first before they'd even consider it. The guy didn't even look at them. ( And we're talking one hem here.) Wished I'd been quicker off the mark with my reply. First off, my jeans were pretty new, worn maybe 5 times ( so kinda annoying the chain stitch has bust on one leg.) Secondly, I'm surprised a denim-head store is encouraging customers to wash their jeans. ( yeah yeah there's those rules of no-wash / dry clean / cold wash). Even if washing on cold / gentle agitation-cycle / inside out was what's required ( which as anyone knows, does naff-all on rigid denim. Many Japanese stores will repair denim in the state that they are, in and around Shibuya towards Harajuku. I've worked in the denim industry and know for a fact that the sewing machines required to do such repairs are very sturdy and can take a lot of wear and tear. It's just so annoying when someone tries to BS you on the spot, or treats you like you're nothing to them. I buy a lot of jeans on Denimio and they give you much more cordial service with less of the 'tude. Won't be making my way down Orchard...

Walking into the world of high-end denim can be intimidating or confusing for the unfamiliar; I'm only recently becoming familiar with this store and Japanese denim in general, but in my experience the staff at Self Edge has been nothing but helpful and informative, walking me through picking a jacket last year and some jeans this year. It goes a long way to research this stuff before you go into the store, so you understand what you're getting into. Yeah, it's expensive, but it's expensive universally, not just at this store. If you don't like the price, regular jeans are fine too. If you caught me 10-15 years ago, you'd see me buying jeans at Dr. Jay's or a similar type store in Brooklyn, looking for jeans on Delancey, not Orchard. 10 years ago, guys talking about Red Monkey, buying bulk in NY and going down to VA on the bus to flip them for double - I gotta say I never got it. BUT, if you research a little, you may see what sets the denim sold at Self Edge apart from the brands everywhere else. Watch a video of the Japanese manufacturers making the jeans on youtube and you'll understand the honest craftsmanship behind...