Good Jeans: 8 Local Shops to Know When You're Hunting for Denim

Photo: Kim Lucian

Jeans were literally born in the Bay Area, so it's no surprise that locals take denim seriously. Whether you pair yours with a hoodie or haute couture, few garments in your wardrobe will see as much use as your favorite jeans. 

But, inevitably, styles change, cotton wears thin, and you find yourself on the hunt for new pairs. Where should that hunt begin? In San Francisco, denim labels like Levi's (the OG), Frame, 7, AG, Diesel, G-Star Raw, and Paige all have their own shops. More interested in loyalty points? Bloomingdales and Saks both have an excellent selection, and will reward you as a frequent shopper. Want to keep it local? For an edited assortment and personal attention from a small business, check out the local boutiques below. (Psst! There's a map at the end with all the spots.)

AB Fits

1519 Grant

San Francisco native Howard Gee started AB Fits more than two decades ago aiming to bring customers better denim with a personal touch. Gee's practically a denim encyclopedia, and his store is a catalog of obscure denim brands. (Familiar with Tellason, Raleigh, and Chimala? Those are mainstream compared to the rest of the selection.) Go here for first-rate service and a global assortment of cherry-picked men’s and women’s denim-centric styles.

Afterlife

988 Valencia

Vintage denim more your speed? Afterlife on Valencia has jeans and jackets you won't find anywhere else—mainly because many of them have been patched up, embroidered, or otherwise reworked into new statement pieces. (Julian Prince Dash, who designs his own denim line and runs the Holy Stitch denim workshop, is a frequent collaborator.)

Convert

556 Hayes

Berkeley-born Convert stands out from the crowd with a focus on domestic labels. Owner Randy Brewer has been in the fashion business for more than 30 years, but Convert is a different kind of store: a denim-heavy boutique filled with sustainably-produced styles for men and women. This store makes it easy to shop with a conscious.

Heidi Says

2426 Fillmore

Once upon a time, Heidi Says had three separate stores in Pac Heights, including an entire casuals shop with a serious denim assortment. While Heidi's Fillmore footprint has been pared down to a single storefront, it remains a one-stop shop for the premium denim labels you see in fashion magazines. (Think Citizens, GRLFRND, Frame, and Rag & Bone.) Sorry fellas, Heidi only carries the women’s cuts. (But if you can make those fit, stop in!)

Self Edge

714 Valencia

Make no mistake: Self Edge is all about denim. The store claims to be “the most extensive destination for the world's finest men's denim, shirts and leather accessories,” and it’s a longtime standout in SF for selvedge denim. Self Edge also offers a full range of repair services for all your denim jeans, jackets, and shirts. (Adding new buttons, fixing holes and tears, reinforcing leather tags, chain-stitching broken hem lines, and more.)

Two Birds

1309 Castro

Noe Valley is known as a land of yoga pants and puffer vests, but Two Birds—tucked away on Castro at 24th Street—is proof that a store dedicated to on-duty looks can thrive in the neighborhood. In addition to the dresses and tops and accessories, the denim selection, (think Mother, JBrand, Frame, Hudson, Paige, AG), is really good.

Ubi-Ind Denim and Rare Things

3150 18th, #113

You've probably crossed paths with Ubi-Ind designer Ulrich "Ubi" Simpson at Renegade or West Coast Craft. A veteran of the denim industry, Simpson turned his focus to his own line of jeans and denim lifestyle products like aprons and tabletop soft goods. His products are made from White Oak Cone Denim, (the longest running cotton mill in America), and they're all handmade in the US. Fellas with athletic glutes and quads: these jeans are your jam; they'll give you space without skimping on style.

Unionmade

493 Sanchez

4035 18th

Unionmade has been offering some of the best-made, hard-to-find, wardrobe-elevating clothes on the market ever since 2009. (GQ named it one of the top 10 indie men’s boutiques in America.) Now with both the original Castro location and a nearby women’s store on 18th Street, everyone can find the perfect pair of jeans. Go here for a selection of Levi’s, Raleigh, Chimala, and Tellason denim.