Nobody Denim is the most considered denim we stock. The brand owns its own production end to end, which is unusual, and it shows up in the fit and the wash rather than anywhere on the swing tag.
Who is Nobody Denim
Nobody was founded in Melbourne in 1999 and has been making denim for more than twenty-five years.
The part that sets it apart is that the brand owns its own production. Nobody's jeans are made in what it calls a "fully integrated cut-and-sew facility and wash house" that it runs itself, in Cambodia, rather than being contracted out to whoever has capacity that season. Owning the wash house is the meaningful bit: the wash is where a jean gets most of its character, and controlling it end to end is why the finishes are consistent from one production run to the next.
The brand describes ethical manufacturing as central to the business since it started, with "lower-impact processes including resource-conscious washes, water and energy reduction, and waste minimisation."
The fits
Vera is the one to know, and the one worth clearing up. Vera is a single fit, a barrel: rounded through the thigh and tapering in below the knee. What changes between the Vera Jean, the Vera Barrell and the Vera Trouser is not the shape but the cloth. Rigid denim, softer denim, and a cotton twill that reads as a tailored pant. So the choice is fabric, not fit, and if the Vera works on you in one fabrication it will work in the others.
Our womens barrel jeans guide puts the Vera against the other barrels we carry, side by side.
Nadia is the straight leg, cut clean in organic cotton denim. It is the pair to look at if the barrel shape is not for you but you still want the construction.
Walker is wider and more relaxed. Milla is the wide leg, Luna the softer and lighter option, and Vanessa is cut to a 32 inch leg for anyone who finds standard lengths short.
Not only jeans
The range runs past denim into jackets, shorts, dresses and tops, and what is on the floor changes through the year. Worth a look alongside the jeans rather than as an afterthought.
Sizing
Nobody runs waist 23 to 32, and the sizing is a true waist measurement rather than vanity sized.
The rigid denims break in rather than stretch out, so they will feel firm for the first few wears and then settle. That matters when you are choosing a size: a pair that feels slightly snug in the fitting room is usually the right one, where with a stretch denim you would size down.
If you are tall, the Vanessa is cut to a 32 inch leg, longer than the rest of the range, which saves the trip to a tailor.
Where Nobody sits
Nobody sits at the top of our denim wall, with Neuw, Rolla's and Abrand below it. If you want a pair you will still be reaching for in five years, this is the shelf to start on.
Past-season washes turn up on the sale rail through the year, so it is worth a look if there is a particular fit you have had your eye on.
Buying Nobody Denim in New Zealand
Wally is an authorised Nobody Denim stockist. Shop the full range online or come and try it on at our store in Takapuna on Auckland's North Shore. With rigid denim in particular, trying beats guessing.
Open Monday to Friday 10 to 5, Saturday 9 to 5, Sunday 10 to 5. Free shipping New Zealand wide over $80.
