If you grew up drinking chocolate milk, you probably remember it. The cold glass, that rich brown color, and the red and white striped straw.
That was the starting point. What if we could take that exact color and put it inside a pair of raw denim jeans? And while we’re at it, what if we made the fabric using milk?
That’s where the Chocolate Milk Selvedge comes together. It’s made using milk protein fiber derived from casein, blended with cotton and woven into a 12.5oz Japanese selvedge denim. It looks like a dark indigo denim at first, but flip the cuff to reveal the chocolate brown weft, which becomes more visible as the denim fades.
The Fabric
The goal was straightforward: match that exact chocolate milk tone inside a pair of raw denim jeans. To get there, we used the real thing. A tall glass of chocolate milk became the reference point, and the weft yarn was dyed to that color as closely as possible.
But the concept doesn’t stop at color. The yarn itself is made using milk.
Casein, a protein found in milk, can be extracted and processed into a liquid solution, then extruded into fibers and spun into yarn. The process is similar to how rayon is produced, resulting in a smoother, slightly silk-like texture when blended with cotton.
There are technical claims around milk fibers, such as moisture management and antibacterial properties, but for us the focus is straightforward. It’s an unconventional material that adds a softer hand feel and surface character to the denim.
The final fabric is a blend of 77% cotton and 23% milk protein fiber. It’s woven as a 12.5oz Japanese selvedge denim with a dark indigo warp and a chocolate brown weft. The weight sits in a comfortable mid-range, making it suitable for year-round wear.
The Details
The leather patch is a hair-on-hide cow print with the logo embossed on top, and the surface retains the natural hair texture, so there’s a subtle tactile element to it. It’s a straightforward reference, but it fits the material and the idea behind the fabric. That same approach continues inside the jeans with cow print pocket bags, keeping the theme consistent without overcomplicating it.
The selvedge edge is where the concept comes together most clearly. Chocolate milk is often tied to a very specific visual, the red and white striped straw. Instead of interpreting that as a standard stripe, the selvedge is made by twisting red and white yarns together, creating a spiral effect along the edge.
It’s a small detail, but one that requires a different construction than a typical selvedge edge.
Specifications
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12.5oz Japanese selvedge denim
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77% cotton / 23% milk protein fiber (casein)
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Indigo warp / chocolate brown weft
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Twisted red and white selvedge edge
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Hair-on-hide leather patch
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Cow print pocket bags
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Made in Canada
Release
The Chocolate Milk Selvedge releases April 2 at 11am ET in Super Guy, Weird Guy, Easy Guy, True Guy, Strong Guy, and True Girl.
Available online and in-store at nakedandfamousdenim.com and nakedandfamousdenimnyc.com, as well as through select retailers worldwide.
