Announcements

First up, Andrew and Johan have generously agreed to do a giveaway of a pack of their heavyweight tees to a random poster in this thread! All you have to do is post some pics of your 3sixteen denim below. They’ll be doing a drawing a week from today and DM the winner.

Second, they’ve also decided to do an AMA on Monday 3/18 at 3pmEST/12pmPST! They’ll make a thread themselves and be stopping in throughout the day to answer questions.

Lastly, after a couple drafts and a fair amount of research I decided the most efficient way to do this would be to simply update /u/ecp12 and /u/Dcs87 ’s 3sixteen Brand Spotlight that was posted 5 years ago. In other words, I can only take credit for maybe 20% of this, but it’s kinda hard to improve their write up! Strap in folks, it’s kinda lengthy.

History and general info

Founded in 2003, 3sixteen is a men’s clothing brand operated by Andrew Chen and Johan Lam. The brand’s name is inspired by the popular bible verse, John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Andrew and Johan state that their faith helps them deal with the trials and tribulations that come hand in hand with operating one’s own business and inspires them to act with honesty and integrity.

Launched in New York City, the brand initially offered graphic tees, but has expanded into other areas of men’s fashion - which now includes heavyweight tees, hoodies, button downs, jackets, chinos and various collaborations with other companies. In 2008 3sixteen decided to focus heavily on their denim offerings. They source the majority of their exclusive fabrics from Kuroki Mill in Okayama, Japan, their leather patches from Tanner Goods in Portland, OR, and their jeans are cut and sewn in San Francisco. 3sixteen releases two new collections a year, one for Spring/Summer and another for Fall/Winter. While they have some repeat items through the seasons, 3sixteen’s core offerings are their denims, heavyweight tee’s, and fleece products.

Priced from $220 to $265, 3sixteen offers a wide range of denim options. Anywhere from 12.5oz to 17oz, with white, brown, and black weft options too. In 2015 3sixteen released their first unsanforized denims, 100xk and 120xk respectively. They offer a 36” inseam across all of their jeans to allow the owner to customize the length to his or her preference. Their SL and ST cuts are inspired by the APC Petit Standard and New Standard cuts - offering versatile fits that suit a wide range of body types. The CT cut was added for those looking for a taper with a larger thigh measurement, and the brand new NT cut (debuted with their 15yr denim) for a cut with a slightly larger thigh and slightly smaller leg opening than the ST.

3sixteen denim naming convention:

first number indicates type of warp: 1 is indigo warp, 2 is black warp, 3 is grey warp

second number indicates type of weft: 0 is white weft, 2 is black weft, 3 is heavy white weft, 4 is heavy brown weft

third number possibly indicates overdye or weight differences

'x' - indicates selvedge

‘k’ indicates unsanforized

Note: naming convention does not work for 211 denim or their 3sixteen ‘bsp’ line

3sixteen denims:

10x: 15.5oz selvedge, sanforized, indigo warp, white weft, RHT, limited edition denim for 3sixteen’s 10th anniversary (same denim as the 30BSP)

100x: 14.5oz selvedge, sanforized, indigo warp, white weft, RHT, woven by Kuroki

100xk: 14.5oz selvedge, unsanforized, indigo ward, white weft, fair amount of slub

120x: 14.5oz selvedge, sanforized, indigo warp, black weft, RHT, woven by Kuroki, also known as Shadow Selvedge

120xk: 14.5oz selvedge, unsanforized, indigo warp, black weft, fair amount of slub

121x: 17oz selvedge, sanforized, indigo warp, black weft

122x: once washed 12oz selvedge, indigo warp, black weft

130x: 17oz selvedge, sanforized, indigo warp, white weft, RHT, woven by Kuroki

140x: 17oz selvedge, sanforized, indigo warp, brown weft, RHT, woven by Kuroki

200x: 14.5oz selvedge, sanforized, black warp, white weft, RHT, woven by Kuroki

211: 13.5oz non-selvedge, sanforized, indigo denim overdyed black, RHT, sourced from Japan, discontinued

220x: 14.5oz selvedge, sanforized, black warp, black weft, RHT, woven by Kuroki

222x: once washed 12oz selvedge, black warp, black weft

300: non-selvedge, sanforized, grey warp, white weft, RHT, discontinued

BNY1: 14oz selvedge, sanforized, indigo warp, white weft, LHT, limited edition collaboration with Barneys

101x: once-washed 12oz denim from Kuroki mills

15x: 3sixteen’s 15 year denim. A 16.5oz sanforized denim with lots of slub compared to their others

3sixteen cuts:

SL (Straight Leg): modern slim, straight fit that features a slight taper from the knee down

ST (Slim Taper): slim fit with a taper from the thigh to the knee, ending with a small leg opening

CT (Classic Taper): slim fit with a higher rise with room in the top block and a taper from the knee down.

NT (Narrow Taper): 3sixteen’s newest released cut, currently only available in their 15yr denim. The NT takes its inspiration from the ST with a slightly larger thigh and smaller leg opening.

CH (Chino): 3sixteen slim-straight silhouette with chino details (slant front pockets, welt back pockets). Currently the only denim available in the chino fit is the 122x.

CS (Classic Straight): based off a vintage 1947 501 fit, and features a straight back yoke that results in a higher rise - fuller thigh than the SL and has a slight taper to the leg opening has since been discontinued

3sixteen

3sixteen is a collaboration between 3sixteen and Kiya Babzani, the founder of Self Edge. Utilizing different cuts and fabrics (both sanforized and unsanforized), the brand aims to combine the Japanese attention to detail with classic American styling. It is important to note that 3sixteen offers women’s cuts as well. The 3sixteen line starts at $240 and extends up to $335, encroaching on Made in Japan territory.

3sixteen denims:

30BSP: 15.5oz selvedge, sanforized, indigo warp, white weft, RHT, woven by Kuroki

40BSP: “Caustic Wave” 16.5oz selvedge, unsanforized, indigo warp, white weft, fair amount of slub

11BSP / 21BSP: 18oz selvedge, unsanforized, indigo warp, white weft, RHT, woven in Japan, cut and sewn in Japan

711BSP / 721BSP: 18oz selvedge, unsanforized, black warp, white weft, RHT, woven in Japan, cut and sewn in Japan

12BSP: 14.5oz selvedge, unsanforized, indigo warp, white weft, LHT, woven in Japan

77BSP / 88BSP / 99BSP: 14oz selvedge, sanforized, indigo warp, white weft, RHT, woven by Cone Mills of S-Gene denim, women's cuts

3Sixteen cuts:

30 BSP/ 34 BSP / 40BSP (Straight Tapered): roomy in the thigh but fairly tapered from the knee down

11 BSP/ 711 BSP/ 12 BSP (Straight Leg): straight leg with a medium rise, tapering slightly throughout

21 BSP/ 721 BSP (Sim Tapered): slim cut jean with a medium rise and a slight taper down below the knee.

Women’s cuts:

77 BSP (Skinny): slim throughout the leg with an aggressive taper leading to a small leg opening

88 BSP (Bootcut): slim through the thigh but flares out from the knee

99 BSP (Slim Straight): slightly more room than the skinny through the leg, with a slight taper from the knee down

In summary, 3sixteen is an American based menswear brand that offerings a well made product for a competitive price. They offer a wide range of attractive denim in flattering cuts so it is no wonder why they are so popular on /r/rawdenim and /r/malefashionadvice. They are offered through a variety of brick and mortar stores, which can be found here and can be bought online via a large number of popular retailers as well as their own website.