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Things you buy through our links may earn us a commission. strategist investigates Mar. 26, 2025 Are Levi's From Amazon Different From Levi's From Levi's? Portrait of Erin Schwartz By Erin Schwartz, a Strategist writer covering decor, gardening, and garment care. They previously worked as an editor at Garage magazine. [9e0f90e82d87160d06a0b7dd52cd097336-levis-jeans-versus] Photo-Illustration: The Strategist; Photos: Retailers Welcome to Jeans Month on the Strategist, where we're obsessively vetting denim -- from trying on every pair at the Gap to asking dozens of stylish people about their favorite fits. For more, head to our Jeans Month hub. The Strategist recently received a mysterious tip -- the tipster had bought a pair of Levi's jeans from Amazon that felt notably different from (and worse than) a pair that came directly from Levi's. I've heard versions of the same theory over the years -- not just for Levi's and Amazon but from buyers of brand-name tank tops, mattresses , and T-shirts who were convinced that what they'd gotten from a cheaper retailer was lower quality than the version sold elsewhere under the same name. As the Strategist's resident materials expert, I was on the case. I acquired two pairs each of our most-recommended jeans (women's Wedgies and Ribcages and the classic men's 501s) -- one pair ordered from Amazon, one pair sent by Levi's for each style. I was careful to match up the same washes to prevent differences in distressing or fabric treatment from skewing the results. Still, I was skeptical. It didn't make sense: Why would Levi's maintain separate supply chains for different retailers? I pulled the jeans out of their plastic packaging expecting them to be indistinguishable. They were not. The denim looked slightly different. The color difference between non-Amazon Ribcage denim (above) and Amazon Ribcage denim (below). Photo: Author The first thing I noticed: The washes looked different. The most pronounced were the Ribcage jeans in a medium blue called "Jazz Pop" -- the pair from Amazon had a smoother handfeel and more even color, while the non-Amazon pair felt bumpier with small flecks of higher-contrast fading, an effect I associate with acid washing. The Wedgies from Amazon had a bumpier feel as well, and the 501s from Amazon were a hint darker, closer to indigo than medium blue. I brought the jeans to a testing lab. To figure out whether these aesthetic variations made for differences in quality, I took all the jeans to the testing lab of F.I.T.'s Textile Development and Marketing Department. The pairs were mixed and relabeled to obscure which one came from which retailer; lab assistant Cesar Saavedra stamped and snipped out samples, which were then weighed, pipetted with bleach, and clamped into a blue metal machine that exerted hundreds of pounds of force to rip the denim against the grain before releasing with a pneumatic hiss. Based on the results, "the denim in each of these six pairs is different," said Margaret Bishop, an adjunct professor in the department. "It's all strong. You're not getting a cheap product." But in a blind test, none of the jeans was identical. One pair of non-Amazon Levi's was lighter weight. Back at the office, I reconciled my data with my denim scraps to interpret the results. There were some outliers -- most of the denim weighed 13 to 14 ounces per square yard except for a pair of non-Amazon 501s, which was 30 percent lighter than its analogue. A pair of non-Amazon Ribcages was significantly less resistant to tearing. But for the most part, one source didn't significantly outperform the other. In fact, the jeans from Amazon did slightly better on average, but with a six-jean sample size, take that with a grain of salt. The aesthetic differences also didn't correlate to the jeans' strength. Bishop attributed the bumpier handfeel of a couple of the pairs to the level of twist in the yarn, but it didn't make them weaker. (A colorfastness test confirmed the two Jazz Pop Ribcages were dyed differently.) Ultimately, the Amazon Levi's weren't worse quality. It seemed the tipster was half right. The tests confirmed a lot of variability between two pairs of the same jeans -- you could buy the same style from Amazon and Levi's and feel a difference. But it didn't add up to gaps in quality; there was no indication that the Levi's from Amazon were worse. A denim sample undergoes a tensile strength test at FIT. Photo: Author Levi's sources its fabric from dozens of mills across the world, from luxury supplier Candiani in Italy to sites in India, Bangladesh, Mexico, and Turkey. The six pairs I tested were manufactured in three places: Cambodia, Macau, and Mexico. The company's supply chain is vast, and to some extent, it makes sense that jeans made to the same specifications from different mills, dye facilities, and factories would result in different products. This is especially true for washes and distressing, a notoriously fiddly process. "Wash houses get a formula -- a recipe, if you will -- of how the denim is supposed to be washed. You might have different machinery, you might have slightly different chemicals," says Maxine Bedat, author of the jeans study Unraveled. Some distressing -- whiskering, fraying -- is done by hand. Just as "everybody making a recipe doesn't come out with the same pie," small differences in production will add up to different-looking jeans. "The bigger the brand and the more channels in which it's sold, the more diverse quality and fabric you're going to see," says Angela Velasquez, the executive editor of SJ Denim. If you want to minimize variation between pairs of jeans, she says to look for a "smaller, niche brand," which is more likely to have a tighter supply chain and thus fewer differences in fabric and fit between pairs. Do you have to worry about this if you're just looking for a good pair of jeans? Not necessarily. According to Bedat, the way to get the most out of your denim is to "really spend time thinking about what actually works and fits," which will probably involve going into a store in person. But I've found no evidence of a plot to offload worse denim onto Amazon. "I truthfully think the only consumers that really care about all the nitty-gritty and will know what any of this means are the true denim heads," says Velasquez. And they're getting their denim from Kaihara. The denim I tested (Buy from either retailer.) Levi's Wedgie High Waist Straight Leg Jeans - Christina Levi's Wedgie High Waist Straight Leg Jeans - Christina $98 $98 at Amazon $98 at Levi's Levi's Ribcage Straight Ankle Jeans - Jazz Pop Very Good Deal Levi's Ribcage Straight Ankle Jeans - Jazz Pop $56 $98 now 43% off $56 at Amazon $98 at Levi's Levi's 501 Original Fit Men's Jeans - Medium Stonewash Very Good Deal Levi's 501 Original Fit Men's Jeans - Medium Stonewash $49 $80 now 38% off $49 at Amazon $56 at Levi's get the strategist newsletter Actually good deals, smart shopping advice, and exclusive discounts. Email [ ] [Sign up] This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Vox Media, LLC Terms and Privacy Notice By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice and to receive email correspondence from us. More From The Strategist * What's the Difference Between a Pair of $30 Jeans and $300 Jeans? * I Spent 3 Hours at the Jellycat Diner * What Jennifer Aniston Can't Live Without * The State of the Status Hand Soap The Strategist is designed to surface useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Every product is independently selected by our team of editors, whom you can read about here. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change. Tags: * the strategist * jeans month * fashion * unisex apparel * strategist investigates * strategist most popular * More Show Leave a Comment Are Levi's From Amazon Different From Levi's From Levi's? Every product is independently selected by (obsessive) editors. Things you buy through our links may earn us a commission. Deal of the Day $140 NOW $95 Deal of the Day Behold: The Beloved Bissell Just Got Added to Amazon's Spring Sale Micro Sales $15 NOW $8 $100 NOW $80 $40 NOW $24 $18 NOW $14 I'm a Toy Expert. Here Are the Best Toy Deals at Amazon's Spring Sale See All In Sale Greatest Hits * The Strategist Gift Scout: Our Gift Search Tool * The Strategist 100: Our Most Stood-Behind Products * The Strategist Home Catalogue * The Strategist Baby Registry 100 * Welcome to the Strategist Drugstore Most Viewed Stories 1. Are Levi's From Amazon Different From Levi's From Levi's? 2. The 177 Best Deals From Amazon's Big Spring Sale, According to Our Deals Editor 3. Our Favorite Work Pants Are Now Just $36 4. All the Best Spring Sales Going on Right Now 5. I Designed the Rudy Jude Jeans 1. Are Levi's From Amazon Different From Levi's From Levi's? 2. The 177 Best Deals From Amazon's Big Spring Sale, According to Our Deals Editor 3. I Designed the Rudy Jude Jeans 4. All the Best Spring Sales Going on Right Now 5. 59 Tasteful People on the Best Jeans They Own Greatest Hits * The Strategist Gift Scout: Our Gift Search Tool * The Strategist 100: Our Most Stood-Behind Products * The Strategist Travel 100 * The Strategist Home Catalogue * The Strategist Sleep 100 Sign In to Comment Today's Top Clicked Frame The Jetset Flare Jeans - Keller $90 $90 $228 61% off Buy at Nordstrom Rack Banana Republic All Day Pant $36 $36 $100 64% off Buy at Banana Republic Levi's 501 Original Fit Men's Jeans - Medium Stonewash $49 $49 $80 38% off Buy at Amazon Levi's Wedgie High Waist Straight Leg Jeans - Christina $98 Buy at Amazon Alpine Silence Earplugs $20 $20 $25 20% off Buy at Amazon Related Stories style What's the Difference Between a Pair of $30 Jeans and $300 Jeans? style Welcome to Jeans Month strategist investigates The State of the Status Hand Soap toys I Spent 3 Hours at the Jellycat Diner celebrity shopping What Jennifer Aniston Can't Live Without women's apparel Ayo Edebiri's Wide-Leg Jeans Are Back in Stock style I Designed the Rudy Jude Jeans strategist hunt My Hunt for the Bluest Blue Jeans women's apparel The Best Maternity Jeans, According to People Whose Taste We Trust women's apparel I Tried All the Jeans at Target More Stories Email [ ] [Submit] You\'ll receive the next newsletter in your inbox. *Sorry, there was a problem signing you up. 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