Where to Find Raw Denim in Chicago

Start with Mildblend Supply Co. The Wicker Park storefront on Milwaukee Avenue carries 3sixteen, Naked & Famous, Iron Heart, and Rogue Territory, and there is a Union Special chainstitch machine on site for hemming. If you only make one stop in the city, make it this one, then use the Illinois page to plan around it.

Mildblend Supply Co.

Mildblend is the full-service stop in Chicago. The racks lean Japanese: 3sixteen, Naked & Famous, Iron Heart, and Rogue Territory are the brands in our records, and the shop rounds out with boots, bags, and leather goods. What sets it apart is the workbench. In-house denim repair and chainstitch hemming on a Union Special mean you can buy a pair, get the inseam done on the spot, and walk out wearing it.

Practical details: 1342 N Milwaukee Ave, Wicker Park. Hours are Monday through Friday 11am to 7pm, Saturday 11am to 7pm, and Sunday noon to 6pm. Our full listing has the details.

One correction is worth knowing about. This listing previously showed 1542 N Milwaukee Ave, which is the wrong door. The shop is at 1342, and the address on the Illinois page is now correct.

Independence

Independence sits at 1710 N Damen Ave in Bucktown, a short ride northwest of Mildblend. It is a menswear shop with an American-made and heritage bent: Iron Heart, OrSlow, 3sixteen, and RRL on the denim side, Alden shoes on the floor, and its own Chicago-made footwear line. If you are comparing how the same Japanese weaves fit across two shops, Independence and Mildblend are close enough to make that a single afternoon.

Hours are Monday through Wednesday 11am to 6pm, Thursday through Saturday 11am to 7pm, and Sunday 11am to 6pm. The shop sells online as well, which is noted on its listing.

Cowboys and Astronauts

The newest addition to the Illinois directory is Cowboys and Astronauts in Andersonville. It is an official Nudie Jeans stockist at 1478 W Summerdale Ave, and the mix runs wider than denim: premium menswear, outerwear, grooming, and gifts. That makes it the right stop when you want Nudie in person, or when the rest of the party would rather look at candles and barware than compare weft tension.

Hours are Monday through Friday 11am to 6pm, Saturday 10am to 6pm, and Sunday 11am to 5pm. Full details are on the store page.

Ford General

Ford General sits further south in Old Town at 1712 N Wells St, and it is the most European-flavored of the Chicago stops. The boutique carries menswear, womenswear, and gifts from Europe and beyond, with Japanese denim from Big John, Imogene + Willie, Indigofera, and Omotodenim alongside Merz B. Schwanen, Paraboot, and Dehen 1920. It also runs in-house tailoring and repair, which is rare to find attached to a denim rack.

Hours are Wednesday through Sunday 11am to 6pm, closed Monday and Tuesday. Full details are on the listing.

Dearborn Denim & Apparel

Dearborn Denim runs its own storefront in the South Loop at 728 S Dearborn St, and the rack is one label: Dearborn Denim. It is a different kind of stop than the other three, a single-maker shop rather than a multi-brand floor, which is useful if you want to buy direct from the maker. We have not verified its hours yet, so check the listing and confirm before you go.

Making a day of it

The five confirmed stores split into four neighborhoods. Mildblend in Wicker Park and Independence in Bucktown sit close enough to pair in one trip. Cowboys and Astronauts is further north in Andersonville. Ford General is in Old Town, south of the others. Dearborn Denim is downtown, which makes it an easy add if your day already involves the Loop.

Sundays work at four of the five. Mildblend opens at noon, Independence at 11am, Cowboys and Astronauts at 11am, and Ford General at 11am. Dearborn Denim has no hours listed in our records yet. If a chainstitch hem is the point of the trip, do it at Mildblend, where the Union Special is on the floor and the work happens while you wait. If tailoring or repair is what you need, Ford General handles that in-house.