What Is Monster Stretch? The Selvedge Denim That Stretches

Monster Stretch is KURO's stretch denim, made from yarn with an elastic fibre wound around a thick core so that the yarn itself is what stretches. Because the yarn gives rather than the cloth being forced open, it follows the body while the strain on the fabric stays low, and it still looks close to a 100% cotton denim. It is woven on a shuttle loom as selvedge, so the pleasure of developing the fading is there as well.

Updated: August 27, 2026 / Written by the KURO editorial team (Blues Inc.)

How does it differ from ordinary stretch denim?

In how it stretches. Most stretch denim on the market gets its give from cloth that is compressed and springs back; Monster Stretch gets it from yarn that lengthens.

Compressing the cloth means pulling it hard every time it stretches, which puts strain on the fibres. Monster Stretch uses yarn with an elastic fibre wound in a coil around a thick core, and the whole stretches because that yarn stretches. Nothing is being forced, so the recovery stays high and the knees are slower to bag out.

How much stretch fibre is in it?

The current fabric is 90% cotton and 10% polyurethane. That is a higher proportion of synthetic fibre than ordinary stretch denim carries.

The higher the blend, the more it stretches, and the more easily it stops reading as denim. Chase the number alone and you can make a fabric that stretches, but it will be closer to rubber than to denim. Monster Stretch is designed from the structure of the yarn precisely so that the stretch and the denim can both hold.

Does it look different from ordinary denim?

Barely. The weave is not crushed flat, so the contrast between warp and weft survives and the cloth reads close to 100% cotton denim.

Stretch denim looks flat because the cloth has been pulled open, the weave crushed and the light and shade between warp and weft lost. A surface with nothing in it is hard to call denim. KURO went back and forth between the spinning of the yarn and the weaving of the cloth until it arrived at a fabric that stretches and still looks like cotton.

Can the fading still be developed?

It can. It uses a stretch fibre and is still woven as selvedge denim on an old shuttle loom.

Selvedge denim is easier to find than it once was, but given what the loom will take, almost all of it is 100% cotton. Not many stretch fabrics go on a shuttle loom. Monster Stretch takes that trouble deliberately, so the selvedge shows when the hem is turned up and the colour goes as the jeans are worn. Choosing a fabric that stretches does not mean giving up the fade.

Frequently asked questions

Will the knees bag out?

Recovery is high, so the knees and seat give less than they would in ordinary stretch trousers. It is still cloth, though, and it will bed in as it is worn and washed. To hold the shape longer, avoid wearing the same pair several days running and leave a gap between wears.

Which silhouettes is it made in?

Two: DIAMANTE, a skinny, and HELVETICA, a slim taper. DIAMANTE keeps the seat compact while leaving some width at the hem below the knee, so the skinny does not read as tight. HELVETICA is a middle taper, neither loose nor narrow, and does not object to what it is worn with.

Is it washed like ordinary denim?

It is. Inside out, on its own, with a neutral detergent, dried in the shade rather than in a tumble dryer. The stretch fibre changes none of that. Heat affects both the elastic fibre and the shrinkage, so keeping it out of the dryer matters even more here than with ordinary denim.

Is stretch selvedge denim unusual?

It is on the unusual side. A shuttle loom is slow and particular about the yarn it will take, so weaving a stretch fabric on one is work. On efficiency alone it is quicker to weave an edgeless cloth on a fast loom, which is what most stretch denim is.