Before Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Just Black Denim, a second-generation Los Angeles-based denim brand, fell into my jean-clad lap through an email from the company. Along with two styles of jeans, The Michigan Daily was fortunate enough to obtain an interview with Christine Chung, who recently took over the brand from her first-generation South Korean immigrant parents.
I was eager to dig my fingers into their crisp seams and fresh fabric, and I received The Everything Straight in Dark Denim and The Classic Barrel Jean in Medium Denim.
The Everything Straight presented high-quality denim in an unsuspectingly normal pair of jeans. It is easy to move and perform daily functions in this durable, somewhat stretchy fit. If a denim brand has to get one thing right, it’s a regular straight pair of jeans. With a few intentional rips included for style, The Everything Straight delivers a standard long-lasting product suitable for the girl next door.
I was more excited for The Classic Barrel Jean, as Just Black Denim’s take on barrel jeans has taken the internet by storm. Even though skinny jeans are supposedly making a comeback in 2025 (Alix Earle says so herself), I bleed Gen Z to my core, so the loose wide-legged barrel jean was more appealing and right up my alley.
The Classic Barrel Jean’s fit is flattering; even though it’s wide-legged, it subtly follows the natural curve of the leg. Since it is not form-fitting, the material is denser than The Everything Straight, but it doesn’t have to be as stretchy to retain movement. Overall, it’s a comfort to have the jeans feel as good as they look.
In an interview with The Daily, owner Christine Chung said Just Black Denim values embracing familial relationships and keeping things local.
“My parents immigrated from Korea to America a long, long time ago, and I want to ensure as I’m carrying the company through that I carry on their history and the value systems they brought to the brand,” Chung said. “I have many role models, primarily my parents. They have been leading the company for a very long time, so I always go to them for advice. I truly do look up to them. They lead in a very empathetic way. I think that’s what inspires me a lot, being empathetic to our customers, our employees and our partners; it’s a very ‘we’ mentality, not just ‘us.’”
On running a multigenerational business, Chung acknowledges that there is a balancing act between the past and present.
“There is a push and pull of the heritage way of doing things and then also the modernity way of doing things,” Chung said. “So, there’s always going to be this kind of friction between the two, but one thing that almost every single person in our company and our partners knows is that we really value tradition and we want to continue to honor the traditional way of making jeans.”
As one of the very few denim brands left in California, Chung feels that Just Black Denim has a responsibility to continue a legacy of quality with the help of technological developments.
“I think infusing new ways of working and better ways of creating efficiency and improving operations is highly top of the line for me,” Chung said. “I do believe that (Just Black Denim) is making a stamp within, at least, the denim fashion world to continue to make jeans in the very heritage way and really honor the traditions and craftsmanship that was created many years ago. For us, what’s really important is quality,” Chung said.
The most positive impression I received from Just Black Denim was a genuine passion for supporting small and locally-owned businesses. There was a strong emphasis on maintaining close partnerships with manufacturers within California, a responsible choice considering many major brands have moved their production overseas.
“For Just Black Denim specifically, we make everything in Los Angeles, so we partner with several different factories here locally to make our jeans. Really, the ode to success for Just Black Denim is working with a lot of small businesses across the country,” Chung said.
On the topic of representation playing a role in the company, Chung returns to family first and then discusses size.
“Many customers are three to four generations; their grandma wears Just Black Denim, and then their mom wears Just Black Denim along with the daughter. It’s really exciting to see multi-generations wearing the same pair of jeans,” Chung said. “We fit on multiple models at all times, so we want to ensure that we are fitting the jeans on multiple body types, not only catering to one body type,” Chung said.
Just Black Denim has launched a petite section, advertised for 5-foot-4-inch customers and under. It is a conscientious move to consider shorter customers, and I see the beginnings of size representation materializing.
However, looking through the Just Black Denim website, none of the models are plus-sized, and the extended sizing category goes up to a size 33. The size chart stops at size 31, which is a size 14 by U.S. measurements. Plus-size sizing generally starts at size 14, with some brands starting it at 16 or 18. So, while this company has gone to great lengths to accommodate shorter customers, there is progress to be made for representation of other sizes.
Just Black Denim is making strides as a successful Asian American-led business, garnering optimism for others in this space even though there’s more work to be done. By staying genuine within the American denim industry and supporting small businesses, this brand is the culmination of generational determination for the company, its partners and customers.
Daily Arts Writer Tara Wasik can be reached at tarawas@umich.edu.
