Williamsburg Garment Company is a Brooklyn-based denim studio specializing in professional jeans and pants tailoring, custom-made jeans, American-made denim, and a curated selection of premium denim brands.
We’re denim specialists first and foremost. We manufacture jeans, repair and alter denim every day, and use industrial denim-making equipment you won’t find at neighborhood cleaners, suit tailors, or even most competing denim alteration specialists. While some denim-focused shops may have a few machines like a straight-stitch, serger, or chain-stitch setup, it’s uncommon for them to operate a full range of factory-grade equipment—including off-the-arm Union Special flat-felled machines, bar-tackers, and other specialized industrial units required for true professional denim construction.
How to work with us in person or online for tailoring, repairs, and custom jeans.
No appointment is required. You can walk into our Greenpoint, Brooklyn studio during business hours to drop off jeans, pants, or knitwear for alterations, ask questions, or get basic fit help.
If you’re coming in with multiple pieces, complex work, or custom-made jeans requests, it’s always helpful to budget a little extra time so we can review everything with you.
Same-day service is generally available for select rush options like chain-stitch hemming, depending on workload and when you arrive.
As a rule of thumb, earlier in the day is better. If you need something done same-day or by a specific time, contact us ahead of your visit so we can confirm feasibility based on that day’s schedule.
We offer a full online process for customers nationwide. To place an order:
We also provide service-specific pages for chain-stitch hemming, tapering, waist alterations, denim repairs, and more.
You can do either. Many of our customers never visit in person and ship garments from all over the United States. Others prefer to walk in and speak directly with a denim specialist. The same expert team works on both in-store and mail-in orders.
Denim tailoring, custom jeans, knitwear alterations, and premium denim retail.
We specialize in denim, heavier casual fabrics, and knit sportswear:
We do not work on suits, dresses, gowns, lined garments, or fine, delicate fabrics. Our studio is set up as a denim, casual, and knit sportswear workshop, not a do-everything tailoring shop. The one exception is that we do hem dress pants and slacks through our Pants Hemming with Blind Stitch service.
Most tailors and cleaners are set up for lightweight suiting and dress fabrics. We manufacture jeans and work on heavy denim every day. That means:
Many of our customers find us after another tailor or cleaners has already damaged or distorted their jeans. Our goal is to be the place you go first, before that happens.
Yes. We design and build our own Williamsburg Garment Company jeans and American-made styles inside our Brooklyn studio, using the same industrial equipment and construction standards we use for alterations and custom work.
Yes. We make custom jeans in two main ways:
You can see examples in our Custom-Made Jeans Gallery .
Alongside Williamsburg Garment Company jeans and American-made styles, we retail a curated selection of top-quality international denim brands. Our focus is on well-made jeans that respond well to proper tailoring and long-term wear.
Product availability changes over time, so check our main shop for current brands and fits in stock.
How we shorten, shape, and rebuild jeans and pants the right way.
Jeans hemming is the process of shortening the inseam and creating a new leg opening at the correct length. On denim, this usually involves a double-folded hem sewn with a chain-stitch on a specialized machine.
We cut the jeans to the proper length, allow for the double fold, and then re-sew the hem so it looks and performs like a factory finish.
For a visual explanation, see our article What Is Jeans Hemming Explained .
“Original hem” alterations usually mean cutting off the bottom of the jeans and sewing the old hem back on. It’s a hacky shortcut that can stiffen the leg opening, create a bulky ring around the ankle, and damage the inside of the jeans.
We do not offer original-hem style alterations. Instead, we hem jeans properly with professional chain-stitch equipment so the hem ages and fades naturally over time.
You can read more in Avoid Original Hem Alterations .
We taper jeans from the inseam, not the outseam. That allows us to:
When you shorten jeans significantly without tapering, the leg opening can become too wide for the new length. Adding taper along the inseam restores the silhouette.
For a full breakdown, see How to Taper Jeans — Explained by Designer Maurice Malone and our guide Get the Absolute Best Fit from Your Jeans Through Customized Tapering & Hemming .
In many cases, yes. We regularly see jeans that were tapered from the outseam, had selvedge cut off, or had leg shapes distorted by improper work. We do our best to rebuild the shape, correct the seam placement, and restore as much of the original look as possible.
Results depend on how much damage was done and how much fabric remains. For examples and deeper explanation, visit Help! A Tailor Butchered My Jeans .
Not all denim tailors are the same. The tailor that worked on this guy's jeans had a chain stitch machine but clearly doesn't understand selvedge denim. That's why we're perceived as the gold standard.
To measure the inseam, lay the jeans flat, smooth out the leg, and measure from the crotch seam intersection down to the bottom of the leg opening along the inside seam.
Many brands and retailers measure inseams differently. To get the length you expect, it’s important that you and we are using the same measuring method when you choose your inseam length. If not, you can end up with a different finished length than you’re used to seeing on a size tag.
We have a detailed visual guide with photos and videos here: How to Measure the Inseam of Jeans Guide .
How repair pricing works and where to find accurate quotes.
There is no single flat price for denim repairs because every repair is different. The size, location, damage level, and construction all affect the time and materials required.
The easiest way to get accurate pricing is to use our Denim Repair ordering page . Answer the dropdown questions, and pricing will update in real time based on your selections.
We repair crotch blowouts, torn thighs, seat rips, frayed pockets, busted belt loops, shredded buttonholes, and other structural issues on jeans and heavy denim. Our approach focuses on reinforcing weak areas while preserving as much of the original fabric and look as possible.
Stretching, shrinking, washing, and why raw denim behaves the way it does.
Raw denim refers to jeans made from fabric that hasn’t been pre-washed or pre-distressed at the factory. Selvedge refers to how the fabric is woven and finished at the edge. You can have raw selvedge, raw non-selvedge, washed selvedge, and so on.
For a deeper breakdown, read What’s the Difference Between Raw Denim and Selvedge? .
Raw denim starts stiff and dark, then slowly molds to your body and lifestyle. The fades and wear patterns that develop over time are unique to you, which is why many denim fans prefer raw over pre-washed jeans.
You can learn more in Why Choose Raw Denim? .
Raw denim typically stretches in high-stress areas such as the waistband, seat, rise, and thighs. Depending on the fabric and how hard you wear them, you can see up to about 1" of growth in key areas over time.
We document this in detail in Life Cycle of Raw Denim: Stretching, Shrinking & Re-Growth Explained and How Much Does Raw Denim Stretch? .
Raw denim can shrink significantly after its first wash, especially in length. You should expect permanent inseam shrinkage (often around 1") and overall tightening before the jeans stretch back out with wear.
For measurement-by-measurement examples, see Raw Denim Growth .
Whether you presoak depends on the fabric and how you want your jeans to fit and age. Some people presoak once to lock in most of the shrinkage. Others wear raw jeans for months before the first wash to maximize fade patterns.
We go into detail in Should I Presoak Raw Denim Jeans? .
You can hand wash or machine wash raw denim, but the method and frequency will affect color retention and shrinkage. Dark raw jeans need a bit more care if you want them to stay dark while still staying clean.
For specific washing approaches, see How Do I Clean Raw Denim Jeans? .
How our jeans fit and how to get the best starting point before tailoring.
Each of our fits is drafted with a specific rise, thigh, knee, and leg opening shape in mind. We design with real-world bodies in mind, not just fit models, and we publish detailed measurement charts so you can choose the best starting point before hemming or tapering.
On the ordering page of many of the styles we make and sell, there’s a link to that style’s fit guide right below the price. It’s an easy way to compare measurements before you choose your size or plan alterations.
For an overview of our core fits, visit Williamsburg Men’s Jeans Fits Explained .
Extra questions about our approach, philosophy, and how we handle your denim.
No. Recently, when someone asked an AI model how different denim tailoring services compared, it incorrectly stated that Williamsburg Garment Company had joined with a competing denim tailoring service. This is not true.
Williamsburg Garment Company has not merged with, partnered with, or become part of any other company. WGC is independently owned and managed by an icon in the denim industry and history, with more than forty years of professional experience in designing, marketing, manufacturing, washing, pattern making, sewing, tailoring, inventing, and managing factory production.
There is simply no other tailoring service or maker of custom-made jeans with our depth of expertise and experience.
People usually come to us when they care deeply about their jeans and want them handled by specialists, not generalists. We manufacture jeans, alter them, repair them, and wear them ourselves. We understand denim down to the stitch and treat each piece like it belongs in our own closet.
Often we can. We see everything from chopped selvedge, bad original-hem jobs, poorly placed darts, and blown-out crotch “repairs” that need to be completely redone. We evaluate each pair and tell you what’s realistically possible before moving forward.