How to taper jeans explained by designer Maurice Malone
By Maurice Malone and Imani Sheldon Published April 18, 2018
At Williamsburg Garment Company, professional jeans tapering isn’t just an alterations service—it’s part of what we do every day as actual jeans manufacturers. We produce jeans and pants in both small-batch and larger-scale production runs, so when we taper jeans, we approach the process the same way a factory would: by properly taking the garment apart, reshaping it, and rebuilding it using the original construction methods.
Watch the video below as denim designer Maurice Malone walks through our tapering process in detail while tapering a pair of Williamsburg Garment Company jeans with a flat-felled inseam. This is the same type of construction found on many premium jeans, especially raw and selvedge denim styles.
When we originally created this video, it was because we kept getting the same question from customers:
“Do you taper selvedge jeans from the inseam?”
Our answer was always, “Of course.” To us, there really isn’t another correct way to professionally taper jeans.
But after looking around online, we quickly realized why people kept asking. Most tapering videos on YouTube—even some from well-known denim brands—were either skipping important steps or tapering jeans from the outseam because the person sewing didn’t have the right equipment or experience to rebuild the inseam correctly. The flat-felled seam intimidates many alteration shops because it requires more labor, more skill, and specialized industrial machines to reproduce properly.
The problem is that tapering from the outseam changes the side profile of the jeans and can distort the original shape intended by the designer. On selvedge jeans, it can also destroy the selvedge ID entirely. Proper tapering should maintain the original proportions and construction details as closely as possible.
That’s why we taper jeans from the inseam using factory-style methods and industrial sewing equipment similar to what manufacturers use. This allows us to preserve the original appearance of the jeans while delivering a cleaner, more natural fit.
Another common mistake we see is people shortening jeans without adjusting the taper. Once you remove several inches of inseam length, the knee position and leg opening proportions shift upward. If tapering isn’t adjusted to match the new length, the jeans can end up looking wider and less balanced than originally intended. Proper tapering restores the silhouette.
Our goal has always been to educate customers and raise the standard of denim alterations. We believe people who care about their jeans should understand the difference between quick tailoring shortcuts and true denim construction techniques.
If you’re researching how to taper jeans, especially selvedge or raw denim, this video gives you a real look at the professional process—not a shortcut version designed just to look good on camera.
Make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more professional denim alteration videos, raw denim education, and behind-the-scenes looks at how jeans are actually made and tailored inside our Brooklyn studio.