A rose by any other name: Christian Kimber's new line of jeans hits the style sweet spot
These might be the most perfect pair of men's jeans on the market
WHEN CHRISTIAN KIMBER TELLS ME he’s been working on a pair of jeans that “feel as considered as tailoring,” I don’t doubt him for a second. Denim has always been tricky terrain for men. Too skinny and you feel like a sausage, too boxy and you’re wearing something closer to workwear than clothes. Kimber’s solution? A cut that offers room where you need it, shape where you want it, and none of the fuss that makes denim feel like a phase instead of a foundation.
“The cut needed to flatter as many men as possible without veering into trends that come and go,” he tells me. “Clients often say jeans are either too narrow to be comfortable or too boxy to feel refined.”
The perfect pair of jeans don’t actually exist – until they do. If you’ve ever spent months hunting for a set, you’ll understand that philosophical conundrum. Not too long ago, I nosedived into investigating a trial of the best jeans for men to buy in 2025. Straightforward cuts, looser fits, pairs that had interesting finishes for someone who may want a little extra character out of their denim.
The Rose Street Denim range is his answer to my enquiries. And like most conversations I’ve had with Kimber, it’s both insightful and considered. Available in six shades, all cut in Porto from organic Italian selvedge, with a mid-to-high rise that sits neatly at the waist and a taper that suggests a trouser more than a tradie’s uniform. “Good denim has that versatility,” Kimber says. “You can throw it on with a knit and trainers, or dress it up with tailoring, and it still feels appropriate. The difference now is the quality and the cut. If the jean drapes like a tailored piece rather than a stiff uniform, then suddenly it becomes a staple in a man’s smart casual wardrobe again.”
They’re jeans that can handle sneakers and a tee on Saturday but also slip under a jacket when you’re due at dinner. They feel soft from the first wear, which spares you that ritual of stiff legs and dye-stained hands that used to be the price of entry into “proper” denim.
“We built in extra room through the seat and thigh for comfort,” he tells me. “Then allowed the leg to taper just enough to give a clean line, almost like a trouser. The rise sits in that sweet spot, mid to high, so the proportions feel timeless.”
Colour has been led by demand. After the first single-shade run sold out, Kimber kept hearing the same requests: something lighter to go with summer tailoring, something darker for the city, and of course, the classic indigos. “The colours were shaped a lot by clients,” he explains. “Some wanted something lighter to wear with summer tailoring, others asked for a deeper, more formal shade. So we created a palette that answered those needs – camel and ecru for lightness, iron for a sharper city feel, and indigos to anchor it all. What’s been fun is seeing clients come back for a second or third shade once they realise how easily the jeans fold into their wardrobes.”
True to form, Kimber and his wife and brand co-founder Ren didn’t kick off Rose Street Denim with a glossy campaign. Instead, they asked friends – chefs, footballers, fellow designers from around Melbourne – to wear and style the jeans themselves. “Ren firmly believes that a brand works best when it’s rooted in authenticity,” Kimber says. “Rather than staging a glossy campaign with professional models, she asked friends of ours, men with real lives and craft, to style the jeans themselves.”
Shot inside the Fitzroy flagship by long-time collaborator Chege Mbuthi, the portraits feel less like a brand campaign and more like a night in with people you actually know. Andy Allen leaning against a timber panel, Khanh Ong in his own effortless mix and Kimber himself. Truly, the man can be his own best advertisement.
There’s a generosity in this approach. By showing the jeans across different shapes and styles, you see how they land in real life. Not on the ideal form of a model. You see the cut, yes, but you also see the ease, and that’s the thing Christian has always been good at. “The clothes feel more alive when they’re worn in the way someone naturally would,” he says. “And to me that’s the best kind of campaign.”
Related:
We beg you, stop wearing flip flops with jeans. It looks terrible
