True Religion was the ultimate denim brand of the 2000s. Is it still worth it now?

Picture this: It’s 2007 and you’re at the mall perusing the eccentric surf-meets-Western racks of clothing at Buckle. You’re surrounded by rhinestone embellished tops, Aztec and plaid prints, and belts with massive buckles. Another common sight at the time? Pair upon pair of denim stitched with thick, colorful thread and horseshoes on the back pockets. That’s right, we’re talking about one of the “It” brands of the aughts: True Religion.

Largely thanks to Gen Z’s obsession with the 2000s aesthetic that they literally slept on as babies, True Religion has made a major comeback. As two Millennials, it’s no surprise that we were chomping at the bit to relive our adolescence by testing out the current men’s and womenswear lines. True Religion sent us several items to try out from their current lineup. We’ve been wearing them over the last few weeks to determine if the brand is truly here to stay, or if its resurrection is simply a facet of Gen Z’s Y2K fad fascination.

What is True Religion?

Founded in 2002 by Kym Gold and Jeff Lubell, True Religion disrupted the denim industry by introducing signature stitching techniques that were wildly different from anything else on the market at the time. Using five-needle thread and a two-stitch-per-inch process, the brand pioneered what would become known as the instantly recognizable Super T stitch. In addition to their signature stitching, True Religion’s Buddha and horseshoe logos positioned the brand as effortlessly cool with a laid-back, Western hipster edge.

While denim is their hero product, the brand also offers a wide range of apparel and accessories, including but not limited to sweatshirts, dresses, outerwear, active sets, handbags, sunglasses, and footwear. In addition to True Religion’s men’s and womenswear collections, it also produces a robust line of kid’s clothing.

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What we tested from True Religion

What we think about True Religion womenswear

The selection of designs is true to the 2000s era

Whether it’s a good or bad thing is a matter of personal opinion, but True Religion’s product line-up hasn’t evolved much since its inception in the early aughts. Rather than updating its designs to reflect modern sensibilities, the brand has remained faithful to its original aesthetic with many designs that look as if they may be pieces that you’ve held onto since 2007.

While the silhouette of the Relaxed Wide Leg Jean nods at the current popularity of the look, the Super Q vest and jeans are fully giving Y2K. The same can be said of True Religion’s stock of velour tracksuits with rhinestone embellishments across the seat of the pants, baby tees, tanks, and tube tops stamped with ‘00s-style graphics, Daisy Duke shorts with foldover back pockets, belts with large statement buckles, and more. Thankfully, Y2K style is trending now, but some of these designs might be a little too on-the-nose.

The denim is shockingly comfortable—perhaps to a fault

I was expecting the jeans to have very little stretch and flexibility, but I was pleasantly surprised to find both pairs I tested were soft, relatively thin, and considerably stretchy. I didn’t feel confined while wearing either the wide-leg or straight-leg jeans, and I had no problems moving around in them or any uncomfortable sensations when sitting down.

While I was initially pleased with how True Religion’s jeans felt, I became less smitten with them the longer the day wore on because they continued to stretch as I continued to wear them. The denim first felt comfortably true-to-size, but as time went on, they loosened so much that I had to routinely pull them up as they fell around my waist. Had I known this would be an issue, I would have opted for one size down from my usual preference.

As far as the denim vest, I have zero complaints. It was not only comfortable enough to wear without a bra (hell yes, am I right ladies?) but it also maintained its shape and fit during the entire wear time.

The jeans aren’t the most figure-flattering

One of the most impactful selling features of jeans is how they look on the booty and waist. Between the ever-slackening fabric and the oversized pockets, True Religion’s jeans weren’t as flattering on my figure as other brands of denim.

Both pairs of True Religion jeans stretched so much that my butt took on a baggy and saggy look, and they loosened enough around my thighs that they became a bit shapeless in that region as well. This, of course, contributed to the aforementioned fit issue. Again, had I sized down, it may not have been such a problem, but even still, they’re deceptively snug when you first put them on.

The vest, however, might be the exception. I found it to be very flattering around my waist in particular—the strategic scoop at the sides of the hem and the vertical stitching at the front and back of the garment created a lovely cinched silhouette.

The lack of length variations is a major L for short girlies

I’m a short girlie—5’2” to be exact. Regular-length jeans are always too long on me, and True Religion’s denim was no exception. The brand doesn’t offer short or tall lengths, and I found both pairs I tried to be several inches too long. I was able to style the jeans with platform and heeled shoes as a band-aid solution, but that limits the types of footwear I could wear with them. While having the hem tailored is an option for shorter women, a major pitfall would be losing the signature stitching at the base of the pants.

What we think about True Religion menswear

The denim is made well and comfortable

When I pulled on the jeans and the denim jacket, I was surprised by how comfortable the jeans are. The products fit well right out of the box, and fit just as well after multiple cycles through the laundry. Everything I tested feels well constructed, and the denim feels high-quality. Although they stretched out throughout the day as our womenswear tester found out, they remained comfortable and still looked good with the help of a belt (but more on that later).

There are limited menswear options for fans of minimalist design

As we discovered when testing True Religion’s womenswear, the brand’s aesthetic is bold and fearless. Sure enough, some of their jeans even feature wide brushstrokes of color and mixed prints with stylized distressing. At the very least, almost all of True Religion’s jeans feature contrast stitching along the back pockets. The designs of all of their clothes are brilliant for folks who appreciate the throwback style, but for someone like me who prefers more understated designs, it was a challenge finding a pair that didn’t draw attention.

If the pockets didn’t have noticeable stitching, the distressing was too attention-grabbing. And if the distressing looked natural, there was embroidery or bleached patterns that simply weren’t my style. But admittedly, this comes down entirely to personal preference. In my opinion, True Religion is an outstanding brand for people who want to stand out. This isn’t a brand for the wallflowers of the bunch, but rather for a shopper who wants to make a statement.

The belt loops are oversized and oddly spaced

Interestingly enough, one of the first things I noticed about both pairs of True Religion jeans that I tested were the belt loops. They’re extra wide and feel oddly spaced. I tried wearing them with my everyday belt (an old, thin canvas belt from Uniqlo), and it only took up half the width of the belt loop. Even with my widest belt, a standard men’s belt pictured above, there was still over half an inch of space left in the belt loop. Combined with the wide placement of the belt loops, the jeans cinched in odd ways when I’d wear them out. Although True Religion offers a wide selection of belts, much like many of their other offerings, the aesthetic is more in-your-face than many shoppers may gravitate towards.

Is True Religion’s denim worth it?

Yes, if you like making bold fashion statements

For those who love bold statement pieces or denim with unique attributes, True Religion’s denim is worth exploring. Women in particular may be less pleased with the brand’s jeans due to slight issues with the fit, but if you’re aware that they loosen up throughout the day, the problem can potentially be assuaged by ordering a size down from what you typically order. While buying online is the easiest method of shopping these days, it might be worth it to head to a brick-and-mortar store where you can try on different sizes of True Religion’s jeans to discern whether or not sizing down from your usual preference is a feasible solution. However, for those who need to adhere to a more affordable budget, there are better denim options on the market at a more reasonable price point.