It’s not every day that you get to wear a pair of jeans with royal approval, but Covec is the proud recipient of two such plaudits – a Queen’s Award for International Trade from 2020, and more recently a King’s Award for Innovation. The 2025 King’s Award was granted for Covec’s Oneskin denim material, which is used to make the in-house Bull-It brand’s range of AA- and AAA-rated jeans.
Oneskin is a single layer denim that was developed in 2017, well before the EN17092 standard came into use, but despite that, it still passed the CE standard with flying colours when it was introduced. It claims to be at least as resilient and strong as Dyneema and aramid fibres, but without the heat- or moisture-induced degradation that can plague those materials.
Top of the Bull-It jeans range is the AAA-rated Guardian jeans, which I have been trying out on my daily commute and bike testing duties. First impressions are good. The tailoring is traditional five-pocket style and branding is subtle, with the embroidered logo and jacron (the leather patch over the yoke) being in black, with buttons and other metalwork sporting a small white logo. Double stitching is used along the seams for strength, and there’s a bit of faux selvedge edging on the hems to add a touch of designer style if you want to have turn-ups.
The main feature that stands out is that these are black jeans… really black. A deep, dense matt black without a hint of paler cross-weave fabric showing, and there are no signs so far of the material going shiny on the knees – an issue I have experienced on several pairs of jeans previously.
The single layer denim is fairly heavyweight, certainly more so than a pair of standard high-street jeans, but not so thick or stiff as to cause problems while wearing them and there is enough stretch in the material to maintain comfort on and off the bike. They are all-day wearable, and are comfortable around the office or when walking, even with the armour installed. The single-layer material means they are not too hot during long term use, although they can get pretty toasty under the beating sun, as with any black denim.
Plenty of shapes and sizes are catered for: the Guardians come in waist sizes from 26-44, in up to four leg lengths, and two cuts: straight or slim. I went for the straight cut, which was just as well as they are still quite narrow – the slim must be cut for slender types who skip leg day at the gym. The ladies’ version comes in only one leg width – straight – but in three leg lengths and a huge range of sizes up to 22.
The thin and flexible (and biodegradable) Re Zro level 2 armour fitted at the hips and knees also helps to keep a slim silhouette. The knee armour can be repositioned at three different heights, and its housing has an external zip so it can be removed “on the fly” to make the Guardians even lower profile while not riding. Removal was very easy, however, replacing the armour while wearing the jeans proved to be trickier – but it is still better than not having the option.
Having worn the Guardians day-in, day-out on all sorts of rides, in all sorts of weather conditions, for long hours in the saddle or in the office chair (or even the sofa at home) I can say these are the most comfortable armoured jeans I have ever worn, and at an SRP of £199.99 they are not the most expensive on the market either.
Covec; 01489 582707; www.covec.co.uk