6 month fade of marker

One of the fun parts of breaking in a pair of raw denim is how seoarate parts of your jeans fade differently. 

One way of keeping track of how long you have been wearing them and when you have soaked or washed them is to write in the inside of the pocket. As seen here, 6 months after starting to wear them, to the day, I soaked them for the first time. The pen coloration has changed durastically, the same pen was used both times to write on the pocket.

Broken Twill

After a solid year of continuous wear and tear, along with one soak, the Raleigh Denim broken twill were washed. 

We have previously talked about how different weaves in denim will have an effect on the fade. Right hand twill has the sharpest and most noticeable fading with left hand twill being softer. Broken twill however seems to be the lightest of them all which shouldn't be surprising. If you compare photos between this pair and the last pair of Raleigh I posted about, you will easily be able to see the difference in the fade. That is what is so great about selvedge denim, each pair fades and wears completely different which truly allows for a final product unique to each pair and owner.

I strongly encourage you to go out and buy different weaves from different brands and see what looks and wears best for you. Every broken in pair of denim tells a story, share yours.

Soaking

Soaking: its not just that urban myth related to sex, it's also something you do to your denim....buy why? There are a number of reasons you should soak your denim, that number is 2, and the reasons are as follows.

Unsanforized Denim

As you know from checking out the terms page, unsanforized denim is NOT pre-shrunk meaning that it WILL shrink when you wear it. You can either let it happen when you don't expect it (sweating your balls off in the summer heat wearing full weight denim) or sit in a bath tub wearing your jeans so they shrink to your size. Unsanforized denim will shrink up to 10% so make sure to go up at least one size when purchasing.

If you don't do this, I can tell you from personal experience your jeans will feel like they are binding up tighter and tighter every day until your crotch blows out one night while hanging out back stage with a band. While you may not actually be hanging out with a band when it happens, I can promise the crotch will blow out and you will be very sad the $300 you spent on them jeans was all a waste.

When soaking your jeans, you need to consider how much shrink you are looking for, then base your water temp off of this. The warmer the water, the more the jeans will shrink, the cooler the water, the less they will. Though it is not necessary, wearing your jeans while shrinking them will truly customize the fit whereas if you soak them by themselves, you risk them shrinking too much and not fitting how you would like. Don't be that guy, sacrifice your comfort for a bit and wear them jeans in the tub.


Strengthening your Denim

So you have been wearing your denim for a few months and they are fading nicely...isn't that nice. You may notice at this point that the denim is starting to feel thinner and softer than when you purchased it; if its not, you aren't wearing the jeans enough. You may also notice there is some wear in the crotch area, maybe even some of the threads are breaking to expose the weft underneath. While this is an exciting time, its also a crucial period in determining the fate of your denim.

One should never wash too early as washing essentially stops the fading process, but that doesn't mean you can't soak. Soaking does something special, it restores the strength of the cotton lost through months of wear. If you have ever worn raw denim for a long period of time without washing, say a year or more, you may have noticed that the crotch came very close to, or maybe did, blow out. This is because the cotton became too brittle from lack of moisture and stress. The best way to combat the blow out is to soak every 6 months or so. Turn your jeans inside out, place them in a tub of cool water, weigh them down with whatever you have that sinks, and let them sit for 45-60 minutes while you enjoy a pants-less party session.

When your soak session has ended, hang them puppies up to dry. Don't roll them in a towel, don't hang them over a heater, just let them air dry in room temperature air. When they feel ok on the inside, turn them right-side out and let them finish that way.

Congratulations, you're now a soaker!

Patched

Patches...

While we would like to believe quality denim won't need repairs often, it is a sad reality that you can beat your jeans down within a years time to the point they need repair. For my, I try to ensure my jeans have survived every test I can throw at them including one week of paragliding in Sand City, CA with the jeans being my only pants worn for the week. This kind of wear will inevitably break down the cotton and result in holes.

While holes are part of the greatness from breaking in your denim and add to the uniqueness, they can be dangerous if in the wrong places; in this instance, the crotch. Patching then becomes an interesting situation because the area is right against your skin and a bulky patch will prove to be an annoyance but too weak of a fix and the spot will blow out again. Further more, not all patching is equal in quality and if you plan on wearing your jeans for a long time to come, it is imperative you get the best patch possible. The first place I heard of was Denim Therapy who will do an amazing job stitching the denim back together like it never happened. The only down side is, if you don't live in NY, you have to ship your jeans off and wait for them to be fixed and returned. This can be timely and potentially expensive.

While researching my options further, I found out that Nordstrom provides the same service at (from what I have seen) equal quality. If you look below, you can see my jeans externally and internally where they were patched. Because I could feel the fabric getting thin, I asked the tailor to cover the entire area I was concerned about to prevent any future holes from forming while fixing the one that was there. I forgot to take a before photo of it but as you can see in the photo on the right, you would have no idea there was even a hole if I didn't point it out. The service was $40 plus tax because I didn't purchase my denim there but it would be $15 if I did. To me, this is completely worth it because it ensures your denim will last for years to come. If you are looking to get a patch, I would strongly suggest checking out either or both of these companies or find your own, just make sure they stitch the jeans together in addition to adding an internal patch as it is the most comprehensive way to ensure your jeans stay together.

KMW

They do exist!

If you have read any of my previous posts, you may have noticed that I love, ok, LOVE, Kicking Mule Workshop denim. This company was based out of Colorado and produced the greatest denim I have found but sadly went out of business. Why is it so great?

Well, they use Zimbabwean cotton which is then dyed and woven in Japan on old shuttle looms, then sent to the ole USA to be sold. If you reference our glossary, you will see a cotton staple length charge. The longer the staple length, the stronger the cotton. Zimbabwean cotton is just shorter than Egyptian. As Egyptian is the longest and strongest, it is safe to say Zimbabwean cotton is next best when it comes to denim making. My current pair has lasted 6 years to date with ZERO stitching or patching to fix holes. They have been washed a max of 5 times and feel as comfortable as sweat pants. What is the point of me sharing all this though if the company no longer exists?

It is because something special happened. KMW has a final production run being sold currently on contextclothing.com (this link goes to the KMW page) and they are only $150!! I of course ordered some because after this, you won't be able to find them new again and if you can, I imagine they won't be cheap. They are left hand twill so the fade will not be the same as your typical rht which is even better. Do yourself a favor, get them before they sell out!

LVC: Levis Vintage Clothing

The jeans from this line are made in the USA which is a rarity from Levis but a pleasant one. I have worn them about 145 days without washing and they are breaking in very nicely. All the jeans in their vintage line are modeled after original Levis starting in 1870 through all their new innovations which shaped the jean world. My personal pair is a remake of the 1947 fit but to each their own. Check them out if you get a chance!

Recommended for your wear

There are so many denim companies out there to choose from when looking for new denim to add to your game....things can get tricky. Because of the seriousness involved in choosing new jeans, I have decided to start a compiling of quality denim brands that I would recommend trying out if you havent. Every other friday or so, I will ad a new brand to the list to check out. All of these will be quality checked by me before posting to make sure they are worthy. There are already two brands pre-recommended on the page so this isnt technically the first, but its the first one getting its own post:

True Religion

Like many denim companies these days, there are two sides to the story. Most of what you will find is made in the USA but there are selections out there which arent. Check the label first because sadly, TR are making jeans specifically for lower end retailers like Norstrom Rack which are made in  Mexico or China as the case for most of their outer wear sans jeans. That all being said, they are made with ring spun denim (at least the warp) which, as you've read here before, is quality spun cotton and will last a long time. I have personally had a few pairs for many years and its almost as if they havent broken down at all. They also make jeans to cover many life styles. TR provides raw denim (new to the company) through ostentaciously sewn and faded washed denim, both dark and light. Of course, try them on to make sure they will fit your body shape well before purchasing then go home and admire the new pair of jeans you will likely be able to pass to your children.