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.

200 days!

To no ones excitement but my own, today is a special day. I have now worn this current pair of Raleigh Denim for 200 times without washing. Gross? maybe. Smelly? at times. Awesome looking? absolutely! The reason something as ridiculous as this would happen is because youre not supposed to wash raw denim until youre ready to set the dye in. Good god, what does that even mean? Well, it means that unlike most jeans, raw denim is unwashed ('raw') after the cotton is dyed and the jeans are made, allowing the wearer to impart their lifestyle via fading and holes produced in the product. As youll notice in the photos below, how you live is shown on your jeans. The top photo is my wallet pocket and as you can see, the outline of the wallet has been nicely worn in with a hole starting where the most stress is on the denim. The photo below shows the left leg of the jeans with creases faded in both at the knees and thighs. This process will happen with any jeans but prewashed jeans will take longer to show the fading (if they are of high quality) and usually have their own 'wash' when you purchase them making it less of a personal wear pattern.

 

 

 

All denim is not created equal

Tis true- as I walk around and admire denim in different stores around these parts (rocky mountain region and greater northwest), I notice two trends: excitement for denim is up, and so is misinformation. When you go to buy a new pair of jeans, there are many things to look at to ensure a wonderful adventure together. Most importantly, understand that labels these days mean less than they ever have. Just because your favorite designer makes jeans now doesnt mean they are worth having. Top of your list should be quality of fabric. Without  having to talk to the shops salesperson, you can quickly discern between a good pair and decent pair simply by the fabric. If you look close enough, you should be able to see inconsistencies with the threads themselves. For math nerds, youre looking for a standard deviation away from the average size/circumference of thread for the entire make up of the fabric. For everyone else, you want to see that the warp and weft lines are not perfectly straight. Notice in the photo below that neither the white nor blue lines are of even thickness...this is good!

 

What that means the denim was woven with ring spun cotton, creating a longer lasting fabric than if it had been made with open ended cotton. This is not just inherent to raw denim but to all quality denim, both jackets and pants. Almost as important, or maybe just as, is the quality of cotton used in the process; which brings us back to labels. Labels these days are more deceiving than ever before because 'high quality' designers are now producing low quality products in places like China to increase their profit margins. If you check out the glossary, you can see the differences in staple length and understand what that means. Essentially, companies who once used quality fabric are now allowing lines of clothing to be produced with American short staple or even Asian short staple cotton; producing a drastically inferior product for the same cost. These brands are all around and even recommended in some places and on some sites. Do you homework, check country of origin, look at the fabric, and in the end, you will be far more pleased with your purchase than if you hadnt.