Ok, i'll admit it. I've only washed my Levi 501's one time in the past year. Now I know some of you are thinking i'm dirty for that, but please give me a chance to explain myself. I love raw denim. I love the look, the feel, the smell, i love just about everything about it. For those who have no clue what im speaking about, raw denim is defined as:
" a denim fabric that is not washed after being dyed during its production. Over time, denim will generally fade, which is often considered desirable...Much of the appeal of raw denim lies in the fact that with time the fabric will fade in a manner similar to factory distressed denim. With dry denim, however, such fading is affected by the body of the person who wears the jeans and the activities of their daily life. This creates what many enthusiasts feel to be a more natural, unique look than pre-distressed denim."
Understand? good, now were on the same page. In my opinion, pre-distressed jeans are ugly. Shit looks fake. If my jeans are going to be faded, i'd like to say that they came from months of sacrifice. what do i mean by sacrifice? I mean months of walking around the house in wet jeans. Months of not wearing my 511's (which i love ever so much). And of course the questions i get from the people who dont understand the point of raw denim. At this point some of you still might not quite grasp the point so let me help with visual aid. After 7 months or so everyday wear your raw denim can look some what like this (depending on the type of jeans, how often you wear them, etc)
Ok, so now that you've been educated on Raw Denim, you want to buy a pair dont you? For those who do, here are care tips to get you on your way via Hypebeast:
"A process that seems to work well specifically for non-selvage (obviously) Levi's 501XX Raw Unwashed Denim.
1. Remove all tags, put on the jeans and adjust them to fit to how you will wear them
2. Take 15-20 minute Warm/Hot shower with jeans on. (this will help with shrinking and to remove unneeded dye).
3. Go skate, or run or do something active while wearing wet jeans (this is to set creases and help the fading process)
4. Once the jeans are moderately dry, take them off and LINE DRY THEM (do not machine dry) (This is to keep stiffness and creases in place).
5. Once dry, wear until they become limp or need another soak, in which case you should repeat the process over again
6. *An additional step would be to starch after washing after every additional shower/soak to maintain stiffness
7. After a minimum (you can go longer) of 6 months, You can take the jeans and wash them with regular detergent and normal settings, However NEVER MACHINE DRY! Wear the washed jeans wet, run around/skate/etc.. and then line dry
Don't take these guidelines so seriously, they aren't rules and there are no real rules for getting the perfect fade it is possible to achieve a great fade without following these guidelines religiously.. however if you are completely clueless, using these tips will help you on basic fading on cheap raw jeans"
So for those who want to try something new out, please, for my sake and yours, buy some raw denim. Levis 501xx STF are the best to buy for a newbie. the more expensive brands can cost upwards of $200....enjoy
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