Unbranded Brand 21 Oz skinny-fit jeans (pic heavy)

[ButteMT61]

Wash the damn things and they're soft as any jeans out there. Period.
Don't buy into the "no wash" bit.
Heavy Americans are like pajamas now lol

 

[andy b.]

So the jeans showed up Monday. There was a minor issue, but I believe it is resolved. Mild Blend seems pretty easy to deal with (I wish I lived within driving distance, I'd stop in regularly).

I do have a few observations. One, they seem like excellent quality, except for the buttons. Second, these 21 oz jeans don't seem all that heavy to me. I have some Wrangler 13WMZ jeans that are supposedly around 14 oz, and I can remember when Levi's 501 denim felt like jeans instead of t-shirt material, so maybe I'm a little jaded. I was expecting something that felt like pants made of 5 oz FQHH. These Unbranded 21 oz jeans feel downright comfy to me right out of the package. Who makes jeans make from #2 canvas duck?

I have a few questions. I've been doing some reading, and is it recommended to give these a soak in cold water and hang them to dry to give them some sort of initial break-in so the creasing (I mean "honeycombs" in denimspeak) kind of stays in the same spot after the inevitable washing? How much do they tend to stretch as you wear them? I do notice some pairs of jeans I have stretch out a little between washings, but it isn't like they gain an inch in the waist. And lastly, I see a lot of photos where the jeans start fraying where there are creases and the fabric has faded. Is this due to the thickness of the denim and the friction from it flexing, and will all those cool fade lines eventually be the downfall of the jeans?

Andy B.

 

[Sloan1874]

The buttons aren't marvelous but in a trade-off on price and spec it's not to much of a trade-off, though Gustin's metalwork is quite a bit nicer.
I find the jeans markedly heavier and, above all, stiffer than my 14oz Green Wefts, but I guess it's expectation versus experience.
So far, I've just worn them without any pre-soaking and they've come along with each day's wear - some of the dye has already rubbed away and I can see the earliest of fades. I think Griff can answer the fraying question.

 

[ButteMT61]

http://www.denimfuture.com/read-journal/self-edge-s-experts-bust-selvedge-myths

 

[andy b.]

The buttons aren't marvelous but in a trade-off on price and spec it's not to much of a trade-off, though Gustin's metalwork is quite a bit nicer.
I find the jeans markedly heavier and, above all, stiffer than my 14oz Green Wefts, but I guess it's expectation versus experience.
So far, I've just worn them without any pre-soaking and they've come along with each day's wear - some of the dye has already rubbed away and I can see the earliest of fades. I think Griff can answer the fraying question.

I agree. For the price, they could have come with no buttons, just holes, and I could supply my own buttons. The workmanship of the jeans themselves appears excellent, and the denim is quite heavy, just not as "suit of armor"-ish as many reviews of 21 oz denim lead me to believe. To be truthful, I am glad for that because I wouldn't want to own a pair of pants that were painful to wear, plus, I am hoping that "heavy denim"="long wearing". If so, I would gladly purchase another pair (or two, if I could find them).

My main concern is that the creasing that occurs is the fatal flaw in this fabric, so to speak. Because it is so heavy, it may make it MORE likely to wear through at flex points. That would be a big negative to me.

I have to go check out Butte's link and watch the video...

Andy B.

 

[Boyo]

I think the reason for the initial cold soak of sanforized raw denim is to help set in the threads and stitching and also to remove the starch (The starch is added during manufacturing to make it easier for the denim material to run through the machines) The starch is suspected of being one of the culprits in fraying and crotch blow outs etc.. due to the added stiffness of the cotton fibers.

As far as the wash don't was debate, For me, I try and find the middle ground, I wear my jeans for a few days in a row in bit of a rotation with a few other pairs of jeans, at the end of a week or so of wear i'll hang them out side to air out. after a few of these rotations I will soak them in the tub in warm water, maybe a bit of woolite, slosh them around a bit, rinse and hang dry. after about 6-8 months of this they go in the machine, and I start over again. I won't say it's right or wrong, better or worse but I find it entertaining, that's my excuse.

 

[devilish]

Wash? Hah! You're not SUPPOSED to wash selvedge denim like, ever. lol. Seriously, though. You're really shouldn't wash them. Toss them in the freezer when they get funky. Then wear 'em some more.

This whole 'freezer' thing is a marketing myth made up by Nudie and other manufacturers. It doesn't work. With raw denim most sensible folks soak them in water of varying temps, depending on the desired amount of shrink. Then wear them for awhile without a wash so that they mold to fit you comfortably. After that they wash and wear them just like any other pair of jeans. Not washing severely weakens the cotton fibers and will shorten the life of the jeans greatly.

Now granted the whole trend towards 'high contrast' fades has meant that some people only wash their jeans once a year or so but many of those jeans need extensive repairs to keep them wearable. If you're after a pair of jeans that look like the ones our style icons have worn over the years then wear them a lot and wash them fairly regularly.

http://www.complex.com/style/2013/01/self-edge-founders-dispel-the-most-common-myths-about-denim-video

Just noticed Butte posted the same video. Great minds think alike, maybe? Either that or I'm not awake yet and should post when I am.

 

[ButteMT61]

Just noticed Butte posted the same video. Great minds think alike, maybe? Either that or I'm not awake yet and should post when I am.

Yeah. This great mind started his day by a rush to move my cars to let our roofers in the driveway and I backed up over my neighbor's trash cans. That is NOT the way to start your day! lol

 

[pipvh]

Does anybody have a pair of the tapered fit? I'd prefer straights. The skinnies would put me into mutton/lamb territory but I can get my hands on the tapered now.

 

[nabottle]

I have a pair of the UB221 Tapered Fit. When I got them, I soaked them in cold water for a few hours, hung them up to dry and they've been my "go to" jeans for the last 4 months. I haven't washed them yet. They're developing some nice fade marks, especially in the back pockets. They've formed to my body shape and I love the cut of them. I bought one pair that was slightly too tight and went up one inch on the second pair. I couldn't be happier with them. Although they were stiff as hell when I got them, they've changed considerably. Although, my girlfriend still refers to them as my "Stiffies".

 

[Sloan1874]

Gave my UBs a cold soak today - thought I'd do it while my other-half wasn't around to laugh at my while I did it. They turned the water a slightly tea-coloured and there was quite a bit of grit. A bit disturbing to be honest...:eeek:

 

[devilish]

The tea color is quite common, that's the synthetic indigo mixed with a little starch. The grit is a new one on me and I've soaked many pairs of raw denim. Could be dried up dye I suppose.

 

[ButteMT61]

I don't even want to know… lol

 

[scrawlysteve]

The grit is how they get them up to 21 oz.

 

[andy b.]

The grit is how they get them up to 21 oz.

lol

I was reading the Gustin thread as well and I think I'm going to do a soak on mine, and then just wear them and wash when they seem dirty.

Thanks for the info guys!!!!

 

[Sloan1874]

Could be from just sitting in the store room. [huh] Good to know that the tea-coloured stuff was just starch, I was a bit discombobulated by that...

 

[devilish]

The synthetic indigo has sulphur in it which when added to the starch and a little bit of blue makes the water turn a brownish green color. LVC jeans always turn the water this color.

 

[andy b.]

When you guys do the cold soak, is it just cold water, or do you add some Woolite or anything?

 

[ButteMT61]

When you guys do the cold soak, is it just cold water, or do you add some Woolite or anything?

Just did mine. Tiny bit of Woolite. Gets the starch out nicely.

 

[Sloan1874]

I just left them in the bath - I figured the first soak is really just to get things going in terms of washing out the starch, so I didn't want to do too much to them. Discovered that the 'grit' from my first soak was actually just undissolved dye or something similar, Butte, which was kinda comforting...