wash your jeans?

[navetsea]

I never own a raw jeans, not because I don't like the heaviness or the possibility of breaking in a tough material of clothing, because I like thick leather... but because of their smell... or how people who wear those kind of jeans always have smelly pants at least in my experience.

I want to give raw denim a try because their long inseam and the thickness of the fabrics might give a unique look when paired with boots, but I wonder can I just wash them the same way I wash all my mall jeans (inside out, cold water, on monthly basis) or are they developed with dye so easy to fade it would turn light blue in few washes? so far when I googled them around it always shocked me how few months of wear turns these supposed to be strong pants into a tattered faded mess, and I'm shocked at how little they are ever washed

I kind of afraid it is enginered like recent leather jacket that would prematurely aged. how do you guys think or experience on it? how long they look decently dark and intact for just normal city life wear, would it be a waste to buy them and then just wash them often like any other pants?

or are they specifically designed for sole purpose of somekind of fading contest in mind geared toward jeansheads only?

 

[zebedee]

I don't wash the Pike Bros jeans I have because of the danger of shrinkage, but dry cleaning them is fine. Any other jeans I have I wash on a normal rinse cycle and then use the dryer. Hasn't done the jeans any damage as far as I can tell. A better option than either of these is getting some Carhartts or some Dickies- the black hasn't faded after four years' use and the sandstone ones have faded down really nicely- I can still teach in either pair without looking too informal. The carpenter's jeans these companies make are pretty much indestructible and are cheaper (by about two-thirds) than high-end denim. They also don't dye everything pale blue and you can wash them normally.

 

[navetsea]

I honestly love the blue-black color of those brand new raw denim, and I don't mind they look like that forever. when it begins to fade a little here and there giving more blue lines I still kind of like it, but when they turns pale blue and white I really don't care of that evolution, especially when I read it only few months or a year old, seems very premature to me and too far gone too soon. I wonder if these jeans picture are extreme cases of wear solely to do a contest of sort, or is this a typical wear result of this unstable indigo dyed cotton?

 

[zebedee]

The Pike Bros jeans I'd like to look new for as long as possible (somewhat ironic, perhaps), and tend not to subject them to any hard wear...

Marks and Spencers do a line called 'Stay New'- these take ages to fade or show any wear at all. I did have some indigo jeans that really ran everywhere and on to everything- I'd rather go cheaper and just replace as required (but, as I get into my forties, I'm increasingly a non-jeans guy).

 

[Big J]

I'm with you navetsea.
I'd like to try these types of jeans, but the price and all the bs about not washing them, putting them in the freezer, out in the sunlight...
I'm not convinced.
Sounds stinky and pretentious to me. Who has time for this?
I wear a pair of jeans once, they go in the wash.
'Real' workman back in the day sure as hell didn't get order made to measure leather jackets, and they sure as hell didn't put their pants in the freezer; their wives washed them. In a river. With rocks (or something).
Just my humble opinion, but this is another example of so called 'authentic vintage workwear' that is overpriced and needs (or pretends to need) babying that the real thing never got.
But hey, live and let live. White collar middle aged guys with disposable income overcompensating is certainly a demographic worth exploiting.
Bottom line; 'real' bikers and workmen never spent that kind of money on pants, and didn't care how washing them affected the color.

 

[navetsea]

yeah I wonder if they are really as robust as they are advertised... the material seems sturdy, way sturdier looking than my mall jeans, but everywhere I google I always get these crotch hole and wallet wear through the fabrics, and how far they look from their new state in just few months just from their picture... I don't know if they are purposefully baked in the sun or the wearer purposefully do something incredibly harsh and dirty in them, or if the jeans is engineered toward that look as fast as possible by their manufacturer to satisfy people who like to watch through these fast evolution.

 

[Mich486]

Owned and own a few raw denim jeans. Pretty straightforward and honestly don’t understand all this fuzz about not washing etc. When new turn them inside out and wash on 30C program and a low spin. After a few times you wash them this way you can start treating them as any other cotton garment. Don’t wash them on 60C the first time or you’ll mess them up.

They won’t stay dark blue forever like any other blue or black cotton fabric doesn’t. The dye I believe sits on top rather than inside the fabric for denim.

Try out a pair of Levi’s 501xx first. Not expensive at all ($50 ish).

To me not washing an item of clothing when it needs to be is frankly pretty disgusting and unhygienic.


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[zebedee]

The Pike Bros. jeans I have are great, but they're quite formal (I like the pinstripes, but ymmv). I quite happily shelled out on Aeros, but wouldn't do that again on jeans. There's something about having to 'care' for/about jeans that seems odd (I don't 'care' much about the Aeros because they can take a kicking, don't need washing, and, with one exception, haven't stained anything else). I think most of us are relatively unworried with spending money on things that are well-made and durable, but there's always the question of what the actual mark-up is. Vintage wear can be an odd one: the notion of durability jiving uneasily with worries over damage. I like Dickies and Carhartt stuff because no matter what insanity I have been up to, I've never damaged them or even bothered to think that I might.

 

[navetsea]

Oh well, I just bought one online just now ... I hope I can wear it slowly and it doesn't get too crazy too soon, I will soak it in water + vinegar to colorfast it first. I really want a longer leg and thicker pants, i hope it would look great stacking on boot shaft, mall denim never have this extra length and thickness in my size I always open the hem and make it longer as much as possible even then I barely get any stacks.

 

[barnabus]

Owned and own a few raw denim jeans. Pretty straightforward and honestly don’t understand all this fuzz about not washing etc. When new turn them inside out and wash on 30C program and a low spin. After a few times you wash them this way you can start treating them as any other cotton garment. Don’t wash them on 60C the first time or you’ll mess them up.

They won’t stay dark blue forever like any other blue or black cotton fabric doesn’t. The dye I believe sits on top rather than inside the fabric for denim.

Try out a pair of Levi’s 501xx first. Not expensive at all ($50 ish).

To me not washing an item of clothing when it needs to be is frankly pretty disgusting and unhygienic.


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This, really. I only buy raw selvedge denim now, and aside from my "project" pair of 21oz Unbranded, I just wash inside out on a cold machine cycle. My only fear has been shrinkage, but after I ballsed up my first pair by washing then too hot, I've avoided that issue entirely.

Don't be afraid of them, and you don't have to buy into all that mystical denim-head business.

 

[patrick_b]

The idea of never washing or washing only annually has been proven to actually decrease the life of one’s denim. Your idea of washing monthly or when they get dirty is perfectly fine and has even gained more acceptance in recent years.

The never washing idea became the standard for folks that wanted very high contrast fades. The idea being that washing allows for indigo loss all over the jean. By not washing, you are only losing indigo in areas of high wear or friction (behind the knees, the lap, etc.). When you eventually wash, the high friction areas exhibited more indigo loss, ie, fades.

However in recent years, the consensus has changed a bit. By not washing, the dirt build up in those high friction areas unneccessarily damages the fabric causing premature wear.

If you listen to guys like Kiya Babzani (owner of Self Edge) and the guys that own 3Sixteen, they all recommend a more simple approach; washing when they get dirty or smelly. For some that’s every few months, for others it’s monthly or more. What you may lose in those coveted high contrast fades, you gain in longevity and durability. I try to hold off on the first wash until the creases set. For me it’s a few months. After that I wash them about monthly in cold water and hang to dry.

Hope that helps!

 

[Dav]

Most I can go it four weeks and that's pushing it, I usually only go a week before they get washed. I don't get the grail combes and whiskers that some do by doing that but I just can't go any longer, not with my dogs anyway.
I just turn them inside out, soak and knead in a tub first then throw them in the machine, easy iron no spin.

 

[Stand By]

I'm with you navetsea.
I'd like to try these types of jeans, but the price and all the bs about not washing them, putting them in the freezer, out in the sunlight...
I'm not convinced.
Sounds stinky and pretentious to me. Who has time for this?
I wear a pair of jeans once, they go in the wash.
'Real' workman back in the day sure as hell didn't get order made to measure leather jackets, and they sure as hell didn't put their pants in the freezer; their wives washed them. In a river. With rocks (or something).
Just my humble opinion, but this is another example of so called 'authentic vintage workwear' that is overpriced and needs (or pretends to need) babying that the real thing never got.
But hey, live and let live. White collar middle aged guys with disposable income overcompensating is certainly a demographic worth exploiting.
Bottom line; 'real' bikers and workmen never spent that kind of money on pants, and didn't care how washing them affected the color.

Amen, brother. And funny too!

 

[Fanch]

Most of my experience is with Gustin jeans, Zimbabwe and Okayama being my preferences in that order. I turn my jeans inside out, button, and wash in a machine with cold water. Rather than run through a dryer, I turn my jeans inside in again, remove the wrinkles by hand and place my jeans on a hanger over the bathtub in the guest bedroom for a couple of days. I'm really not into fades and all that.

 

[patrick_b]

Most I can go it four weeks and that's pushing it, I usually only go a week before they get washed. I don't get the grail combes and whiskers that some do by doing that but I just can't go any longer, not with my dogs anyway.
I just turn them inside out, soak and knead in a tub first then throw them in the machine, easy iron no spin.

I know how you feel. I don’t wear jeans to work so they are an after work/weekends garment for me. Therefore about monthly works well for me.

 

[Chris7273]

I bought "Unbranded" jeans to give raw denim a try : they are affordable compared to other brands and I didn't want to spend 300 euros for trousers "just to try"
Personal Conclusion after one year :
I see no benefits compared to my Lee Cooper usual jeans.
Shrinkage, baby care, fabric is tough but is weak where it is folded and sewn, not very comfortable (thick fabric, warm in the summer and not warm for the winter, takes forever to dry)...

 

[navetsea]

Thanks guys, I'm now having a new faith the pants would be just fine with just being used and washed normally as needed, I'm still liking my black jeans a bit skinny, but I like more straighter cut for a blue jeans and realize I don't have any normal one (5 pockets normal ones) and I like how heavy thick denim creases and drape eventually, and for that I need extra inseam and heavier oz which is only possible in this kind of jeans. really don't care about extreme fades lines or in general, I wish they stay dark as long as possible

 

[AlexB]

Hi everybody, just my two cents: I own several “mall-jeans” and also multiple raw denim and selvedge jeans (blue and black). In my opinion there are more differences than just the fading between the options.

I just recently bought a pair of Blaumann-Jeans, made from Japanese Kuroki Denim, everything else like rivets and thread is manufactured in Germany. I bought this rather expensive piece of denim for multiple reasons. I liked the fact that it is sustainably produced in Germany but the most important point was fit. In the beginning the 15oz - 17oz raw denim is sturdy but as a leather jacket it molds to your body. Also I like the longer inseam which allows to roll the Jeans even if you are taller as me. I also prefer a jeans that develop its individual signs if use and is not pre-washed industrially.

In terms of washing I never had a problem and I am not behind any crazy fading contest. When my jeans is dirty or smells (e.g. after being in a bar where smoking is allowed) I let them hang outside for some time. If this is not enough I wash them in a washing machine at low temperature without tumbling. No excessive problem with losing indigo. If you are super afraid of bleeding you can soak the denim before washing in a solution of of vinegar and water (30% vinegar, 70% cold to medium warm water) and a cup of salt for 30-40min. This fixes the indigo. Hand-washing of course is also beneficial but for me too much effort for a dumb trouser.

I have experience with various brands using white Oak and Japanese denim. I am sold to this material and love its characteristics. However, I am also interested in the heritage and stories behind the product

Attached a picture of my Blaumann

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[dannyk]

It really is fascinating to me. I include myself in this discussion as well so no worries Im just as anal or ocd or however you want to put it as the rest of us haha. But whether its our jeans, leather jackets, or boots, a good majority of us are into thicker, heavier, well made, tripe stitched, etc.. then we worry about can I wear it in the rain? should this be washed? how often? can they do this or that, and we end up babying them. Were buying this thing(s) that were originally made and used to be worked in and to take a beating and then we worry about these things? But I do it it too, If Im spending 200 dollars on jeans, 500 on boots and 1,000 or more on a jacket I want them all to last, and maybe even outlast me! But then the original products and people wearing them never had these conversations and did whatever they wanted in them and a good majority of them survived. And now a lot of these things are thicker and heavier and better constructed than the originals and we worry about them so much? We are just such a strange breed of people haha.

 

[navetsea]

I'm going to do that water vinegar salt soak, when I presoak them, I can appreciate crazy faded denim as I can appreciate heavily worn out leather jacket in a photo or hanging on the wall, not being an active clothing item.
yeah I jumped straight into sub $200, 21oz okayama denim as first try, was tempted 25oz but it has crazier arcuate stitch design over the back pocket, so I went with a simpler one, I'll see how that goes, but definitely not joining killer fades biohazard pants bandwagon.