To many of my friends, it seems overtly excessive the way I’m treating the “art” of wearing raw denim. For those who don’t know the difference between ordinary and raw denim, you are about to embark on a slippery slope on the world of raw denim which you could either fall in love with or go “Meh?”.
Raw denim or dry denim, is when a the denim fabric is not washed after being dyed during production. The idea here when someone buys raw denim is so that the denim will fade as they wear it and natural-looking marks will be visible on areas like upper thighs, ankles and behind the knees. True denim heads would abstain from washing their jeans for at least 6 months to a year, to as long as 15 years, in order to preserve as much as the indigo dye, so that the fades will be as obvious as possible. Many of my friends tell me, why not just buy pre-distressed jeans, which basically are jeans which are already faded during production by machines to try to imitate natural wear. That’s besides the point and this is why.
Image from Rawr Denim
When I started learning about the world of denim heads, I would read blogs on when to first wash your jeans and how to wear them and how to hang them. They go to the extend of specifying the kind of wash (like beach wash, going into the sea with your jeans on), wearing your jeans on daily jogs, to sleep and even wearing your jeans to dry so they would fit the shape of your body. After months of following guides and taking ridiculous measures, I start to realise that I’ve lost the true meaning of wearing raw jeans. A pair of raw denim is a reflection of your lifestyle. If you change your habits to wear it a certain way, you are missing the point.
I think of my jeans as a blank canvas when I buy it. Every mark, every fade I earn along the way tells a small story. I wear it daily, and don’t take any special measures to wear it out or take any extra care of it. If I want to roll up my jeans, I do that. If I want to go beltless, I do that. When it comes to washing, my personal rule is, wash it when it stinks. You can resort to Febreeze and refrigerating your jeans along the way, but it’ll stink regardless eventually. I’m only on my first raw jeans, the Pure Blue Japan X The Denim Store “Black on Black” jeans, and it has been 4 months (I know I’ll lose some friends here). As a desk bound office worker, the fades aren’t too noticeable yet, but I’m glad they are that way. It is a true reflection of my daily habits and my life as it is.
While I’m only beginning my journey in the world of raw denim, I believe I’m onto something golden.
Visit also one of my favourite blogs on raw denim.
