FEATURE
Fashionable clothing typically has a short life. Most garments peak when they are first worn and become less and less appealing as they degrade and become obsolete. Raw denim makes the opposite proposition - that your clothing can become more beautiful the more you wear it. By Jason Bekolay Most jeans that you find will have been washed and maybe distressed after the indigo dye is applied to achieve a specific look. However, raw denim is left untreated; the jeans are uniformly dyed and the fabric has no artificial wear. The intention is not for the jeans to stay this way. Instead, they are a blank canvas that the owner will fill in. The way the jeans are worn and cared for will determine how they look, and the more they are worn, the more they reflect the owners’ lifestyles. For that reason, many raw denim enthusiasts will wear their jeans as often as possible - for months at a time without washing them! The result is a pair of jeans that is unique to the owner - each crease, scuff, or hole reflects an event or habit in the owner’s life. It will also stretch and conform to the owner’s body which results in an extremely comfortable pair of jeans, even if they look really tight. For both of these reasons, raw denim enthusiasts will form a bond with their jeans that most cannot feel for any other non-descript article of clothing. For someone just getting into raw denim, the first purchase can be a bit intimidating. There are a lot of brands that make jeans with very subtle differences. It is worth the effort to find the right brand, fabric, and fit for you since a purchase implies a commitment to at least six months of continuous wear. If you have access to stores carrying raw denim, spend an afternoon or two shopping around. The salespeople at these stores are often denim nerds who are happy to share all the details they know about the jeans they carry. I also recommend that one’s first pair of raw jeans should be lighter - 12 ounce denim or lighter. Lighter denim will usually stretch and break in much quicker. Be aware of whether or not the denim is sanforized or pre-shrunk using a special process. Unsanforized denim will shrink significantly when soaked or washed for the first time. Typically when buying unsanforized denim, buy one size bigger then soak the jeans before wearing. This “shrink to fit” process can be a bit more personal. Some people wear their jeans while they soak them, ensuring a perfect fit. If the jeans are sanforized, then the initial soak is not necessary and can be worn right away. Now that you have a pair jeans that are ready to wear, what do you do? Just wear them. As much as possible, as long as they are appropriate for the occasion. Try not to baby them; don’t be afraid to get them dirty! Wear them in the rain! Get sweaty in them. You are going to spill something on them eventually. Don’t worry about it. Spot clean them with a moist cloth if you must, but many stains will fade and disappear on their own. I encourage you to take the opposite approach. Seek out new and interesting things to do while wearing your jeans. Even if you find that you can’t climb trees as well as did when you were a kid, you will at least have a mark or two on your jeans as proof that you tried. As you wear the jeans, you will likely notice lines forming on the hips and upper thighs. These are called whiskers and are imprints created by your sitting posture and what you keep in your pockets. Creases that form behind the knees are called honeycomb. They are formed when the knee bends. Cycling in your jeans will result in a lot of honeycomb quickly. If the jeans are a bit long for your legs and you let them bunch up around your ankles, then you will also see creases there called stacking. All of these fades will form slowly, so many people regularly photograph their jeans to record their progress. After months of wear, the time will finally come to wash your jeans. When to do it and the best method for washing are both contentious issues. Some people will throw their jeans in the washer every couple of months. Others will only do a delicate hand washing less than once a year, or even attempt to avoid washing the jeans altogether. In the end, it’s up to the owner. It’s another decision that affects the appearance and story the jeans tell. Eventually, the jeans will wear out. Retiring your jeans will be bittersweet. You are finishing one chapter in your life, but you are starting another at the same time. With a new pair of jeans, you get to tell a whole new story.
The raw denim market is growing with additional players every month, but these are some of the writer’s favourites: - Nudie Jeans: This brand emphasizes jeans that fade quickly and even fall apart. They encourage repairing and recycling worn out jeans. Nudie recently went all-organic with their denim. - Naked & Famous: A Canadian company that makes both no-frills quality denim for a low price and really innovative, fun and quirky jeans using unusual fabrics (e.g. glow in the dark jeans, scratch & sniff jeans, and an ultraheavy 32 oz. jeans). - Iron Heart: Iron Heart is a denim brand that specializes in heavier denim with a focus on clothing for motorcyclists. - Roy Denim: A true one-man show, Roy Slaper makes every pair of jeans himself on vintage equipment. Other brands to check out include dutil. denim’s own line (The Quintessential Series), Railcar Fine Goods, BLK DNM, Tellason, and Rogue Territory.
Jason Bekolay is a computer programmer, living in Winnipeg, Manitoba. When not on the hunt for the next perfect pair of jeans, he can be found exploring the Canadian wilderness with his trusty camera, and working out at the gym. (Photo by: Lori Ebbitt)
FREE FALLING | ISSUE 8 | VEUX | 93