Hi guys, as promised, an update to how the fades were going on the Edwin ED71 jeans. I bought these babies back in Feb, before my trip to Marakech.
Get yourself some raw Edwins here
It has now been exactly 6 months and they’ve been my go to pair for all that time. I absolutely love them. For the price, which I think you can buy online for around £110, they are a bargain. I have paid the same, or more over the last few years for denim made by popular brands that have beenway inferior to these. You cant fault the heavy Japanese denim feel.
These jeans felt great from day one and just got better and better. They hardly stretched at all and just became softer and more moulded to my body.
They were saniforized so I just grabbed a pair that fit me right of the bat.
The Edwins have now been rinsed twice – once on purchase to remove the excess die (highly recommended) and a second after I spilt 2 cups of coffee on them and I them and I started to smell like a barista. Each time the jeans kept their raw feel and did not shrink. See my post on rinsing raw denim here.
Check them out on Amazon here (affiliate) Edwin ED-71 Slim Red Selvage Denim 14oz – When I last looked they were £115. Remember to get the raw red selvedge versions as there a number of new styles in this popular cut.
I am now going to wash them inside out on a gentle 30° cycle using an A.P.C. fine fabric soap made by AESOP. Not sure if you can still buy it, but I highly recommended for woollens and delicates. It has an amazing peppery aroma and is more masculine than mainstream wool detergents that smell fake flowery.
As you can see, the fades are perfect and subtle with some great whiskers formed in the crease area. These actually appeared early on in the breaking in period and just got more defined with age.
Here is a close up of some great fades around the buttons…
And some of the backside…
So there we have it – 6 months of solid wear and a great looking pair of Edwins. They are going in the wash now as here in the UK we are having a heat wave and the jeans are starting to take on a life of their own!
Here is the Amazon affiliate link Edwin ED-71 Slim Red Selvage Denim 14oz so you can check them out.
I’ll post some post-wash photos shortly.
I guess the next thing is, what will the next pair be. I always need a raw denim project on the go. Let me know if you have any suggestions or favourites.
Check out the latest Edwin denim collection at Liberties
Enjoy the summer!
Just got a pair of these Edwin’s. They seem real stiff. I’ve been a nudie jean guy but am looking forward to trying out this 14oz denim. Kinda bummed to see that there made in Tunisia :(. I probably wouldn’t have bought them had I noticed that on the inside tag on the jean. Oh well
Hi Paul, thanks for stopping by. I am sorry you are disappointed to find them being made in Tunisia! I was also unaware but for £110 I am not that surprised tbh. The European range used to come out of Italy but that must have changed. However, do not let that detract from enjoying these jeans. They are extremely well made and are far better quality than most you see these days. Yes, they are stiff to begin with, but that is part of the charm of heavier denim. They do loosen and soften quite quickly though. Enjoy!
Hey nick,
Jeans are breaking in real nice. I’m liking them a lot more!
I’m really into raw denim jeans. Do you have an absolute favorite brand of raw salvage jean? One that I should look at investing in?
Thanks
Hey, glad you are liking the jeans now. They start to get some good fades quite quickly but without losing the shape of the jean. My favourite raw jeans were red ear. They were an exclusive japenese range made by Paul smith. Red ear is the translation of the japanese word for selvedge.
The denim was top notch about 7/8 years ago. Some of the best available in the world. They seemed very expensive back then at over £200+ a pair but now that seems like a real bargain. Unfortunately they aren’t made anymore, not like they were anyway. Its all Chinese now.
I still own about 3 pairs of red ear from back in the day. I feature some photos in an old post I did about raw denim a while back. Check it out.
As for a new favourite brand, I am still looking. I’ll let you know when I find them…
hi nick
I have a pair of these I’ve been wearing in for nearly 12 months on and off – probably more like a solid 6 than a 12. I would be really pleased if you can post some post wash photo’s. mine don’t quite look as faded as yours in some areas but do look like they are ready for a wash. whiskers are well pronounced but honey’s not so. I’ve had other Edwin’s that got washed too early and they look rubish now.
Hi pezz, sure, I can post some photos, give me a day or so to get it sorted as don’t have any post-wash ones. To be honest I don’t think washing changed them that much. Also, 12 months should be plenty.
The thing with these Edwin’s are that they are saniforized which means the denim has been pre-treated, so the fade process is slightly different to completely raw denim. Anyway, stay close and I’ll try to post some images tomorrow.
Nick
Great posts, Nick. Glad I stumbled across them. Decided to take the plunge and buy my first ever pair of dry selvage denim. Decided to step up the quality of my jeans after being a £40-£50 River Island type of guy. (I know, I know. I’m sorry for my crimes…) Went for the Edwin ED-71’s same as you after reading your reviews on them. Glad I did. Going to soak them pre-wear today in the shower like you’ve mentioned as I don’t want to ruin the many pairs of suede trainers I own. Hope they don’t shrink much as they’re a fantastic fit straight off the bat, although very stiff. But I know that’s expected.
Anyway, good work and I’m looking forward to breaking them in.
Dan
Hi Dan, thanks for taking the time to leave a message. I am glad you like the Edwin jeans. They are still one of my favourites at the moment and are really starting to look good now. They are approaching 9 or 10 months old now and have had a couple of machine washes. They keep their shape well and after the initial breaking in, don’t change that much due to the quality of the denim. Definitely do the first rinse, these things bled like no other denim I’ve owned… Enoy! Nick