Well it’s that time again when I submit some photos of the progress of my latest pair of raw denim jeans.
If you read my post 6 months ago you’ll remember that I bought a pair of Nudie Dry Grim Tim’s from Liberty, in London. I love these jeans and they are becoming my go to jeans now they are becoming more worn in.
Although they are 6 months old and have had a lot of wear, they have not been worn everyday as I still love my pair of Edwin’s which get plenty of air time.
These jeans are starting to look great with some good fading already taking place and have held their shape perfectly. I bought these to my exact jean size, 34w 32L, which were a little tight to begin with but quickly loosened without going baggy.
Like Them? Buy Some New Nudie Grim Tim’s Online
Like Them? Buy Some New Nudie Grim Tim’s Online
Hi Nick,
just got a pair of these 3 days ago, and am very pleased with them. they’re my first pair of raw jeans! I’ve 2 questions though..
1) How come you didn’t choose to wash them at the 6 month period?
2) The past 3 days i’ve grown to like the colour of the jeans very much, and i would like to preserve the colour of them for as long as possible. I.e. minimal fading. Do you have any advice on this? Thanks!:)
Great Blog!
Jon
Hi Jon,
Thanks for stopping by. Funnily enough your first question kind of answers your second…
The reason for not washing the jeans for at least 6 months, which is fairly standard practise for raw denim, is that it allows the cotton fibres to break in slowly and natural fading and creases to appear over time which are unique to the owner. If you washed your jeans now, they would go a uniform blue and look terrible. Here is a post I did on washing raw denim too soon.
So, to answer your second question, in order for them to maintain their current look, just don’t wash them! Fading is inevitable over time, but only at creases and high wear areas like the bum and the front of thighs, the rest of the denim will stay fairly dark. They just get better with age.
You can either start to wash them after 6 months or just keep going. I am going to keep going with mine a little longer.
If you give them a break every so often and turn them inside out and air them, they should stay fresh, or you can put them in the sun which will keep them clean. I have heard of people putting them in the freezer if they start to smell but I have never tried this.
If they really get too smelly or dirty, give them a rinse out in tepid water. Don’t use any washing powder as this will mess them up. Let them drip dry and put them back on. They will keep the raw look.
Anyway, I have written other posts on raw denim on the blog which should answer any other questions you may have.
Enjoy the jeans – they are a great first pair of raw denims to have and mine are really starting to look great.
Nick
Thanks for the advice and tips! And your blog is very easy to read and accessible, a pleasure to read!:)
Thanks for the kind words!