Fades, Bleeds, Evolution – the Characteristics of Blue Jeans

Although miners and railroad workers from the early to mid 1900’s wouldn’t have cared about their whiskers, honeycombs or perfect stacks, they still managed to produce beautiful fades on their jeans through continuous hard labour, recognized today as a “vintage wash”. The process from a raw, dry state to that of a personalised worn in look is one of the unique aspects of denim jeans that sets it apart from other garments. This process was made mainstream popular by Nudie Jeans and has an underground following mainly centred around the Japanese and vintage Americana brands and styles. People from around the world ‘experience’ and dedicate their time breaking in numerous jeans over the course of a couple months to a few years from various countries and brands and later documenting about their garments' 'evolution'. Check out www.superfuture.com > supertalk > superdenim to see them all deep in denim discussion.


A Long Term Relationship… From the Hips, Down

Hard on the middle regions of the body at first, raw jeans are like a long term relationship. Give it enough time and it begins to mould around your body and lifestyle. Certain parts may stretch and wrinkle, heck maybe even tear… but that’s all a part of its aesthetic. Due to the nature of indigo dye, denim jeans fade over time as friction and creases form during regular wear and use. Over time and after a couple soaks and washes, contrasts begin to form and become evident.

Enough chat… here’s some photos.

A special thanks to Lennart at The Hidden Rivet for supplying images of his very own worn in PRPS jeans. Check out his blog at - http://the-hidden-rivet.blogspot.com/

PRPS – Tight/Rambler Fit

Front Profile:

Note how some of the whiskers continue around the side and onto the back of the jeans in the next photo. Also the button fly buttons have created imprints on the fly shield.

Back Profile:

PRPS iconic blade edge pocket creates a fade on left pocket. Right pocket has a wallet fade. The crotch is usually the first place to show signs of wear due to the constant friction.

Back of the Knee Profile:

Great honeycombs with excellent contrast. Tighter jeans cause straighter combs and fades, looser jeans create larger and less prominent fades, however the weight of the fabric will also help determine contrast.

Lennart was kind enough to tell us his wash procedure.

@ 5-6 months - lukewarm water soak with a little bit of normal detergent. Hang dry.
@ 8 months - second lukewarm water soak, little bit of detergent. Hang dry.
@ 11 months - washed in the Atlantic Ocean in France.

How they look raw...

Here is a brand new pair of PRPS Rambler Raw from our floor stock.




















If you're still wondering about the 11 month wash in the Atlantic Ocean, be sure to check back; the next topic will be denim maintenance.

DENHAM arrived instores!

Dutch Premium denim label DENHAM, has just arrived instores this week and it looks the goods! A mixture of tailored fits in mens and womens in selvage and non selvage japanese denim. Here is a bit of background information on the label and a few tasty pics of the beautiful store and design lab in Amsterdam, but the best part is, you won't have to travel over there to get a pair for yourself!

Officially known as DENHAM the Jeanmaker, the brand was launched by Jason Denham in Spring 2009. Design progression and obsessive attention to detail make up the brand’s signature.
Initial inspiration comes from the authentic design specimens within the label’s unique DENHAM GARMENT LIBRARY archive. Rooting the design process in genuine research ensures each new design manifests the most potent intrinsic characteristics of jeanscraft and the utility tailoring tradition. The design process itself is motivated by a commitment to rigorously modernizing iconic garment styles as well as a focus on individual details. The aim is to develop relevant contemporary designs with a distinct personality that stand on their own while also representing a modest step forward for jeanscraft and the discipline of utility tailoring itself. http://www.denhamthejeanmaker.com/