5 Ways to Ruin Selvedge Denim Jeans! 

The raw denim community is really underrated. Glad we have you to post good content about this.

So satisfying to hear back from a tourist in Turkey. I wash daily and always iron my jeans before wearing them since finding out about wet cotton shrinkage phenomenon. Now, my jeans are toasty and soft. Be sure to check it out yourself!

I washed my iron heart 888’s black denim without turning them inside out. I was so disappointed when I saw those vertical lines you’re talking about. Just yesterday I made them my work jeans (welder metal fabricator) and I’m gonna wear the ass outta them and I hope overtime those lines will blend in. Thanks for the great vid. Selvedge denim is definitely a learning curve that can be overwhelming!

Great video. I wash my jeans in a machine every 8-9 months (w/Woolite Dark). Like a lot of people, I was a bit apprehensive at first. But then I listened to some interviews with owners of major raw denim brands regarding washing your jeans. They all said throw them in the washing machine (inside out of course) every once in a while.

My idea fade is just that, a fade in color. I don't want mine to look too whiskered or honeycombed. They end up looking spray painted when it's like that. So I'm ok if there's not much contrast.

Hi great videos. Please show us how your momos turned up upon repairing. I personally would love to know how that works out. Repair and wearing them down in general. This is one of your best videos frankly.

As someone who is not familiar with raw denim, this was definitely very interesting to watch!

I’m still coming back to this video for a reminder on how to take care of my raw denim. Everyone starting out with raw denim should watch this.

I got sprayed by a skunk 4 days into a pair of Brave Star a couple summers ago. HAD to wash the jeans, and I had to wash them in that dog skunk shampoo lol. Worked out fine.

4:20 As well as turning them inside out I like to do up the buttons, or zip, so that the metal edges don't rub against any part of the material.

Good advice. I got my raw jeans just a couple of months and i have just wear it for about 6 times and i am planning to wash it after 12 months or more unfortunately i forgot to close my faucet in the CR and my room got flooded and my jean is soaked for how many hours so i have no choice but to wash it. So far i have not seen any negative effects. So what you said is true.

Very valuable information. Thank you!

Newbie here. I just dove off the deep end with a pair of PBJ's. Loving em so far!

I have a question for you!!! I bought my first pair of Raw denim from Nudie in my real size and after the first wash, they´ve got one size smaller... Is there any possibility that I can make them bigger by one or two sizes?

Do you ever spray them with anything between washes to freshen them up so they don’t smell? Would it be harmful to do so?

What shirt do you have on in this video? I absolutely love it!

Great video! Is there a washing detergent you can recommend, or any kind would do? And how do these crotch tear fixed? With internal patching using denim fabric?

Great information and great channel. Thanks to your channel now I have two raw denim jeans. What is your opinion o wrangler raw denim jackets ? I am from Ecuador and is the only jacket in the stores.

Good points , BTW i love your hat , where did you get that ?

Cheers on the video I'm new to the raw denim community and I got my first pair in the mail yesterday from Gustins I just worn them yesterday while relaxing to break them in they're stiff af

Without wanting to sound "consumerist": Could you give us a review on these Momotaro ? I thought it was an interesting brand just by the fact that they manufacture denim (or at least the mothership does). To me at least it was a key part on pulling the trigger on my 1st pair of raw denim. IMO, it's still interesting how different philosophies appeal to different people...

im confused and seems like theres no consensus; should i size up 1-2 sizes on raw denim or go with true to size on waist as others say? (both will be soaked /washed)

I’ve just got some Edwin nashvilles and I’m just conscious about the bleeding and getting that dye everywhere, I don’t have a tub to soak the jeans in so was just wondering if a 30 degree wash on slow in the washing machine would do the trick? I know of stopping it before the spin cycle to prevent vertical lines so I’m hoping it would be alright. Cheers

That sunlight trick is one of the most important tricks ive learned during the denimgame

Thanks for the advice! Hey is that a pair of Momotaro jean? The one you are holding at 7:18 . Beacuse I also have one. ANyway, more power to your channel

Interested to here your thoughts on this, but puzzled why you machine wash, ever! I see no need if I am only washing once every 3 - 6 months why not give them a bit on bath tub hand love!

When I got my Momotaros I soaked in cold water and soap after 3 months,then another soak after 3 more months. Then I washed in the washer after 3 more months.i wear my jeans 7 days a week for over 8 hours a day.dont be scared to soak or wash your jeans.

Great informative channel!!

Just got my first raw denim today, loving them. I just wanted to know if it’s ok to wear my jeans for a bit before doing a soak just so that my fade lines n stuff could set before it contacts water?

Hey man thanks for the video. Can you name me the brand/model of your shirt? I really like the colour

Great episode. Totally agree with you on point 5. :)

I've never in my entire life had a pair of jeans blowout or wear through and I grew up poor wearing the same pair of cheapy department store jeans everyday for years. Normal washing and drying etc too. When I got older and could afford Levis same thing no issues. I have some budget friendly raw selvedge now that I hand wash and hang dry but I've been lucky on the wear and tear. Maybe it's because I wear straight cuts and not tight or skinny styles they don't get rubbed and stretched as much.

Okay so I have a pair of naked famous sanforized jeans. They are too long for me even cuffed. At what length should I be having them tailored?

I know people really like the year mark to start washing. How long was that pair you mentioned as going too long without a wash?

Just bought a pair of Freenotes. Been watching your channel since.

I just bought my first raw 501's. I think after I soak in them, and dry them on me, I'm going to hand wash them in a bucket and hang dry them. I'd like to wear them with suspenders/braces. Do you know how I can find a method of installing buttons or studs like in the button fly, like the ones you washed in the machine?

What are people’s take on PBJ compared to other Japanese brands, mainly IH and 45rpm? Unsure if I should pick up a pair, thanks in advance!

What brand is that shirt?

Hi! Newbie here, I bought a pair of Kaihara Uniqlo jeans. Would cold soaking them before wearing reduce the chance of bleeding? Also, how long should I soak them for? I'm not super into the whole fade thing so I don't mind having lighter contrasts.

I got the LVC 1955 true to size. If I soak them in cold water will that prevent the inseam shrinking while still giving them the benefits of soaking? Or is the inseam shrinking 2 inches unavoidable?

Do I turn them inside out for the first initial cold soak?

Really good video man

So I never did the initial soak on my gustins and I've been wearing them everyday for about three months. Did I mess up?

Awesome video! Thanks for the tips, specially the "ramen in the crotch" advice hahaha

Wallets and cigarrette boxes kept in rear pockets make ugly fade imprints too. The fabric will mould and stretch to the shape when we bend etc, and it will fade following the outlines

How important is it to soak your jeans when you first get them?Just got my first raw pair (benzak). Been wearing 3 days and have not soaked.

That wear ring on the back pocket of the first pair of jeans; was that authentic, or did they come like that?

I like to wear toasty jeans, so I always throw them in the dryer on high heat 👌

...do the fly button(s) up before you put them in the machine though, surely! Stops damage to drum and annoying clanking. Love your videos...wish you’d occasionally have a female guest on for us female raw denim heads too though!

What about spraying iron starch on them? Would that ruin the jeans in some way?

You say wash them but levi shrink to fit raw 501's will shrink like 4 inches in length an 2 inches in width....right?

It’s weird how closely these principles also apply to cast iron cookware.

What I like to do with my Ron denim as I buy Kaleido silver and put it in a spray bottle turn my jeans inside out and spray them silver kills the bacteria that grows on the inside of jeans without ruining the thieves are getting them really wet

The random wrinkles/creased are from you either sagging you pants or to much length in the pant. Making it wrinkle

Why thank you so much sir for this honest 5 cold hard facts of messing up with your Raw Denim Jeans 👖 I Appreciate It now I know how to take care of my jeans & not also let them dictate my life lol 😅 because I'm 16 turning 17 this coming May & just brought my first ever Levi's ® 501™ Medium Stonewash 👖 100% Cotton Jeans & 511™ Slim Fit Dark Stonewash Jeans 👖 that are also made out of 100% Cotton so I thank you once again for these facts before I accidentally fucked up my Beautiful Levi's ® Jeans 👖 lol 😅

What is the brand of your shirt ? 😊

the tough thing is if you're actually doing hard dirty labor in your jeans, for me its been near impossible to go a long time without washing or else i would eventually end up smelling like hell. Ive probably compromised the fade potential in my denim but still can appreciate the higher quality of jean.

I have been wearing Levi's shrink-to-fit 501s in 1969. Back then all jeans were dark blue and you had to fade them yourself. People considered jeans to be a riff-raff indicator causing restaurants and other places to refuse service. Now everyone wears jeans and that seems ridiculous. Going in the opposite direction jeans became a fashion item and they got pre-faded at the factory. But factory fades look fake so more recently people have turned fading dark blue jeans into some sort of cultural rite of passage. But what they don't realize is not washing jeans so they produce lines at the knees, lines below the front pockets, and wear marks on the back pockets are just gimmicks, like fake wear holes put in at the factory. Let's use science to take the mystery out of fading. Denim is made from cotton, the dye is indigo. In the olden days indigo was the available low cost dark dye so that is what Levi's used making it the official color of jeans. But the cotton is resistant and indigo isn't absorbed all the way through the fibers so it isn't on the inside. Abrasion of the cotton fiber surface through wear and mainly drying causes the outer layer to rub off revealing the lighter inside. The reason you wash jeans inside out is so they fade slower, not because of fears of pushing the dye through causing unwanted lines. Let's say you have a brand new pair of vintage US made Levi's shrink-to-fit 501s (I have many), the kind made from heavy quality cotton unlike today's STF 501s. The first thing to do is wash and dry them in the dryer twice. If you don't wash them they will be so big you will look like a clown. If you don't wash them twice they will be so stiff it will hurt to wear them. By the 4th or 5th wash the cotton will be baby soft. If you live down South and sweat, wash them after one day of use. If you don't then you can wear them two or three days before washing. That will cause your jeans to pass through many phases of fading, all of which look beautiful and authentic.

Where is your shirt from?

fantastic video.

1. Always soak/wash raw unsanforized denim before 1st wear. 2. Wear as long as possible before washing. If you start to see your crotch starting to rip, wash your jeans. 3. Turn them inside out, wash, then air dry. 4. Machine wash is okay. I usually machine wash after having washed them 3 times by hand 5. Enjoy them

Everybody stinks when they come back from Turkey. Especially Istanbul . Has a lot to do with the piercing summer heat , the rancid burning grease of kabop shops and the general lack of sanitation of the place. That being said , Turkey has a huge denimHead community .

I believe machine washing contributes more to crotch blowout than friction. It’s the scissoring action of the legs in the washer. I’ve never had crotch blowout since I stopped machine washing.

I always have those tearings at the crotch, because here in the Netherlands I use my bike for 95% as my daily transport. Those saddles and my legs moving besides it fuck up my pants.

Repair shop recommends please?

Great video my friend

man if i wear the same jeans for two weeks, they start smelling like parmesan cheese. I dont think spending money on raw denim is apropiate if you sweat like me and you live in the tropic, since the washing thing ruin them. or what do you think?

Man now I’m thinking why so much money for raw jeans …I rethinking stay with cheaper Levi ..less worry

Raw denim my favorite by far !

the look of the raw denim being weirdly faded and fucked up from improper use or lack of repair is real nice though

I just picked up 7 raw denim nudie jeans can't wait to start wearing them this fall

sub earned awesome informational content

Dry cleaning? no bueno?

Nice red posters down there!

I feel like the only person on Earth who doesn't like honeycomb fades, the main reason I buy raw denim is to minimize them. Wear for a few weeks then into the washing machine, the thighs and knees will fade naturally from work and your crotch will have only very minimal wrinkles.

You could steam your raw jeans in steamer. It desinfects which means you won't stink and also save from being rippet

He are you from The Netherlands? I live here too!

My favorite pair of $20 Walmart wranglers just failed me, probably just gonna wear Levi’s until I can get some money for a few pairs of bravestar denim.

can you dryclean denim?

If jeans are to expensive to enjoy/wear them, what's the point in them then?

My edwins ed45 just show this behinning crotch blowout 0.0, the garment is really thinn un that area, light shines through

Kind of afraid now that I washed my pbjs too early after 80 days of wear

So, do wash them, but don't wash them?

This is the first denim video that I have seen, posted by someone with some common sense. Surely people do not need a degree in science to know that dirt and grit rips any fabric apart. Sweat, other body fluids and skin cells, along with spilled food are all alive with bacteria. When they have finished lunch, most of these bacteria enjoy some denim for afters. To make matters worse, after lunch, they do not run off to find another pair of jeans. Instead they die, making matters still worse. Denim should normally maintain a moisture content the same as the air in a ventilated house, so baking them will obviously damage the denim. However too much moisture will result in molds that destroy cotton. Washing too hot, with powerful biological detergents or chlorinated bleach will also shorten the life of denim. In a nutshell, it is simply a balance, dictated by how often, along with where and what you wear the jeans for. Their is no one solution that applies to everyone. PS, for denim heads. Follow my advice, stop leaving dirt and grease everywhere you sit, along with making the settee smell as if it has come from a pig farm and you will discover that not every girl you meet runs for the hills. 😊😊😊

Fading jeans is a journey as well as a destination. Enjoy.

Denim doesn't "dry out and get brittle". That's a strange notion. The reason denim needs to be washed is that the accumulation of fats, skin cells, salt from sweat and other stuff causes denim to decompose both chemically as well as physically.

where's the hat from>

If your jeans always tear at the same place, why don't you reinforce them in that place when they are new. And, you should darn them as soon as you see a white string. They are GOING to tear soon if you see the raw white cotton fraying.

where are you from?)

Yep... I've been breakin' in 501's for decades!!! Haahaahaahaa! Ya learn when to break in a new pair..............when the ones ya got on are gettin' a bit faded! LOL

People...wash your damn jeans. Don’t have access to a tub so I bought a large plastic tub and washed the jeans in there after 70 wears with natural denim soap.

4:11 ah good old washing them the right way round. I can't really afford raw denim (as I'm a bit of a rough cunt), but after moving to a rich neighbourhood on the other side of the world theres an abundance of posh folk buying raw denim, wearing them once, washing them, getting horrible lines then donating them to there local charities. That's when your boy picks them up for 15/20 dollars haha!

I like your watch. Not a rolex, right? It's just look more rough and better.

Good advice as ever! Def agree with your advice on not over thinking it and using common sense! ... On one blog a guy was asking advice on how to get the smell of dog 💩 out of his jeans... you wash them you filthy animal!! 😂

I wash my raw levis in my back yard, I use a water hose with a sprayer and soap. I wish then it was a car Lolol

In my experience, the main cause of crotch blowout is machine washing not friction. The is due to the scissoring action of the legs on the washing machine. When I stopped machine washing, crotch blowout went away. I have 3 to 5 year old jeans with no crotch blowout. I had the same brands experience crotch blowout in 1 to 2 years when I machine washed them.

6. Don't put your jeans in the dryer.

😂😂😂 a lot of men's denim gets crotch holes if they dont wash due to the acidity of the urine that drips out after they piss

Another good way to ruin your jeans is getting a new bigger phone halfway through the fade process 🤦‍♂️

I prefer "getting the shrink out" completely before wearing. I know people who have spent months breaking in raw denim, then washed them, and they shrunk so much they were unwearable. They wasted both time and money on a failed experiment. Wash hot when new.