It’s the middle of July with temperatures starting to reach 30 degrees or more. It’s hard to think about that pair of raw denim sitting in your closet, let alone slipping into them. But perhaps it’s time to reflect, remember why you bought them, slip them on to ward off the chill of the cool summer night and maybe even give them their first wash.
Reflect.
Raw denim is just that – “denim fabric that is not washed after being dyed during production. Over time, denim will generally fade, which is often considered desirable. During the process of wear, it is typical to see fading on areas that generally receive the most stress, which includes the upper thighs (whiskers), the ankles (stacks) and behind the knees (honey combs)” – so says Wikipedia. But really it’s more than that.
Raw denim is about the story. Every line, rub out and fade is your own. That spot on the knee, well that’s from the time you fell after a night out with friends. Or those fades on the back pockets, that’s because you wipe your hands on your pockets after every hand wash. It’s your jeans. It’s your fade.
Remember.
Perhaps, its time to look back and remember what that stiff, rigid dark pair of jeans looked and felt like when you first bought them. They were undoubtedly tight and certainly uncomfortable. But with time, wear and love, those jeans have begun to take shape, mold your body and reflect the personality of the person who wears them. Denim, like a leather, are the only textiles that getter better with age.
Wash.
Now that summer is upon us, perhaps it’s time to give those jeans their first wash and truly accent the character that has developed over the last few months. You could, of course, put them in the washing machine on gentle or wash them in the tub by hand, but really it’s about the story and character so why not take it further.
If your jeans are a product of who you are and where you’re from, what better way to show that than to head down to the closet river, lake or stream with your biodegradable earth-friendly soap in hand, and connect with nature.
Raw denim is the way our grandparents would have bought jeans, so let’s take a page out of their book and wash them like grandpa too!
Be brave. Be kind.
L+H
*as always, our photographs were done by the ridiculously talented Chelsea Klette Photography.
