super future theory vs Ryu's washing techniques

[ranzchic]

Cycling doesnt even have to be "work". Just use your bike for the small things. Mail, dropping stuff at the dry cleaners, cigarettes from the liquir store, etc. I happen to use mine exclusively and my vintage mustang havent been seeing any action lately. Well, that and the engine blew up and I can't afford to replace it right now.

[nemoulette]

you can also roll up your jeans mid-calf on your right leg

Yes, you must do this.

[nairb49]

Yes, you must do this.

I do it too!! Tried and true!

Lets meet.

[darryl]

I have been wearing my Dr.Denim Harris Blue Black Raw jeans for 104 days now, without washing them, and there's been some significant colour change already. Not as much as what I'd expect with the first wash, which is in 77 days, but they are a lot more shiny and there's the obvious light blue patches where the denim has worn the most. So all in all, it's 6 months of every day, without a wash. http://drdenimjeans.blogspot.com/

I'm very interested to know what you guys think will happen with thee first wash, besides the shrinking. I'm wanting to wash them the first time in 40 degree Celsius water, in a washing machine, without a pre-wash, then hang them up to dry indoors. Outside will be too cold here in Sweden in March.

[enojy]

thread necromancy!!

in response to your post/blog questions...

tumble dry -- not necessarily a "big no-no." it has its applications for our purposes. a dryer capable of high heat setting comes in great handy when washing & shrinking down a pair of shrink-to-fit jeans for their first wear. it also works similarly if the aforementioned STF jeans need to be re-shrunken down to size after being stretched out a good deal.

i tumble dry always but only if needed. if i put a pair of jeans in the wash and i don't desire anymore shrinkage out of them, i'll opt for hang drying. high heat does harm the denim; it's cotton after all. it's just a negligible amount of harm in my opinion. occasionally, it also puts unwanted creases into the jeans depending on how they settle in the dryer -- the post you quoted by DDML is referring to this. it can be annoying!

overall, look at your dryer as a means of shrinking the jeans back to form when they lose their great fit on you, and not as a method of drying them.

[horriblyjollyjinx]

maybe it's been said already, I can't remember, but the reason Ryu and many other Japanese can have good fades with frequent washing is that Japanese denim in general have a better dye and don't wash out like other jeans. Ryu also seems to get a lot of hard wear, so a month of Ryu wear could be 2 or 3 salaryman months.

[salaami]

exactly. the time/wear ratio is all RELATIVE. how much wear you put in between washes is the key. a well dyed warp will only fade/crock where if is abraded/worn. if you cant see any visible fading before the wash, dont expect anything uber-dramatic.(with the exception of when you wash and discover a few places where the indigo flakes came loose, but needed to be rinsed off) fading is a gradual process, and is cumulative. good thing is, every day counts somehow, even if minimal.

[SoloC]

ryu has said that there is no right way or wrong way to wash your jeans. just like there is no right way or wrong way to wear your jeans or to do things in your jeans.

ringring, serge and a couple others have been saying this in one form or another for a long time. my favorite post of ringring's is "they're just jeans."

if you see ryu's new pair of jeans, it's a pair of joe mccoy's that he is treating very differently--he's washing much less frequently, he toned down his activities. the results are very different from his sugarcanes, but also beautiful in a different way.

I agree.

Do these if you are brand new

1. Find your ture waist,

2. Buy the fit you want,

3. Knowing basic upkeep (pre soak, shrinking...etc)

4. Toast out all your previous jeans (selling donating...etc) Save a pair of black and a slim fit ( or something standard if you are buying slim fit raw)

5. Try to stack to your raw as much as it is your second skin....sleeping, biking, skateboarding, construction work.....etc. Basically live you life instead of sitting in front of your computer 24/7 posting pictures every month,

6. After a year, you can come back and start sharing.

Basically it is a scary thing at first but it will be all good after the first successful pair. Live your life with your pair of jeans. If you work in office environment, walk some more with your jean when you get a chance. Help people to move their furniture....etc. Find more ways to make your knee bend. If you have a happy active life, your jeans will tell you that.

[salaami]

highly seconded. the denim doesnt lie.

[nemoulette]

Just wear them a lot and wash them to hell. I usually wait four-five months and then wash them really ungently.

Like my WHs. I washed these every two months or so at like 70-80C, spin cycle, dry tumbling. Fuck babying your jeans.