Maintenance Tips

[Chicken]

Hi guys, here's another article from Lightning vol. 9 Denim Style Book that I thought might be interesting to many of you. Let me preface this, however, that it is just one expert's opinion coming from his experience. Personally, I like what they say in the Samurai website, that jeans are personal so they should be worn in personal ways and maintained in personal ways. Anyways, here it is:

[Chicken]

ASK THE PRO

Tips on Maintenance

Denim Works, located in Shibuya, is a shop that's trusted by serious denim collectors. They do everything from repairs and hemming with chain stitches, customizations such as downsizing the waist size and modifying the silhouette, production of original jeans and made-to-order jeans. It's an incredible shop for denim lovers looking for highly skilled help and practical advice.

The owner of Denim Works, Takashi Fukuda, who has done countless numbers of denim repairs shares his maintenance knowledge here.

1. Is it true that you shouldn't wash your jeans to get beautiful contrasts?

It is true if you are looking just for contrasts. But as you wear your jeans, sweat and grease gets inside the fabric, making it soggier and weaker against abrasion. In other words, your denim becomes prone to rip apart. So if you want your denim to last you should wash your denim often. During winter, wash your denim when it starts feeling a little damp.

2. Is it true that it's better to turn your jeans inside-out when you wash them?

If you read fashion magazines and stuff, they'll say things like, "Dry your jeans inside-out. If not your denim will get sunburned and will lose its color." But when it comes to vintage denim, it's a different story. Quite often, vintage jeans will have threads that have weakened over time. If you turn the jeans inside-out, the thread can get caught in the washing machine, causing it to tear apart. If possible, put your jeans, without turning it inside-out, inside a net before throwing it into a washing machine, then wash softly. Because it's a precious article, one might think of washing it slowly with hand... but that's going a bit too overboard. When you're drying it, don't worry about things like sunburns. For example, if you're wearing your jeans during summer, you're exposing it in the sun the whole time, yet it's never a problem. However, if you have just purchased a new denim, you would want to wash your jeans two to three times inside-out to get rid of starch.

3. Will your fabric tighten up and become more durable if you dry your denim in a dryer?

It's not like it's absolutely bad, but if you use a dryer, your fabric will shrink radically and the denim's surface will become soft. If you prefer your denim to be somewhat rigid, it's much better to dry it naturally in the sun. It will dry crisply and it also feels good to wear something that has been sitting in the sun. Drying naturally is the best.

[Chicken]

4. Is it better to avoid detergent with bleach?

Bleach, not only will turn your whole jeans white, but will also hurt its fabric. You probably don't have to worry about detergents with just tiny amount of bleach in it. But for those who really care, it's probably better to use denim detergents specifically designed to effectively remove grease and stains. I've actually heard of people who use spring water to wash their denims to avoid small amount of chlorine that's inside tap water, but I wouldn't worry about such a small amount of chlorine.

5. I've heard I shouldn't use any detergent, but is it okay to use it when I feel like my jeans are getting too dirty?

While ago during vintage denim craze, it was said that it's cool to not wash your jeans. There was a time when people celebrated the idea of not washing and respected people who claimed "I haven't washed my jeans for one whole year." But that's just a myth and it's better to wash your jeans often. Cellulose inside sweat and grease damages the fabric. If you let your jeans go dirty for a while, it could cause your denim to tear suddenly. If you wash often, your fabric can stay in a good shape and will result in longevity.

6. If my denim rips, can I repair it myself?

If you don't screw up basic procedures, you can repair simple tears in places like the knee and the crotch. I even recommend this to customers who visit my shop. For patching, you can buy the denim from fabric stores or get them from jeans you've stopped wearing. Then all you need to do is just carefully sew using a sewing machine. If you sew along the direction of your denim's weave pattern, it'll be hard to notice the patch. Another way to do it is to use a fabric from your favorite shirt you can't wear anymore and patch your jeans up in a trendy fashion. Things like that could deepen your affection toward your jeans.

7. Take preventative measures before damage worsens. (Extra)

I'll never say things like "Store it in the drawers because it's vintage!" Vintage jeans are cool when they are worn. But of course, jeans that have been worn for years have denim fabric and threads that have become fragile. Especially cotton yarns are very prone to tears. Although you can't change this fact, it's better to take preventative measures like patching your denim early before they start to rip apart. Other than that, you can maintain your denim by washing and drying in ways that won't harm the fabric as explained in this page.

[digital_denim]

Nice job chicken. Always wondered what this guy was approving and disapproving of.

[6MT]

thanx mate, i have that book, but i could never read it, now, it becomes way more clear now.

[red]

great thread. this should be stickied. or at least combined with the golden thread.

[PG2G]

Any idea where I could find a copy of that book? I'd imagine itd be cool just looking at the pictures

[6MT]

its actually not that good

[digital_denim]

well it goes against a lot of the commandments on superdenim

[red]

were losing our religion.

[digital_denim]

what's next? Ryu's sugarcanes were sandpapered??!!

Jomon's and PBJ AI aren't natural indigo??!

[tweeds]

hahha i like the NO GOOD and OK! icons. the guy's cute in a sagely way.

er, cool info though. i'll add it (just for fun) to the encyclopaedia

[Chicken]

Any idea where I could find a copy of that book? I'd imagine itd be cool just looking at the pictures

I've seen this book floating around eBay and Amazon Japan and stuff. I think I got mine at Kinokuniya on 49th, NYC. Let me know if you have trouble finding it.

Thanks guys, hope you find it interesting, if not agreeable. My take is that this guy is more of a denim preserver/repairer, so his concern weighs heavier on how long a denim lasts, rather than how hot it looks. But I think he does bring up interesting points.

[digital_denim]

I got mine in Kinokuniya in Japantown SF.

And Japantown SF is a big disappointment if you're looking for any items mentioned on this board.

[jwied82]

yes, but doesnt he agree that if you are interested just in contrast, you shouldnt wash (its the first thing he says)?. And arent nearly all of the denimheads on here interested in getting alot of contrast in their fades? So, really he hasnt went against the beliefs of most sfers when it comes to wearing in dry denim. Hes just saying all that sweat and dirt makes the denim less durable.

[red]

but look at the legendary eternals. washes about once a month, and achieves greater fades than most of us.

[Chicken]

yes sir. and i think he's mainly talking about quality jeans, like true vintage levi's, lees and wranglers. and some of the higher end repros.

if you wash some of the lower end jeans all the time, they'll turn pale real fast.

[Chicken]

I got mine in Kinokuniya in Japantown SF.

And Japantown SF is a big disappointment if you're looking for any items mentioned on this board.

yes, and j-town in san fran is shrinking all the time, like a wet denim in a hot dryer. so sad.

[digital_denim]

It may get a lot less japanese real soon, they're about to sell the mall to some developer.

[mizanation]

thanks chicken. i'll check out the kinokuniya in midtown for those books. didn't know they had any denim stuff.

[greentea]

pretty good info. y

[Chicken]

there a little fashion section in the bookstore. it's kind of in the middle of the store, past the magazine section, in the right aisle.

[6MT]

what's next? Ryu's sugarcanes were sandpapered??!!

Jomon's and PBJ AI aren't natural indigo??!

dont want to dissapoint you, but a friend of mine who reps several denim mill in japan told me alot of mill in JP would claim that their denim is 100% natural indigo, but they aren't....

[6MT]

i think one way to tell if the denim is natural indigo, is that the denim it self has alot of highs and lows and far as the shade goes, and when it start fading, it fades into lighter blue, instead of turning white.

[Ryu]

oh men...... it's word.....

[__3xL]

what ?

[denimdestroyedmylife]

thanks, chicken------------you are succulent kernel in the future cob.

[Chicken]

ddml always has a creative way to make people feel good.

i was thinking ryu was able to wash his canes every month and get a beautiful result mainly because of three factors:

1. durability of the denim

2. thoroughness of the dye process

3. how hard he wore his denim

if 1 was poor, then his denim would have fallen apart in a year, especially because his 3 was hard because of biking and stuff. if 2 was poor, then his denim would have completely been washed out. if his 3 was weak, then his denim would have faded evenly throughout, so he wouldn't have achieved good contrast. if this was the case, he probably shouldn't have washed his denim as often as he did.

things to consider?

[cheapmuthafukr]

of course. i think you need all those things. i think hard wear is gonna be the most important. sometimes i see jeans on here that are at 6 months and have no wear. it makes me wonder what these people are doing that keeps their denims in such good shape. then i see serges imperials and wonder the opposite.

[Cue]

I guess it depends whether we are looking at 'Maintenance' - ie making sure jeans last as long as possible - or getting them looking nice.

The two aren't necessarily mutually exclusive, but as the look that most SFers are after involves a bit of wear and tear, then our jeans probably won't last as long as someone who follows the Maintenance method...