what GQ has to say about raw denim.

[beefcake]

i mashinewash when they smell or if they'd be so dirty a soak couldn't take care of it or i couldn't brush it off, etc.

i think it comes down to definition of "dirty". i wore my eternals all day every day in one of the hottest summers sweden has seen, played soccer in them, worked at festivals in them, etc, and it took close to 4 months before i needed to wash them. not because they were dirty, cause they werent, but when i smelled the rear (inside!) i could hint a smell of... yeah. you know.

so, atleast in my lifesetyle, its not really necessary for me to wash more frequently than say every 3-4 months. washing more than that is something i'd consider anal, moreso than considering not washing for 3-4 months anal.

[rnrswitch]

I agree with the man on the 'trend victim' thing. If you aren't just putting on your jeans, wearing them and then washing them when they're dirty, then you are following the particular trend that this forum mainly focuses on. There's nothing necessarily wrong with that, and it's not like fashion in general isn't all about trends, but I think you'd have to be deep in denial to reject that part of what he said. Do you think cowboys or any of the guys who used to wear their jeans for work in the old days gave a shit about how their jeans faded and didn't wash them (or get their wife to wash them) when they got too dirty?

The fact is that many cowboys did care how their jeans faded. The obsessive use of starch and ironing to get the crease down the front is proof of that. I knew cowboys in my small little hick town who would purposely dragg themselves behind horses to "break" in their jeans.

Once, again. I have said this many times. Many youths in the 50s and 60s intentionally wore their brand new levis for a long time without washing to keep that dark blue look. This is nothing new for people in certain circles, mainly the rock and roll/rockabilly scenes. I remember I was at my buddies house and his dad is a big motorhead, just loves cars and motorcycles, and he commented on my lvc 47s saying that they looked nice and dark. I let him in on the jeans and that they were replicas. He immediately told me not to wash them for a year so that they wouldn't fade. Hey, what can I say dark denim rocks.

Once again... this is nothing new. GQ only sees the hypebeast portion of this trend and not the history and reason for the trend. If your jeans are as dirty as this dude makes them out to be then you definitely need to get them washed, but I think the idea that your clothes need to be washed after every wear is a rather new idea. About the last 20 years. As Airfrog said washing in the past was typically very infrequent, especially for people who didn't care about their jeans.

[Michael Hunt]

i mashinewash when they smell or if they'd be so dirty a soak couldn't take care of it or i couldn't brush it off, etc.

i think it comes down to definition of "dirty". i wore my eternals all day every day in one of the hottest summers sweden has seen, played soccer in them, worked at festivals in them, etc, and it took close to 4 months before i needed to wash them. not because they were dirty, cause they werent, but when i smelled the rear (inside!) i could hint a smell of... yeah. you know.

so, atleast in my lifesetyle, its not really necessary for me to wash more frequently than say every 3-4 months. washing more than that is something i'd consider anal, moreso than considering not washing for 3-4 months anal.

bet you only take a shower once a month as well yeah?

you sit on a train seat etc etc, it is infested with germs, you wash your jeans to get rid of the germs and bacterias...thats why you have to wash them at least once a week. if you are a normal and well groomed human being....fact.....like i said before, being a dirty , germ carrying smelly git is one step to far on the fashion line for me im afraid.

[minya]

bet you only take a shower once a month as well yeah?

you sit on a train seat etc etc, it is infested with germs, you wash your jeans to get rid of the germs and bacterias...thats why you have to wash them at least once a week. if you are a normal and well groomed human being....fact.....like i said before, being a dirty , germ carrying smelly git is one step to far on the fashion line for me im afraid.

You're one more shitty post away from a ban, dude.

[Michael Hunt]

Non comprendi? man says its wrong NOT to wash your jeans before you have worn them for 3 or 4 months, so i asked about personal hygene..wheres the shittyness in that? i think more people have agreed with all my posts since i joined than have not..Ive got opinions and im not scared to share them..Ban me for that if you must.

[cultpop 0217]

bet you only take a shower once a month as well yeah?

you sit on a train seat etc etc, it is infested with germs, you wash your jeans to get rid of the germs and bacterias...thats why you have to wash them at least once a week. if you are a normal and well groomed human being....fact.....like i said before, being a dirty , germ carrying smelly git is one step to far on the fashion line for me im afraid.

you clearly didnt read this.

The fact is that many cowboys did care how their jeans faded. The obsessive use of starch and ironing to get the crease down the front is proof of that. I knew cowboys in my small little hick town who would purposely dragg themselves behind horses to "break" in their jeans.

Once, again. I have said this many times. Many youths in the 50s and 60s intentionally wore their brand new levis for a long time without washing to keep that dark blue look. This is nothing new for people in certain circles, mainly the rock and roll/rockabilly scenes. I remember I was at my buddies house and his dad is a big motorhead, just loves cars and motorcycles, and he commented on my lvc 47s saying that they looked nice and dark. I let him in on the jeans and that they were replicas. He immediately told me not to wash them for a year so that they wouldn't fade. Hey, what can I say dark denim rocks.

Once again... this is nothing new. GQ only sees the hypebeast portion of this trend and not the history and reason for the trend. If your jeans are as dirty as this dude makes them out to be then you definitely need to get them washed, but I think the idea that your clothes need to be washed after every wear is a rather new idea. About the last 20 years. As Airfrog said washing in the past was typically very infrequent, especially for people who didn't care about their jeans.

the idea is not to be a dirty git. its about getting good contrast. more wear per wash cycle= better contrast.

[Michael Hunt]

Yes and i totally understand and would love my selvedge denim to go that way and look really great, but the true facts are that the world is a dirty filthy place, and i dont mean our dirt, im more talking about other peoples that you inadvertently sit on etc..so thats why washing is a must. to rid of germs. i really am not trying to alienate myself with you guys, and like i said i love denim...but people wipe bogeys and allsorts of worse things on pub seats etc and then we sit on them

[beefcake]

bet you only take a shower once a month as well yeah?

you sit on a train seat etc etc, it is infested with germs, you wash your jeans to get rid of the germs and bacterias...thats why you have to wash them at least once a week. if you are a normal and well groomed human being....fact.....like i said before, being a dirty , germ carrying smelly git is one step to far on the fashion line for me im afraid.

hi michael,

i'm quite obsessive about showering every morning, so that bet of yours is lost.

i strongly disagree when you say that in order to be a normal and well groomed human being, you have to wash your jeans every week. if you'd look around some in these forums, you'd see many well groomed and very normal looking, functional beings not washing their jeans every week.

the germs and bacterias you speak of, have not affected me in any way. thus, i cannot confirm nor deny the truth in that. if you have experiences of people who have not washed their jeans and got sick or gotten rashes or what not, please do share your story. any way, it obviously doesn't matter to me, since i haven't been sick in about a year, and i feel better than ever.

i hope and think that you dont mean that i am a germ carrying smelly git, so i wont comment that from that angle.

[Michael Hunt]

fair point, and i take it as that..so the theory should be that you might as well not wash ANY of your clothes by those standards, no illnesses or rashes, why waste money on washing powders.....Whats the point..So do you lot not wash any of your other items either?

[familyman]

but people wipe bogeys and all sorts of worse things on pub seats etc and then we sit on them

But I'm one of the guys wiping bogeys and all sorts of stuff on things. I'm pretty sure that most public seats that I sit on are way cleaner than me. I may be a disgusting person, but I'm making the world dirty, not the other way round.

The point is, once you or I or some cowboy reaches a point where they are as dirty as their surroundings, as long as they don't have significant bacterial growth, they've reached an equilibrium with nature. Their clothes are as dirty as they are going to get. I've known hippies who went years without washing clothes, just aired them out to keep growth to a minimum. Different strokes for different folks.

[minya]

fair point, and i take it as that..so the theory should be that you might as well not wash ANY of your clothes by those standards, no illnesses or rashes, why waste money on washing powders.....Whats the point..So do you lot not wash any of your other items either?

You need to lurk more. Read some of the threads in the superdenim encyclopedia up top. Not washing your jeans means they fade in a distinctive way. Nobody who washes their jeans infrequently washes the rest of their clothes as infrequently. (I hope)

[familyman]

Nobody who washes their jeans infrequently washes the rest of their clothes as infrequently. (I hope)

We also (I hope) wear clean underwear inside out jeans. Most of us anyway. Similar to wearing a t-shirt under a jacket. Would you wash a jacket after one weeks wear? I have jackets that I wear over a tee that I don't think I've evern washed. I know I have sweaters that I've worn for years without washing. Sure our jeans may be subjected to a bit more because we sit on them, but they're not an undergarment. They're an outergarment. Big difference.

[Michael Hunt]

You need to lurk more. Read some of the threads in the superdenim encyclopedia up top. Not washing your jeans means they fade in a distinctive way. Nobody who washes their jeans infrequently washes the rest of their clothes as infrequently. (I hope)

i dont understand you at all...i know so so much about all denim and the fading process,and i know why dudes do it, i just do not agree with it, and would never partake in non washing, as in the same sort of way i wouldnt get my tounge peirced to look good either...maybe a bad example, bit couldnt think of a better one.

[6MT]

i dont understand you at all...i know so so much about all denim and the fading process,and i know why dudes do it, i just do not agree with it, and would never partake in non washing, as in the same sort of way i wouldnt get my tounge peirced to look good either...maybe a bad example, bit couldnt think of a better one.

really it's ok....

[minya]

i dont understand you at all...i know so so much about all denim and the fading process,and i know why dudes do it, i just do not agree with it, and would never partake in non washing, as in the same sort of way i wouldnt get my tounge peirced to look good either...maybe a bad example, bit couldnt think of a better one.

You know "so so much" about denim and the "fading process"? Yet you can't understand why people don't wash their jeans? Those two statements seem contradictory. I mean, it's all well and good if you want to wash your jeans twice a week -- but if you don't understand that not washing your jeans means they'll fade in a much sharper way, then ....

[Michael Hunt]

You know "so so much" about denim and the "fading process"? Yet you can't understand why people don't wash their jeans? Those two statements seem contradictory. I mean, it's all well and good if you want to wash your jeans twice a week -- but if you don't understand that not washing your jeans means they'll fade in a much sharper way, then ....

i understand exactly what it does...i just dont understand that people can leave them unwashed for so long and not feel dirty once they have put them on after a shower

picture the scene, all your other clothes are laundered and pressed to perfection, you have just had a lovely long soak in the tub and then moisturised and put on some lovely smellys and then whack these dirty year old worn every day jeans on with it all..yuck, not good imo.

[beefcake]

fair point, and i take it as that..so the theory should be that you might as well not wash ANY of your clothes by those standards, no illnesses or rashes, why waste money on washing powders.....Whats the point..So do you lot not wash any of your other items either?

you're almost getting my point. i did say that if they (the jeans) smell, i wash them. even if i dont have a rash

and hey, why dont you just find out for yourself if not washing your jeans makes you a smelly germ carrying git. it takes very little effort. perhaps washing once a month would be a good start?

and for the record i wash all my other clothing as frequently as the next guy, if not more.

[minya]

It doesn't bother me at all. As long as you hang your jeans and let them air out, they don't stink.

But hey, jeans are jeans, and I think the only hard and fast rule is that you can do whatever you want with them.

[magus1234]

You know "so so much" about denim and the "fading process"? Yet you can't understand why people don't wash their jeans? Those two statements seem contradictory. I mean, it's all well and good if you want to wash your jeans twice a week -- but if you don't understand that not washing your jeans means they'll fade in a much sharper way, then ....

its really not that big of a difference, and if it means sacrificing a little better fading for clean jeans, call me a freak but Ill cclean them.

I just dont like the Idea of wearing them for half a year, and for what? If they like the raw look it would make more sense to not w3ear it. If you like the fadded look, then you have to sit through months of wearing to get it we\here you want. Then what? toss em, keep wearing them? The whole process never worked for me.

[minya]

That's fine. If you want to wash your jeans frequently, go ahead. It's a personal choice, not a rule.

[Michael Hunt]

That's fine. If you want to wash your jeans frequently, go ahead. It's a personal choice, not a rule.

im glad we are getting along better now, cos i have tried to say this all along, it is all down to preferance...and i would love my canes or samurais to look like some of you guys jeans will after their first wash in long..but i cant do it, and if there was any OTHER way of acheiving this, i can assure you i would be on it.

[minya]

Okay, sorry for misunderstanding you then.

Have you tried it yourself? It's not as bad as you think. I guess if you're particularly OCD about germs, then you might have a problem, but I'm not in any way unhygienic and wearing unwashed jeans doesn't bother me.

Of course, washing jeans frequently will result in a beautiful fade, too, just a different one.

[beefcake]

picture the scene, all your other clothes are laundered and pressed to perfection, you have just had a lovely long soak in the tub and then moisturised and put on some lovely smellys and then whack these dirty year old worn every day jeans on with it all..yuck, not good imo.

i completely agree, and i think we all do, this is the time to wash them. i would personally never wear yucky jeans that smell. a quick wash with a little washing powder would fix that and leave you good to go for months to come. my point is still that jeans (as i said, in my lifestyle) dont need a wash more frequently than say 3 months, simply because they dont smell and dont get that dirty.

[Guest jeffvyain]

i know so so much about all denim and the fading process,and i know why dudes do it, i just do not agree with it, and would never partake in non washing

that's kind of the whole point of this board. what are you doing here then? if you don't agree with it, fuck off. we don't care. the juice is worth the squeeze for us. it's not for you. get over it.

[minya]

that's kind of the whole point of this board. what are you doing here then? if you don't agree with it, fuck off. we don't care. the juice is worth the squeeze for us. it's not for you. get over it.

Don't be an asshole, and try reading the rest of the posts before replying.

[Michael Hunt]

that's kind of the whole point of this board. what the fuck are you doing here then? if you don't agree with it, fuck off. we don't care. the juice is worth the squeeze for us. it's not for you. get over it.

dont ever discuss you thoughts on forum..thats not what they are for is it? if you dont agree with me than fuck off from here right now...yeah alright mate, what a f**king donut really are..carry on you divvy.

p.s to minya, yeah i did try it once with my first ever pair of sugar canes but couldnt carry on, it was driving me mad after about a month just the thought of how dirty they must be, albeit unseen dirt and mostly in my mind i would imagine.....so just washed them on cold wash and never did it with any of my other buys,

[rnrswitch]

For me, I vascillate as to why I don't wash. When I was in high school (about 10 years ago) I would wear typical stfs dry for a very long time... about 4 months then I would wash them. I would continue to wear them for another month, but just didn't like the feel and look of them... so I would buy a new pair. Once I found both SFs (style forum and superfuture) I tried to do the wear for 6 months for a nice fade and I did that with my RRDS and after a wash the jeans looked visually stunning. Great whiskers (moustaches), honeycombs (fish nets), chevrons, holy cows, etc. I wore them like this for about 2 weeks and just didn't like the look at all on me. I have never been a fan of faded denim. I like my stuff dark (like I like my ladies... that's another topic though). So I guess I am back where I started. I don't foresee myself doing much washing (at least with water might try dry cleaning) of my jeans in the future.

I can still appreciate a nice fade on denim though, but I particularly like when the jeans are unwashed and in the fading process, where the whiskers/honeycombs are just peaking through the jeans.

[Guest jeffvyain]

i just don't see much of a point in arguing about the cleanliness of not washing your jeans to a board full of people of which about 98% care about the fade of their jeans, with the remaining 2% caring about how tight they are. Great (and by great i mean contrasting) fades come with repeated wear without washing. If you only care about quality and not about fade, go ahead and buy your sugarcanes, and wash them every time you wear them. Hell, maybe they'll look cool. But there's no need to call everyone who doesn't do that dirty. Maybe some people like it...I personally don't.

Bottom line: My choice of language may not always be the best. I tend to have a mouth on me. If you're here because you appreciate quality denim, keep on keepin on...but you won't earn any points by calling people who don't wash their jeans frequently dirty.

[magus1234]

i just don't see much of a point in arguing about the cleanliness of not washing your jeans to a board full of people of which about 98% care about the fade of their jeans, with the remaining 2% caring about how tight they are. Great (and by great i mean contrasting) fades come with repeated wear without washing. If you only care about quality and not about fade, go ahead and buy your sugarcanes, and wash them every time you wear them. Hell, maybe they'll look cool. But there's no need to call everyone who doesn't do that dirty. Maybe some people like it...I personally don't.

Bottom line: My choice of language may not always be the best. I tend to have a mouth on me. If you're here because you appreciate quality denim, keep on keepin on...but you won't earn any points by calling people who don't wash their jeans frequently dirty.

I would just buy a good pair of fadded jeans and save myself the embarassment of being in the same pair for so long.

[Fuuma]

People who think it's sick not to wash jeans every week should think about how often suits get dry cleaned (like once a season, sometimes less) when they walk in the business district, they'll totaly freak out being around all those infected masters of the universe