Word of Mouth - The Crust & Fades Contest

[julian-wolf]

Moving some evo photo sets here from the submissions thread to meet the official guidelines

 

Fit pics, new -> 12 months -> 18 months

 

 

Flat lays, 5 -> 8 -> 11 -> 13 -> 18 months

 

 

Bonus patch evo

 

 

Repair highlights (very non-exhaustive)

[reallypeacedoff]

I guess I didn't give my random thoughts so here goes:

• I washed probably 60 times, most of this was every week the last 8 months
• Wore everyday bar when in for repairs. Some days it was literally just the ride so 1 hour but I would guess an average of 10 hours a day overall
• I did about 12 miles 4 times a week riding + 4 miles of walking 3 times a week + 2 mile lunchtime walks everyday
  • 3700+ miles on bike
  • 2000+ miles of walking
• Crazy that amount of exercise and I still barely got any combs. My jeans were never a wide as I was hoping so its perplexing to me. Didn't wash very much the first 6 months.
• Front looks great but was never stoked on the rear (this and the above point seems to be the consensus of a few others?)
• Denim was great for summer, I think the sweet spot for me is that 14-15oz at this point
• Found out our apartment washing machine "warm" cycle was actually just ridiculously hot so explains why the first wash killed the foiled patch
• For a year and a half, minimal repairs considering the amount of use they got
  • In saying that, thighs were thin (very) and I was getting holes everyday the last 3 weeks
  • Crotch had a blow out so retiring them to some degree

[space_cowboy]

Wow, 60+ washes! I think @CSL's pair is the only one with prominent combs and probably because of his no wash strategy. Your pair still looks awesome mate. 

[CSL]

Inspired by julian-wolf's photo retrospective.
Chronological order.
Wish the resolution was better. Doesn't seem to be controllable.

[Jared_Lee]

@Abochka, I was planning to respond here as usually we're meant to keep the submission thread clear of commentary. Lo and behold, they've cleared the commentary. Lol.
I think your question was about washing. I don't know. I don't do anything with intention around fading. I just wear them and wash them as it feels right. I don't have a custom cycle program, wash nor dry. I don't care about detergent. I just use some standard eco friendly stuff. Ultimately, a truly fucked wash could maybe harm the look of your jeans, but really it's about how you're wearing them more than how you're washing them. If life revolves around desks, cars and couches, fades are likely going to be slow, soft and less dramatic I'd guess.
As far as number of washes, I don't know that either. I do laundry every two weeks. On that schedule, I washed my jeans every two to four weeks depending on how sweaty I'd been getting in them. 78 weeks divided by 3.5 is ~22 washes. I hope that helps!
Oh, you also said you have a pair on the way, right? If they're not in the same Collect Mills cloth, don't expect the same fades as you see from the contest. Especially not if it's Kaihara or Kurabo.

[Cold Summer]

I've always thought some stuff like riding motorcycles was super overrated for fading jeans. I had periods (like when I live in Nagano) where I rode a bicycle everywhere, or did a ton of walking around. Honestly, none of that stuff really made much of a difference (walking, in particular, does zilch for honeycombs unless you climb a ton of stairs or do a lot of strolling up steep hills.) Fit and fabric seemed to have more of a role than what, exactly, I did in my jeans.

Here's what actually got me Sick Fades: having kids. I'm up to a preschooler, a toddler, and a ~6 month old baby, and over these last six years I've been getting the best and quickest fades since I got into denim in 2009.

[Jared_Lee]

4 minutes ago, Cold Summer said:

I've always thought some stuff like riding motorcycles was super overrated for fading jeans.

Well, you're wrong. A few different things happening if you're putting down big miles. One, you're sun fading through hours and hours of outdoor exposure. I don't mean that you see a difference after a day's ride, but the cumulative effect of many days of 4-8 hours in the sun is real. Two, if you're doing big highway miles, you're wind whipping the hell out of them at 80+ mph (if you're riding those speeds). Three, regardless of what roads, you're riding through the dust and dirt kicking up around you and often from the vehicles ahead of you and that's accumulating in the fabric such that then when washed out it lifts out more indigo than if you weren't ripping them through all that road dust.

Not saying there aren't many, many ways to fade jeans, but motorcycling is not, in my personal experience, overrated. I first noticed how dramatic it could be after running my WWII TCB's on a quad through the sand dunes outside of La Paz.

[reallypeacedoff]

1 hour ago, Jared_Lee said:

Well, you're wrong. A few different things happening if you're putting down big miles. One, you're sun fading through hours and hours of outdoor exposure. I don't mean that you see a difference after a day's ride, but the cumulative effect of many days of 4-8 hours in the sun is real. Two, if you're doing big highway miles, you're wind whipping the hell out of them at 80+ mph (if you're riding those speeds). Three, regardless of what roads, you're riding through the dust and dirt kicking up around you and often from the vehicles ahead of you and that's accumulating in the fabric such that then when washed out it lifts out more indigo than if you weren't ripping them through all that road dust.

Not saying there aren't many, many ways to fade jeans, but motorcycling is not, in my personal experience, overrated. I first noticed how dramatic it could be after running my WWII TCB's on a quad through the sand dunes outside of La Paz.

And sitting in the seat crunching in those honeycombs, changing gears, and if you ride well, using the rear brake. All adds up very quickly.

[CSL]

And please don't discount the fade potential of endless hours of sitting in a minivan, especially for the outer side of the left knee, resting against the door...😜

[UkeNo]

On 7/22/2026 at 12:55 PM, UkeNo said:

My final submission set:  

No191 WOM611 size 35

Natural Light outdoors, no editing. 
 

 

 

A few more everyday shots of these jeans that saw me through the last couple of months leading up to our daughter being born (first baby), and the following months up to now when shes 14 months already. 

Before: (unwashed) 

After first soak:

last holiday as a couple in Cyprus  

 

Lift off - she’s around 30mins old here -

two days later we got home, featuring Baby’s first car journey and trip to the park 

faded update roughly a year in (same spot)

 

Thanks to everyone for taking part so enthusiastically. It’s been a pleasure seeing a glimpse of your lives in different parts of the world. The spirit and camaraderie has been great. 
The jeans themselves are something special as you know. I think maybe the best patterning I’ve ever worn. 

Good luck to the judges - I think this will be hard to decide on. Some really great pairs submitted. 
Take care everyone. 

Edited September 13 by UkeNo

[Cold Summer]

10 hours ago, Jared_Lee said:

Well, you're wrong. A few different things happening if you're putting down big miles. One, you're sun fading through hours and hours of outdoor exposure. I don't mean that you see a difference after a day's ride, but the cumulative effect of many days of 4-8 hours in the sun is real. Two, if you're doing big highway miles, you're wind whipping the hell out of them at 80+ mph (if you're riding those speeds). Three, regardless of what roads, you're riding through the dust and dirt kicking up around you and often from the vehicles ahead of you and that's accumulating in the fabric such that then when washed out it lifts out more indigo than if you weren't ripping them through all that road dust.

Not saying there aren't many, many ways to fade jeans, but motorcycling is not, in my personal experience, overrated. I first noticed how dramatic it could be after running my WWII TCB's on a quad through the sand dunes outside of La Paz.

Oh, that makes perfect sense. I should have clarified - I'm talking more about contrast on whiskers/honeycombs than fading in general. The weather, grit, and sun exposure certainly plays a big part, and this is why (for example) leather jackets that get a lot of motorcycle riding time tend to look really nice. 

For sitting-in-a-seat-doing-stuff, does riding a motorcycle really make stronger whisker fades than riding a bicycle, climbing a lot of stairs, or even (God forbid) shuffling around in a chair or at a desk? I'm not so sure. I haven't spent a lot of time on motorcycles but I've done all the other stuff and I feel like any activity where you're consistently applying and releasing pressure on the lap/knees does about the same effect here, and it really comes down more to how often you wash, how crunchy the fabric is, and how often you wash. Though I've long theorized that working for a moving company might be the ultimate job for Sick Contrast Fades.

[Sorjeans]

20 hours ago, Jared_Lee said:

@Abochka, I was planning to respond here as usually we're meant to keep the submission thread clear of commentary. Lo and behold, they've cleared the commentary. Lol.
I think your question was about washing. I don't know. I don't do anything with intention around fading. I just wear them and wash them as it feels right. I don't have a custom cycle program, wash nor dry. I don't care about detergent. I just use some standard eco friendly stuff. Ultimately, a truly fucked wash could maybe harm the look of your jeans, but really it's about how you're wearing them more than how you're washing them. If life revolves around desks, cars and couches, fades are likely going to be slow, soft and less dramatic I'd guess.
As far as number of washes, I don't know that either. I do laundry every two weeks. On that schedule, I washed my jeans every two to four weeks depending on how sweaty I'd been getting in them. 78 weeks divided by 3.5 is ~22 washes. I hope that helps!
Oh, you also said you have a pair on the way, right? If they're not in the same Collect Mills cloth, don't expect the same fades as you see from the contest. Especially not if it's Kaihara or Kurabo.

Not in the same Collect Mills cloth, right, but from Shinya and totally different fabric. Little heavier, low tension, and slightly slubby 😉😉

Edited July 22 by Sorjeans

[Jared_Lee]

@Sorjeans, if it's Shinya, it will not likely disappoint. Awesome to hear. Looking forward to seeing some of those getting worn in around here!

[Abochka]

On 7/21/2026 at 9:08 PM, Jared_Lee said:

@Abochka, I was planning to respond here as usually we're meant to keep the submission thread clear of commentary. Lo and behold, they've cleared the commentary. Lol.
I think your question was about washing. I don't know. I don't do anything with intention around fading. I just wear them and wash them as it feels right. I don't have a custom cycle program, wash nor dry. I don't care about detergent. I just use some standard eco friendly stuff. Ultimately, a truly fucked wash could maybe harm the look of your jeans, but really it's about how you're wearing them more than how you're washing them. If life revolves around desks, cars and couches, fades are likely going to be slow, soft and less dramatic I'd guess.
As far as number of washes, I don't know that either. I do laundry every two weeks. On that schedule, I washed my jeans every two to four weeks depending on how sweaty I'd been getting in them. 78 weeks divided by 3.5 is ~22 washes. I hope that helps!
Oh, you also said you have a pair on the way, right? If they're not in the same Collect Mills cloth, don't expect the same fades as you see from the contest. Especially not if it's Kaihara or Kurabo.

@Jared_LeeThank you for your well thought out and detailed response!

[Alec Leamas]

Some real hidden gems coming out in the First & Last photos thread! 🤩

[beautiful_FrEaK]

The contest picture thread is now closed. Happy voting!

[Alec Leamas]

24 minutes ago, beautiful_FrEaK said:

The contest picture thread is now closed. Happy voting!

What are the steps now? When you say voting do you mean members get a vote too or is it just to the panel?

[Jared_Lee]

On 7/12/2026 at 3:34 PM, MJF9 said:

The Word of Mouth Jeans Pizza and Crust Contest #WoMCon – Close out post

We started, fittingly, on World Pizza Day, 17^th January 2025… 18 months have flown by… and our last day is 17^th July 2026

This post lays out the close-out plan… if anything is missing or unclear, please flag it and I’ll resolve it

Reminders - the original contest posts

I set out the judges and the scoring criteria back last year here

And the contestant list and choice of jeans here 

Prizes were set out here i.e. 

• 1st - Free WWII Type-1 Jkt from Simo
• 2nd - Free pair of jeans from Simo
• 3rd and 4th - 40% discount on a new order

There is also the generous Duke Mantee Prize here voted for my @Duke Mantee, Simo and @Maynard Friedman

Close-out Timetable

-          17^th July to 26^th July – Contestants post their final pictures

-          26^th July – Submission deadline

-          27^th July – Final pics thread will be closed

-          27^th July – 9^th August – Judges vote for both prizes

-          9^th August – Deadline for judges to score (any judge's votes received after 9^th August will not be counted)

-          Before 14^th August – Results announced

As we all know, no plan survives first contact with reality, so please bear in mind we all have life going on alongside this and it lands during holiday time (including mine!) 

@beautiful_FrEaK and I will contact the judges and collate the scores... I’m pleased to say Maynard will judge but is chocka busy hence we'll co-ordinate... that said, I’m pleased to say @Dr_Heech has agreed to oversee the collation of scores and announcement of the winner – we don’t want any claims of conflicts of interest now do we!!  

I believe the above timetable is achievable rather than being overly ambitious.  If the judges can get through the scoring sooner (after being found ) we'll announce the winners sooner, of course  

Game on!! Best wishes folks!!

@Alec Leamas, please see above.

[Alec Leamas]

7 hours ago, Jared_Lee said:

@Alec Leamas, please see above.

Perfect, thank you, missed that! 🙃

[MJF9]

In the next contest, we could have all blue tick members and mods (apart from those competing) being the eligible voters… long live Sufu!! 

[Bobbo]

Pleased to make a comeback to judge these fantastically faded jeans, well played all! 

[MJF9]

On 7/12/2026 at 9:34 PM, MJF9 said:

The Word of Mouth Jeans Pizza and Crust Contest #WoMCon – Close out post

We started, fittingly, on World Pizza Day, 17^th January 2025… 18 months have flown by… and our last day is 17^th July 2026

This post lays out the close-out plan… if anything is missing or unclear, please flag it and I’ll resolve it

Reminders - the original contest posts

I set out the judges and the scoring criteria back last year here

And the contestant list and choice of jeans here 

Prizes were set out here i.e. 

• 1st - Free WWII Type-1 Jkt from Simo
• 2nd - Free pair of jeans from Simo
• 3rd and 4th - 40% discount on a new order

There is also the generous Duke Mantee Prize here voted for my @Duke Mantee, Simo and @Maynard Friedman

Close-out Timetable

-          17^th July to 26^th July – Contestants post their final pictures

-          26^th July – Submission deadline

-          27^th July – Final pics thread will be closed

-          27^th July – 9^th August – Judges vote for both prizes

-          9^th August – Deadline for judges to score (any judge's votes received after 9^th August will not be counted)

-          Before 14^th August – Results announced

As we all know, no plan survives first contact with reality, so please bear in mind we all have life going on alongside this and it lands during holiday time (including mine!) 

@beautiful_FrEaK and I will contact the judges and collate the scores... I’m pleased to say Maynard will judge but is chocka busy hence we'll co-ordinate... that said, I’m pleased to say @Dr_Heech has agreed to oversee the collation of scores and announcement of the winner – we don’t want any claims of conflicts of interest now do we!!  

I believe the above timetable is achievable rather than being overly ambitious.  If the judges can get through the scoring sooner (after being found ) we'll announce the winners sooner, of course  

Game on!! Best wishes folks!!

Dear Judges (below),

*** The deadline for voting is this Sunday 9th August ***

For those who have already voted - thank you

For those who haven't yet voted - thank you.  Please send your 1,2, 3 to me, @beautiful_FrEaK and adjudicator @Dr_Heech

Judges: 

@Maynard Friedman @Bobbo @chicote @Double 0 Soul @Dr_Heech @Duke Mantee @Flash @oomslokop Simone @smoothsailor

Eskerrik Asko (when in the Basque country)👍 

Edited August 6 by MJF9

[Dr_Heech]

Just checking @MJF9 - so l'm a judge and an adjudicator?

[MJF9]

^ judge please and, because @beautiful_FrEaK and I are also in the contest and need to avoid any calls of conflicts of interest (there won't be any), just to watch over the totalling up of the scoring please mate... it'll all be simples, all being well... eskerrik asko Doc   

[UkeNo]

On 7/22/2026 at 1:17 PM, UkeNo said:

Lift off - she’s around 30mins old here

As we head towards the final judgements of the competition, it occurred to me that I forgot to mention that this particular baby’s middle name is in fact Jean.
Of course purely out of dedication to the comp, and not in anyway due to any of her great-grandmother’s. 

So you know, just by-the-by, in case you were wondering, or if it helps at all 😉😆

Edited September 13 by UkeNo
Spelling

[Duke Mantee]

Awesome work all you competitors - it’s been great seeing the journey 

[Maynard Friedman]

Well done to all the contestants for producing some wonderful fades and providing an insight into your lives.

Thanks to Simo for producing these fantastic waist overalls and finally to @beautiful_FrEaK and @MJF9 for setting up and running the contest (and deliberately not trying to win to avoid any charges of fixing/corruption!)

Not forgetting the noble @Duke Mantee for generously offering to make the winners’ prizes.

[Jared_Lee]

Are we announcing results today, @MJF9?

[MJF9]

OK folks the results are in as promised...

The Pre-amble

In numbers

• 26 Sufu'ers started on the #WoMCon journey 18 months ago
• Wearing 5 different jeans
• All made by 1 man - Simone - a top-notch maker based in Rome, Italy
• 16 participants made final submissions
• With 2 sets of prizes - best jeans voted for by 8 judges and best posts voted for by 3 judges

Massive thank you to

• Simone for the jeans and the prizes
• @beautiful_FrEaK from the original seed through his ‘testing’ of Simone’s jeans to the close out
• @Duke Mantee for the Duke Mantee Prize of a leather mini trucker wallet
• Everyone who participated, joined in, cheered along, clicked and judged
• And anything I’ve inadvertently missed!!

Long live Superfuture Superdenim!

The Results

Congratulations gents!

Best Jeans

1. @Jared_Lee - Free WWII Type-1 Jkt from Simo
2. @nopal - Free pair of jeans from Simo
3. @CSL - 40% discount on a new order
4. @ATWM @julian-wolf - 40% discount on a new order

The Duke Mantee Prize

• Winner: @julian-wolf - a mini trucker wallet

@julian-wolf if you DM me your address, I'll post it out, on me

The Details

For transparency, please see a cut-and-paste of the results spreadsheet below.  I've anonymised the judges as I never asked if they were OK with including their voting.

and that's a wrap folks! 

… it's over to Broark who is finalising options for the next one!! 

Edited August 13 by MJF9

[julian-wolf]

Thanks again to all of the organizers! I won’t repeat everything I said in the submission post, but this was a ton of fun, and very well executed. I’m glad to see that voting was ranked-choice; anything else would’ve been a disservice.

That said: Big congrats to @Jared_Lee! It’s well-deserved—even with bias, those are def. the jeans I would’ve voted for

@ATWM…do you want the right leg or the left?