factory distressed jeans are getting out of hand

[the black arm]

though it seems like most people on here go for "honest" raw denim to break in, I came across this article and just thought the whole factory distressed denim thing is way over the top . . .

plus there was a blurb about dry cleaning and color lose, not sure if anyone can provide more insight.

When Expensive Jeans Unravel

Denim made to look like it's falling apart may do just that. Some women are paying hundreds to repair their "distressed" denim.

By RACHEL DODES

Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

September 24, 2005; Page P7

Shopping at Bloomingdale's recently, 33-year-old Judy Elek picked out a pair of jeans with a hole in the knee covered by white threads. She liked the jeans' casual style and planned to wear them on weekends for "kicking back or watching a game." But she wouldn't risk putting them in the wash. "I don't want those threads to rip apart," says Ms. Elek, a human-resources specialist at a financial-services firm in New York. "These are going to the dry cleaners."

Jeans styles go in cycles -- from neat, tailored designs to the frayed, torn and distressed look popular this season. Lately, though, some wearers say jeans have crossed the line from distressed to practically threadbare. Abercrombie & Fitch's "premium destroyed boot" model, sold for $168 under its new Ezra Fitch label, has an average of seven holes in the legs and four on the back pockets (the number of holes varies from pair to pair, according to the brand's spokesman, Tom Lennox). True Religion's $216 "destroyed wash" jeans, a top seller at Neiman Marcus, are rubbed raw from knee to hip so slits of skin show through when viewed from up close. "We have not heard any negative response, nor have we had any jeans returned for being too ripped," says Charles Lesser, the brand's chief financial officer.

As jeans become more distressed, some wearers are turning to their tailors to repair new holes that develop or reinforce existing ones. Sometimes costing $200 or more, these repairs can surpass the price of the jeans themselves. Distressed jeans don't have to wind up at the tailor, though: Experts say wearers can avoid repairs by choosing jeans finished with less damaging distressing techniques and washing the denim with care.

Not every "destroying" technique actually destroys your denim. Treatment with a computer-controlled laser, which scrapes the indigo from the outermost layer of the denim, is 50% less damaging to the fabric than sandblasting, according to Cotton Inc., an industry trade group. And ozone-gas treatments lighten jeans without changing the strength of the fabric at all. The problem: Unless the technique is listed on the tag, it's almost impossible to identify.

It's counterintuitive that jeans, traditionally the sturdiest of products, can be so high-maintenance, but coming to grips with this paradox is the first step in making your jeans last. Chris Allsbrooks, a textile analyst at the International Fabricare Institute, a trade association for garment-care companies, recommends washing distressed jeans on the gentle cycle and in a half-load in the washing machine, and drying at a medium temperature to reduce shrinking. While dry cleaning causes less shrinkage, it increases the risk of color loss, Ms. Allsbrooks warns, because dry-cleaning solvents can remove surface dyes from denim.

Distressed jeans, which make up a large part of the the estimated $110 million $75-and-over "premium" jeans market, usually have higher prices than non-distressed pairs, due in part to the extra handiwork that goes into making new pants look old. J.Crew's women's "hand-sanded wash" jeans with no holes retail for $88, while the more distressed "painted abrasion wash," with a ripped left knee and fraying right knee, sell for $155.

Distressing on premium jeans is generally done by hand: At factories used by Abercrombie & Fitch, workers may use grinder stones, small power tools, sandpaper, bleach splatter and razors on various pairs of jeans, according to the company.

[adsurgo]

interesting.. thanks for the post.

[darknworn]

ahhh...the absurdities continue...

"God is Dead" - Nietzsche

"Nietzsche is Dead" - God

[Blanc0]

Denim Doctors in LA have been repairing denim for YEARS...mostly vintage stuff that is threadbare...A&F's threadbare stuff is too much, IMO, but I don't hate some minor blowouts (i.e.Prps). People pay so much for distressed jeans, so they don't need to wear them for 5 years to get that effect. And the women that spend so much repairing their already expensive jeans, well they do that to make them more "individual" looking.

Edited by Blanc0 on Sep 25, 2005 at 09:52 PM

[neawts]

Time to bring back the acid wash!

http://www.retrocrush.com/archive2003/denim/

[witts]

yeah. cool man!

Edited by witts on Sep 26, 2005 at 06:21 AM

[tangerine]

acid wash is definitely coming back, I've seen a couple of very stylish young women wearing acid washed jeans recently.

Now I'm glad I saved that Guess jacket from the 80's, haha.