My First Raw Denim Diary (Pics)

[Whodinihimself]

This is more a thread for my own records, but i just thought i'd keep a journal of how my new jeans evolve..here's my new(ish) Levis A-Types from Japan...

these were heavily starched at first so theyve already had 2 lukewarm 10 minute soaks in the tub to get rid of the starch, 1 cold water machine wash with Woolite Black...theyre still super stiff.....but i think i may have over did it.........ive only worn them for about 3 days in those pics.....ill post again in 3 months or so

[lyingonyourdriveway]

they are still really dark my man, those are some nice looking jeans. the indigo is great

[damnIam]

Agreed...don't worry about a thing, those jeans are gonna kill 'em.

[HEWSINATOR]

Are the back pockets two different sizes?

I have to agree to that even though they have been washed and such so much, they still look good and I think they will turn out fine if you wear them. Some would say the rule is do not wash, others will say there are no rules and just wear the things and do as you wish. As pointed out by others, do you think that the people working in mines did not wash thier jeans? I don't know.

[WhoGotMeIntoThis]

That style is crazy.

You should throw up a pic with em' on. I'd like to see what they look like.

[cultpop 0217]

those jeans are awesome.

btw, the reason washing is delayed on raw jeans is so that the whiskers(hige) wrinkles and honeycombs stay in the same place and can develop a good amount of wear. when raw denim is new it tends to be stiff and the folded ares are exposed to consistant and constant abrasion.

when you wash the jeans these wrinkles can get "reset" and the wear will not be consistant. if the honeycombs on the back of the legs are in a different configuration every time you wear them they will not develop the same level of high contrast that denim lovers desire. if i were you i would throw some starch on the crinkles and let them go for a bit.

you have plenty of indigo left and jeans do not require constant washing so let those wear marks develop a bit before you wash them again.

or just continue to wear them and they will turn out fine too.

p.s. where did you pick those up and how can i get a pair? and a pic of you wearing them would be great as well!

i'm not a mod or a rocker. i'm a mocker.

Edited by cultpop 0217 on Mar 22, 2006 at 01:53 PM

Edited by cultpop 0217 on Mar 22, 2006 at 01:54 PM

[Guest Guy H]

They still look great fella!

I spent a lot of of money on booze, birds and

fast cars. The rest I just squandered - George Best

[Whodinihimself]

not too shabby eh? .... the a-symmetrical pockets are key and the old style coin pocket is nothing to sneeze at either...the only gripe i can see is the right back pocket is too small for most wallets...im a lefty so i use the big left one...or "the black hole" as i like to call it....why?..its deep...and dark...and things could get lost in there.... :I .........but uh...the only reason i washed them at all with to promote shrinkage before having them hemmed...but i went overboard a little bit....no biggie tho.....

for those wondering about how to get a pair..all i know is that these shits have been deadstock for a while now...guessing almost a year or so...occaisionally theyll pop up on ebay ...but you could also get them here if you enlist the help Japanese proxy ....

http://www.joenet.co.jp/casual/levi/jeans.html#a-type

[cultpop 0217]

how can i bribe you to post pictures of you wearing them?

i have to get an idea how that back pocket looks and how they fit.

thanks.

i'm not a mod or a rocker. i'm a mocker.

[Stev1ous]

how do those fit? straight leg yeah? like say hows it fit compared to 501s?

[horriblyjollyjinx]

606's are tapered like the most tapered thing you'll ever come across. If you like the design with the pockets and stuff, look for A-type levis.

btw, those are treated with resin meaning they "wont" break in. they look good like they are, but dont try to break them in.

dontcaretoomuchforcrap CANT SKATE!!

[Edge_Of_Denim]

Jinx, I'm interested in the resin angle (how do you know this, btw?), are there any other brands that you know of which treat their product the same way? And what does "won't break in" mean, exactly? Does that mean forgetting about ever obtaining those special characteristics that come with wear? Or eventual softening of the fabric?

[horriblyjollyjinx]

Quote:

Jinx, I'm interested in the resin angle (how do you know this, btw?), are there any other brands that you know of which treat their product the same way? And what does "won't break in" mean, exactly? Does that mean forgetting about ever obtaining those special characteristics that come with wear? Or eventual softening of the fabric?

--- Original message by Edge_Of_Denim on Mar 23, 2006 08:53 AM

You can tell that they are treated somehow, not necessarily with resin, by looking at them. I don't think they look quite as natural as pure raw denim. I could be wrong though.

I would say that there is another reason why they wouldn't be raw - they're not directed at people who break in jeans. 99% of everyone who buys jeans do not want them to look like something they didn't buy, therefore jeans companies want to make their jeans retain their look for as long as possible.

If they are treated with something it means that they will lose color slower and the wear will not be as defined as with raw denim.

I'm no expert and I could definitely be wrong, but this is what I think. Others' opinions would be good.

Not trying to make you feel bad about your jeans, they're really a special and nice look, have been thinking about getting a pair myself.

here's some pics http://www.rakuten.co.jp/hinoya/141935/219455/326606/

they dont look quite as different from raw denim as I thought I remembered, but I think I'd still say they are not really raw. Close ups of your pair after wash might help.

dontcaretoomuchforcrap CANT SKATE!!

[BumbaClot]

I was under the impression that resin coating made them more rigid and stiff

helping to crease/break them in. could be wrong.

Either way, after 4 washes those coatings are gone.

[horriblyjollyjinx]

Quote:

I was under the impression that resin coating made them more rigid and stiff

helping to crease/break them in. could be wrong.

Either way, after 4 washes those coatings are gone.

--- Original message by BumbaClot on Mar 23, 2006 10:02 AM

no.. they wouldnt be treated in the first place if the effect disappeared so quickly.

dontcaretoomuchforcrap CANT SKATE!!

[BumbaClot]

dont be so sure.

Four washes (esp. machine wash) is alot of washing.

Edited by BumbaClot on Mar 23, 2006 at 10:32 AM

[horriblyjollyjinx]

if that's your best argument, then I'm DAMN sure

dontcaretoomuchforcrap CANT SKATE!!

[Whodinihimself]

Hey guys...when these jeans first arrived in the mail they were really stiff...felt like i was wearing sandpaper when i first threw them on....I'm not sure if they were coated in resin but they were damn shiny...they glared!...felt like i was wearing disco pants....they also didnt have the same colour when they first arrived...they were alot like the colour on those websites...like a grey/blue/black...but the fade into indigo seems normal to me.......

i really like these jeans alot...the only problem i have with them is the fact that they arent selvage...they dont look too good turned up....so i had to have them taken up an inch and a half...only 8 bucks for the tailoring job...but hey

as for the fellow who wants to see them on, ill post a pic soon as my girlfriend gets home to take one...i dont own a full length mirror...

[cultpop 0217]

thanks man i look forward to it.^^

i'm not a mod or a rocker. i'm a mocker.

[wild_whiskey]

nice photography skill.

[acekieffer]

those look nice from the pictures..you think you could post some pics of you rockin em so we can see how they fit? thanks.

1.

-Ace

[choice_genes]

Hey guys,

I've got the 505A version of these jeans, which I bought about 4 months ago in Tokyo. When they were new, they were really stiff and quite shiny. They're a bit softer now, and the sheen is a little softer.

I've been wearing them pretty solidly for maybe two months. There's some fading happening around the crease, but they're definitely not wearing in as fast as a pair of nudie dry selvedge would.

Great jeans. Really nice cut (not as high-waisted as a regular 505), and really nice back pockets. They're just a funky take on the regular levis thing. And they were only 11,000 yen (about $90USD maybe?). Great stuff, I'm looking forward to when they're more faded!

Keep the Funk alive

[Whodinihimself]

sorry about the delay...heres me and my A-Types 606's...after about a month or so of moderate use.......no real indigo fade as of yet...and after all the abuse they endured (chronicled above) theyre still pretty stiff...which worries me......if they get any stiffer..well..then God help us all!!

im not so sure theyre actually raw denim...if they are they are definitely coated with something...if they fade much at all i really dont think theyll fade for looooong long time...but ill keep you posted when (or 'if') they do..

..

[sam113]

Lee Premium 101s are available in a resin coated raw denim, and they are awesome. They might take a bit longer to break in, but they turn out great. They start out much softer than most other raw denim, which appeals to a certain segment of the jeans wearing populace. They stretch like crazy though. 2 to 4 sizes.

The "Z" version of this jean is a great slim low-rise cut. They are also available in a slightly looser, cinch-back cut.

[zippoKC]

hahahaha i'm liking the kicks!

[Whodinihimself]

heh ..you mean my ghetto fabulous courdoroy slippers??....they rock like new socks!...which i sorely need as you can plainly see.

[LanceP]

Those are some nice looking jeans.

[cultpop 0217]

Quote:

sorry about the delay...heres me and my A-Types 606's...after about a month or so of moderate use.......no real indigo fade as of yet...and after all the abuse they endured (chronicled above) theyre still pretty stiff...which worries me......if they get any stiffer..well..then God help us all!!

im not so sure theyre actually raw denim at all....if they fade much at all, i really dont think theyll fade for looooong long time...but ill keep you posted if and when they do

Edited by Whodinihimself on May 3, 2006 at 10:44 AM

--- Original message by Whodinihimself on May 3, 2006 08:20 AM

those look awesome!!! thanks for posting these finally.

i'm not a mod or a rocker. i'm a mocker.

[Serge d Nimes]

I was totally going to buy a pair of those whn they came out but they only had short lengths available. I love them.

Carpe Denim! (not the jean brand silly!)

[Whodinihimself]

The fit is pretty nice ... I bought them two or three sizes bigger than i usually do...thinking they were shrink to fit..but they didnt shrink much at all...oh well

But i have a question:

Anybody know if there is a difference between the term "rigid" and "raw"...ive read some older posts that say that they mean the same thing..and some that say they don't...reason I'm asking is that that according to a Korean friend of mine (who can read Japanese pretty well) the rakuten website says these A-Types ive got are "rigid" denim...however, with more traditional raw denim (sugarcane, samurai, etc) they tend to use characters stating that they are "non washed" or "unwashed"....im just wondering if its worth even trying to break these things in...they seem to hanging onto their colour pretty well even though Ive abused them pretty good from skating...I get the feeling itll take years before i get any results..and that seems too long......and but i have other jeans i want to wear...ive been wearing these exclusively for about 3 months now, trying to get some fading...i know it takes time...but the whole resin coated thing makes me wonder if i should go back to rotating.