Thursday 3 September 2015
I have waxed lyrical before about my love of denim. How it fades, moulds to your body and is generally the best thing you could wear in the history of ever. In my last post I really covered why I love that particular pair of jeans, and the effect that wearing something for a long period of time has. What I didn’t cover was how to get them to the point that they look like they could give up the ghost at any minute (my preferred look).
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Many people have many opinions on how to treat raw denim. Some, like the geezer that runs Levis (or whichever P.A writes his blog posts), say you should never wash them but instead put them in the freezer to stop them smelling, A.P.C (who make this very pair jeans) suggest running into the sea then rubbing sand all over them.. both suggestions seem a little much. I mean, at the end of the day they’re a pair of jeans, you shouldn’t have to really think about it that much should you?
That being said, you probably don’t want to just whack your expensive and much loved pair of trousers in the washing machine with your stained t-shirts and clinging-on-for-dear-life socks. Instead, I’ve hit upon a pretty easy formula that seems to mean that every six months you end up with an excellent continuation to the denim fade whilst keeping your jeans moderately intact. I say moderately because mine seem to wear fairly quickly whether washed or not. Thankfully repair stations like Son Of A Stag exist so that people don’t have to see the gaping hole in my crotch.
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Usually at this point someone will say something about Steve McQueen and how he’s an icon and how you should own a pair of Persol sunglasses. Fuck that, here’s how to wash your jeans in 8 easy steps:
1. Take your jeans, empty the pockets, unfold any cuffs and shake out the accumulated dirt (It will be there)
2. Run a bath tub of lukewarm water until it’s around a quarter full
3. Add a mild detergent and stir through the water so it’s evenly mixed throughout
4. Submerge your jeans in the water and gently rub any particularly ingrained dirt to start the cleaning process
5. Weight the jeans down to ensure they don’t end up floating out of the water, and leave for 45 minutes
6. Return and gaze disgustedly at the colour of the water, and then empty the tub
7. Using a shower/the tap thoroughly rinse your jeans until the water runs clear
8. Find a well ventilated space and hang to dry
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