In this series of Oldblue 101, we want to bring up some of the infamous urban legends surrounding this blue denim industry. some issues seems funny to some, but we shall bring ‘em to the surface as we still confront those issues on a daily basis.
“Don’t Wash, It’ll Ruin Your Jeans,” They Said
The 1st issue towards the series is regarding the myth surrounding the beyond-reason fear of water. this might be the most asked question we’ve ever got from our 9 years of on-hand experience dealing with these blue clothes; involving around, “Is it okay to wash my jeans before 6 months?”, “What should i do when my jeans got soaked in the rain?”, “Will it lower my creases to fades ratio?”, and so on.
Many of us afraid that a drop of water will ruin our jawnz for life. We seem to forget that jeans were made for heavy duty works in the working field back in the days. It was indeed invented to fulfill the need of a sturdy and durable piece of clothing. So, to cut things short; no, it won’t ruin your jeans! you can soak ‘em, wash ‘em, let ‘em soaked in the rain, and by the end of the day, your jeans will be still in wearable condition and will be able to fade in just fine.
In a matter of fact, washing yer jeans right shall extend their life cycle. especially if you wash ’em in the right way (refer to our 101 about how to wash yer jeans) and on the right period of routinity (not too often, and not too rarely). It will cleanse all the oils and dirt that’s been embedded to the jeans overtimes. It’ll strengthen the cotton fibres and bringin’ back the fiber’s elasticity nature, so it’ll help prevent rip & blow-out potential cases.
But if you’re asking whether the touch of water will affect your effort on achieving a level of high contrast fade, well yes, it will probably hinder the progress to some extent. The water will of course wash out some of the color dyes from the jeans and in result will make the color more even all around.
TLDR, a touch of water won’t ruin your jeans and their fade’s ability. but for those of you contrast fade disciples, it has the ability to impede your on-goin’ progress to some extent.
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“Sea Washing = Superior Fade,” They Said
The correlation between sea-wash and its superior denim-fades promise. So much that it gratifies around the blue denim world, it came to the extent when sea-washing is a must to-do-list when you want to achieve maximum level of fades (if there’s any). so, is it really true? well, that’s why we’re here.
This sea-wash (or ocean-wash) trend seems to pop up through the 2005-2010s era of raw denim history. It goes a long way back as a washing technique (or maybe just a long overdue prank) that was introduced by a European denim brand. After years have passed by, the sea wash is still one of the most debatable topics. We’re here to get some of the facts straight together with some of the things you might wanna know before you decide to dunk your jeans down.
Some said that the sea wash will enhance your fades, well this might be true to some extent. One of the obligatory steps on the sea-washin’ process is none other than the sand-rubbing ritual. The sand rubs might help to accelerate the fades, by a logical reason, as the sand-papering & sand-blasting are the most common method for the washing factory to generate those pre-washed and distressed jeans.
The draw-backs? all that vigorous sand rubbing steps might have the potential to damage the fabric. It scraps away more indigo than the normal washing process and it makes the fabric’s surface more prone to a blow-out. Do note that doing the rubbing too hard will also make your fade seems artificial and unnatural. Well, if it’s not the thing we all denimheads try to avoid.
In fact, sea washing isn’t actually a washing process. based on the previous episode, a major reason why we wash our jeans is to clean out the oil and grit that might get into the fibers and able to grate on the threads (which often leads to blowouts). Sea washing is the exact opposite of that. Our take is that when you really want to do a sea-wash, make sure to really wash the jeans (through hand / machine with detergent) afterwards. Makin’ sure that your jeans are guck-free and that you haven’t drastically accelerated a potential blowout.
All in all, washing your beloved pair of jawns in the seawater is not a mandatory journey to generate wonderful fades. We look at it only as a unique experience to add into your denim journal and diary. In the end, everyone will have their personal take and preference when it comes to the kind of memories they want to put into their jawns.
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I’ll Sleep In ‘Em!
Over the course of your adventure towards this blue denim world, there’s a big chance that you came across to this head-shaking, eyes-frowning kind of bizarre practice;
sleeping with your denim on.
While most of the normal human-being choose to be comfortable when they climb up to bed for a good night sleep, some of the curious souls decide something else; as they want to wear their beloved blue jeans to their sleep. many believe that sleeping in your raw denim will enhance the fading capabilities.
We always hear the doctrine to wear your denim as much as you can. hence, it’s a logical choice to add some extra 6-8 hours of wear per day by sleeping on ‘em, right? well probably and sadly not. After all, not all ‘wear’ is equal. you still need physical activity that produces tension and friction on your jawnz to sharpen those creases. and surely, you’re not able to get that by sleeping. Ultimately it just won’t be the same as wearing ‘em during the normal and the actual activities.
Moreover, if you the kind of person who prefers tight-fitted jeans. wearing tight bottoms can pinch your nerves and cause painful tingling and numbness. When you wear ‘em all the time, plus while you sleep, your body may prevent products from flowing thru your lymph nodes, and potentially causing problems for your immune system.
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“Freeze ‘Em Up, Fresh ‘Em Up,” They Said
‘You want to get rid of all those odours from your jeans but isn’t mentally prepared to wash ‘em up? well, throw ‘em to the freezer!’ This is yet another circulated myths in the denim world. one of the oldest too, as the myth’s online footprint was first found on 2005 thru’ the infamous Superfuture forum.
The myth became more widespread simply because many of the reputable parties were also supporting such practice. Simple example; in 2014, Levi’s CEO, Chip Bergh, announced that his 501s hadn’t been washed in a year. he went on to elaborate that he threw his jeans in the freezer to help with the smell. And we all know the brand that put ‘freezing your jawnz’ as one of the care methods on its booklet.
The myth is that the freezing temperature will kill all the germs and bacteria, therefore it will remove all the unwanted smell and keeping your jeans in hygiene condition. and by doing that, you can skip the washing process, what a win-win solution for those afraid-of-water disciples right?
Thankfully with the magic of science, we get the fact straight. it’s true that the frozen temperature will kill most of the bacteria, but many bacteria have also been preadapted to survive extremely low temperatures. And it needs just one surviving bacteria for it to repopulate once the temperature rose up. All in all, freezing temperatures don’t kill bacteria, they merely stop their growth.
So, what shall you do to keep your jeans clean? Well, maybe after all this time your mom is right, just wash ‘em! Once again, it’s the best bet to prolong your jeans life cycle. While delaying a wash may preserve the color, the grit that builds up between the fibers will tear your pants apart over time
