Raw denim will always have its appeal. While washed out, pre-faded jeans skip all the hard work and get straight to the worn-in look we all strive for, the authenticity of a pair of raw denim jeans, untouched by sand paper and enzyme-infused wash cycles, can't be beat. It's a choose-your-own-adventure that will always yield a happy ending. Whether you're just diving into your first pair — if that's the case, read this — or you're looking to add another pair to your selvedge library, now's the best time to break in a crunchy new pair.
Right...now? Why?
Fall is arguably the best time for dressing. It's a fact. Fall is the time of the year enlists the highest percentage of your wardrobe. The weather's cooled down enough that you finally slip into something that covers your calves; sweaters are in; shirt jackets, too; and heavier coats are OK in the evening.
By winter, alhough denim's been shown to be a terrible insulator, base layers exists and you can easily keep your jean streak going, blizzard be damned. That means nine months of straight raw denim gestation with a beautiful set of fades birthed by July — just in time for you to shelve them for shorts and return to the nicely faded jeans when summer (pun intended) fades, too.
So, if you haven't begun the process, you'd better get on it. Right now is the perfect time to start, especially if you're into the myth of wearing your jeans for six months before their first wash. If you've had your share of lightweight or mid-weight jeans and you're looking to get into something more challenging, this would be the time to try your legs at a pair of heavyweight jeans. Anything from 16 ounces and up can be too much too handle for even the milder months, but the cooler temps typical to this time of year make it the ideal window to incubate some some burly denim that would otherwise be even more painful any other time of the year.
Start Fading Your Denim for Next Fall
