Remember the rigid jeans from back in the day? The jeans that you were supposed to take with you in a bathtub to let them soak and shrink to your body shape, in an effort to make them feel like a second skin? The jeans that people washed in the sea instead of in a washing machine…Ring any bells? These jeans would leave the factory unwashed, untreated, and were sold in a ‘raw’ state. Sounds pretty uncommon these days, right? Well, it wasn’t until jeans became really popular and a legitimate fashion item in the 1970s that industrial washes and treatments were developed and introduced. So until that time, all jeans were sold in this ‘raw’ state. You bought them unsanforized, with shrinkage in the fabric and they molded to your body after an initial soak and wear. Fast forward a few decades, within the highly developed billion-dollar denim industry, and there still is a die-hard section that focuses solely on raw denim. Hundreds of brands now specialize in this interesting fabric and they’ve amassed a huge following of dedicated ‘denim heads’ who swear by ‘raw’. Read to find out more about this denim subculture and its relevance today.

Raw Denim?

Okay, three steps back. Before we focus on the appeal of raw denim and the subculture that surrounds it, let’s first get one question answered: what is raw denim? Well... Raw denim, often referred to as dry denim or unwashed denim, comes straight off the loom, is cut and sewn into a pair of jeans and is then ready to be sold. The raw denim fabric has not undergone any of the usual washing and distressing processes, nor has it been treated with chemicals. It is denim in its purest form and usually has a deep blue (indigo) color. Where washing and distressing obviously effects the quality of the fabric, raw denim is kept in the intentional state and original high-quality. So raw denim is unwashed and untreated, and is kept in it’s original state, but why would you wear one pair of jeans day in and day out for years? And barely wash them? I mean, that’s gross, right? Well, as a raw denim fan myself, I could easily answer this question, but I reached out to someone else who’s seen as one of the most dedicated ‘Denimheads’ around; The Swiss Jeans Freak. Ruedi Karrer, know as The Swiss Jeans Freak, started a jeans museum (yes, read that correctly!) just outside Zurich, which houses over 14,000 denim jeans and jackets. Most of the garments in the museum posses ‘natural’ wear and have been worn from their raw state and as Reudi himself is a huge fan of raw denim, who better to speak to about this phenomena? When asked to describe his love for denim and why he wears just one pair of jeans day in day out for years, he had the following to say: I started to love raw denim around 1973 at the age of 14, after we received 2 pairs of Levi’s jeans in a cloth donation parcel. I was incredibly excited to discover the power of natural raw denim evolution (fades) when breaking them in and seeing the patina develop on them. It became for me a kind of ‘fetish’ and most importantly a sign of a rebel status since I was very shy and weak at that age - I always wanted to be a hero like James Dean, or the Beatles, or Status Quo. I love to wear the same jeans every day because I am a ‘slow fader’ and I want to see the raw denim evolve. I rotate 5 pairs of jeans and I have to wait 10 years to see those beautiful fades! Ruedi Karrer’s love for denim is based on the evolution (also known as fades / fading) of the fabric when it is worn. The way the fabric will ‘fade’ over time is very personal and depends on the physique and movements of the wearer. Instead of a pre-wash in a factory, a pair of raw denim jeans will fade over time as a result of wear, marking life events like a diary. Sure, that sounds endearing and novel, but surely you should still wash your jeans? Well, the longer you postpone that first wash, the deeper the fades will set into the fabric. A general rule of thumb when buying raw denim is to not wash the jeans for at least the first six months and to do so sparingly after that, in order to preserve and pull out the fades within the fabric, reflecting your personal habits and rituals.

The Raw Denim Subculture

Ruedi Karrer isn’t the only one who loves raw denim either - although he might be the only person who is truly obsessed with the fabric to the point of fetish! - but, there is a whole community and sub-culture which has been built around raw denim. A community, that comes together at special occasions like denim trade shows, or self-organized ‘Denim Hangs’, where dozens of denimheads come together to talk denim. With its roots in the heritage of denim and being influenced by the recent history of Japanese denim, the Raw Denim Subculture is a quality-driven community. The credo of the community is ‘less is more’ and ‘quality over quantity’. The prize of an average pair of raw jeans varies from €200 - €300, which is quite an investment. On the other side, because it is common in the scene to wear one pair of jeans per year, the investment pays for itself quickly. Just think of it as price per wear. Key characteristics for the denim community are the appreciation for ‘slowly made’ products and the familiar ways of communication and approach. The goodwill in the community is unparalleled and allows one man (or woman) brands room to thrive and time to grow, allowing high-quality product and the principles behind it, time to grow and sink in. And this isn’t limited to just denim brands either - closely related industries like boot making and manufacturing leather goods are inextricably linked to the sub-culture around raw denim, playing into the ethos of the denimhead perfectly.

The Raw Denim Etiquette

I still can hear some of you thinking; “So you’re telling me that there is a community who spend their time talking about (maybe even touching) each other’s jeans? Jeans that are €200 - €300 and haven’t been washed for a year?” Well, yes. That’s exactly what I’m trying to tell you - the (raw) denim community is a very real subculture within the global denim community. Same as in all subcultures, the denim community has its own slang, values and beliefs. Words like fades, honeycombs, ounces, slubs and selvedge are all commonplace parlance within this scene. Dedication and knowledge are key, but any newcomers are welcome with open arms. Something denimheads swear by is 100% cotton denim, meaning that there is no stretch in the fabric and they are made just like those Levi’s from back in the day. Raw denim jeans usually coming in a thicker fabric with more robustness than your high street jeans. After all, denim was originally workwear, right? Anything from 12-16 oz. is fairly ‘standard’ for raw denim, but the bolder amongst the community will wear 20 oz. or even 30 oz. jeans! Not for the faint of heart, this is a show of dedication to the cause and an experimentation into fading. Another constant source of discussion is that of washing. Or not washing as the case may be. By postponing washing a pair of raw denim jeans for as long as possible, the ‘fades’ will get time to settle on places where there is friction (thighs, crotch, knees etc.) which will eventually lead to more ‘contrast’ and visible wear on the jeans. A general rule of thumb is not to wash your jeans for the first six months, but some denimheads might say ‘the longer, the better’! For those who think that postponing the first wash for 6 months (or longer) isn’t for them, Calik Denim might have developed just the solution. With the constant rise in awareness around hygiene and health, the denim mill has developed Washpro Technology, which features anti-microbial and odor control properties, meaning that jeans stay fresher for longer. The technology can be applied on a wide range of denim fabrics, including 100% cotton raw denim fabrics, so this could be a welcome developed for the dedicated denimheads out there. If you are interested to see some examples of worn-in jeans, check #rawdenim on Instagram. I’m pretty sure you will find examples of jeans, great fades, and plenty of indigo inspiration.