To wash or not to wash?! What are the best (and worst) practices for your jeans. 

It really depends on what you are after, high contrast fades or a vintage look. We recommend not washing your denim for at least 3-months from when you start wearing them. 

High contrast fade

For high contrast fades, hold out washing your denim for as long as possible. Minimum 4 to 6 months and up to 12-24 month. You can hang your denim outdoors in the shade to let the fibres breathe, hanging on a hanger in your wardrobe will also help. Always remember from time to time to unroll cuffs and brush off dirt and dust build up. If dirt is left in there over, it can damage the fibres and creates breakages on the fold. 

After the first wash, wash every 6-12 months to enhance the contrast of the fades. 

A low agitation soak (steps below) will hold on to as much indigo as possible. 

1. Unroll cuffed or folded hems and turn your denim inside out. This will reduce the indigo bleed. 
2. Run a bath (or fill your sink) with cold to lukewarm water, the hotter you have the water the more likely the denim will shrink and will increase bleeding of indigo.
3. Add a small amount of mild darks laundry detergent, less is more here. Just enough to clean, no more. Give it a swirl, let the detergent dissolve.
4. Lay the denim down in the water, allowing the water to be absorbed. If it floats, you can pop something weighty hold down.
5. After 45-60 minutes pull the plug, let the water drain. give your denim a really good rinse in the shower to get all the soapy water out.
6. Allow the excess water to drip out, do not wring your denim. 
7. Hang your denim from a hanger in the shower or outside in the shade to air dry. Try not to fold your denim.  Do not place in the dryer. 

Vintage fade

For a vintage (minimum contract, even) fade, wear your denim for a minimum of 3-months without washing. At 3-months, follow the general wash guide below.

Steps for general wash guide. 

1. Unroll cuffed or folded hems and turn your denim inside out. This will reduce the indigo bleed.
2. Place garment in the washing machine with a second denim garment of similar colour. Having an additional denim garment in the machine reduce the impact of the cycle. Wash on a cool, gentle cycle with minimum spin. Hang outside in the shade to air dry. Do not place garment in the dryer.
3. Wear denim as much as possible washing every 4-6 weeks following the steps above. This will minimise the contrast and give an even consistent fade. 

To get your jeans back to your body shape after washing, pop your jeans on when they are slightly damp and wait until they dry. Remove and turn inside out to press your seam allowances open and pocket bags flat. Legs can be pressed flat or left unpressed for a rinsed look.