Japanese selvedge denim, worn and washed.

A care guide

How to Wash, Wear and Fade Your Jeans

Most advice about washing jeans arrives as a rule or a ritual. Never wash them. Freeze them. Soak them in salt. Very little of it explains what is happening in the cloth, and without that the rules are hard to trust and harder to apply to your own pair.

This guide starts with why indigo denim fades, then covers when to wash, how to wash, how long a good fade takes, and why some jeans wear to sharp, high-contrast lines while others settle into a soft, even blue. There is no single correct way to look after a pair of jeans. There is the way that suits what you want from them.

+ Why Denim Fades

Indigo does not bond with cotton the way most dyes do. It sits on the outside of the yarn in thin layers, built up by dipping the yarn into a dye vat and lifting it out so the indigo oxidises in the air, then dipping it again.

Most Japanese selvedge denim is rope dyed. The warp yarn is twisted into long ropes and run through a series of vats, often a dozen dips or more, each adding colour to the surface. The dye never reaches the centre. Cut a thread from a new pair of jeans and you will see a ring of deep blue around a white core. This is ring dyeing, and it is the reason denim fades the way it does.

Each time the cloth bends, rubs or is washed, a little of that outer indigo goes and a little more of the white core shows. Where the denim creases and abrades most, across the lap, behind the knees, at the pocket edges and the hem, it fades first. Where it is protected, it stays dark. The pattern that results is a record of how the jeans were worn.

Only the warp, the yarn running the length of the leg, is dyed. The weft is usually left undyed, which is why the inside of a pair of jeans is pale and why a well-worn pair can look almost white at the knees.

Rope-dyed warp. Indigo on the outside, white at the core.

Two approaches, two different pairs of jeans.

+ When to Wash: Contrast or Comfort

For maximum contrast
Wear the jeans as long as you comfortably can before the first wash, usually three to six months of regular wear. In that time the creases set at the hips, lap and knees, and the indigo wears away along them while the rest of the cloth stays dark. When the jeans are finally washed, the worn lines are already pale. The fades come out sharp-edged and high in contrast. After the first wash, keep washes infrequent. Spot-clean marks, air the jeans between wears and wash only when they need it.

For comfort and cleanliness
Wash whenever the jeans are dirty or start to smell, which with daily wear might be every few weeks. Each wash takes a little indigo evenly from the whole garment, so the base colour lightens at the same time as the creases fade. The fades still come, but they are broader, softer and lower in contrast. Over time this gives the even, lived-in blue of an old pair of work jeans.

Our view
Wash your jeans when they need it. Dirt and grit are abrasive, and sweat and body oils weaken cotton over time. A pair that goes many months without a wash fades sharply, but it is also more likely to wear through at the crotch and thighs sooner. If contrast matters to you, hold off on the first wash and wash sparingly after that. If it does not, wash them as you would any good garment, with a little care. Either way, the jeans end up shaped by how you wore them.

Whiskers set across the lap before the first wash.

Machine, soak, and the first wash of raw denim.

+ How to Wash Your Jeans

Inside out, fly done up
Washing jeans has been made more complicated than it needs to be. A washing machine is fine, and is close to how denim is washed in Japanese wash houses, at a smaller scale. Turn the jeans inside out and do up the fly first. This protects the face of the cloth from the drum and stops the indigo streaking or marbling.

Cold water, gentle cycle
Wash at 30°C or below on a gentle or delicate cycle with a low spin. Warm water shrinks cotton and lifts more indigo, so keep it for the first wash of a raw pair. Wash the jeans alone or with other dark garments for the first several washes. The indigo will bleed into the water.

Mild detergent, nothing else
Use a small amount of mild liquid detergent. Avoid bleach and detergents with optical brighteners, which can leave a chalky or uneven cast on indigo. Fabric softener is not needed.

Hand washing or soaking
To keep abrasion to a minimum, soak the jeans instead. Turn them inside out, submerge them in a bath or large tub of cold to lukewarm water with a little mild detergent, press them under and move them gently, then leave them for 30 to 45 minutes. Drain, rinse in clean water and press out the water without wringing. A soak takes less indigo than a machine wash and helps hold contrast.

The first wash of raw denim
Most of the jeans we stock arrive once-washed, so most of the shrinkage has already been taken out and the size you try on is close to the size you keep. Raw, unsanforized denim, sold as shrink-to-fit, has not been shrunk at all. A warm first wash or soak, around 40°C, sets the shrinkage and softens the cloth. A pair of Fullcount S0105 we washed at 40°C lost 3cm across the waist, 2cm across the hem and 5cm in length. Hem raw jeans after the first wash, never before. Our full walkthrough is in Unsanforized Jeans: A Guide to Buying and Washing Them.

+ Drying, Storage and Between Wears

Never use a dryer. Heat shrinks cotton unpredictably, sets hard creases where you do not want them, and the tumbling fades the cloth unevenly. Take the jeans out, shake them, smooth the seams and pockets flat with your hands and hang them by the waistband so the weight of the wet denim pulls the legs straight.

Dry in the shade. Strong sun fades indigo, and a pair left on the line through an Australian summer can lighten along the side that faced it.

Air them between wears. Hang the jeans or fold them over a chair rather than leaving them in a pile, and give them a day to air. Rotating two pairs is the simplest way to keep both fresh for longer between washes.

Spot-clean marks. A damp cloth and a little detergent deals with most marks without washing the whole garment. Freezing jeans is often suggested for odour, but cold does not reliably kill the bacteria that cause it. If they smell, wash them.

A rough guide for 13 to 15oz denim worn most days.

+ How Long Fades Take

The first four to eight weeks
The indigo softens and the creases at the hips, lap and behind the knees begin to set. There is little visible fading yet, but the pattern is being decided.

Three to six months
Whiskers across the lap and honeycombs behind the knees become clearly visible. The pocket edges, belt loops and hem start to show wear, and a wallet or phone leaves its outline in the back pocket.

Nine to twelve months
The fades are defined, and the difference between worn and unworn areas is obvious from a distance. On high-contrast fabrics this is where a pair starts to look properly worn in.

Beyond a year
The base colour keeps lightening, the fades sharpen or soften depending on how often the jeans are washed, and the cloth becomes noticeably softer.

Weight and wear
Heavier denim takes longer. An 18oz or 21oz fabric is stiffer, resists creasing and can take twice as long to reach the same point, while lighter cloth around 12oz softens and fades faster. Wear counts for more than time. Six months at a desk is not six months on a bike or on your feet all day.

A year of regular wear.

+ High-Contrast and Vintage Fades

Contrast is the difference in tone between the faded areas and the rest of the jeans. Some fabrics are made to produce a dramatic difference. Others are made to fade evenly, the way jeans did before anyone set out to fade them.

High contrast. Deep, heavily ring-dyed indigo leaves the widest gap between a dark surface and a white core. Heavier weights fold into sharper creases, which wear into sharper lines. Slubby, irregular yarn has thick sections that sit proud of the surface and wear through first, giving the fade texture. Infrequent washing keeps the base colour dark while the creases wear pale.

Low contrast and vintage. When the indigo reaches further into the yarn, or the shade is lighter to begin with, there is less difference between surface and core. Lighter, softer denim drapes and creases loosely, so the fades are broad and gradual. Many reproduction fabrics are built to fade the way mid-century American jeans did, in soft vertical streaks across the whole leg rather than in sharp whiskers. This is sometimes called tate-ochi, vertical fading, and it comes from the uneven texture of the yarn rather than from creasing. Regular washing pushes any fabric further in this direction.

High contrast

Vintage

+ Which Fabrics Fade Which Way

For high-contrast fading, look at IRON HEART's heavyweight denims, from 14oz up to 25oz, TANUKI's slubby, deep-indigo fabrics, and the rope-dyed Zimbabwe cotton denims of MOMOTARO JEANS.

For a softer, vintage character, look at TCB's 50's and 20's jeans, PHERROW'S and WEARMASTERS, all built around reproductions of older fabrics.

The two can sit within a single brand. TCB's S40's, woven from hard-twisted, neppy yarn, fades with a rough, high-contrast texture, while their 50's fades in gentle vertical streaks. We compare the two in TCB S40's vs 50's Jeans.

Neither is better. High-contrast jeans reward patience and tend to be the pairs people photograph. Low-contrast jeans look good sooner, keep looking good for longer, and are closer to how jeans looked when they were simply workwear.

Japanese Selvedge Denim

50 items

Iron Heart

10 items

MOMOTARO JEANS

14 items

Tanuki Denim

5 items

TCB Jeans

29 items

+ Repairs, Hemming and Long-Term Wear

Jeans worn for long enough will need repair, and where they need it is predictable: the crotch, the inner thighs, the back pocket corners, the belt loops and the hem. The best time to repair is before the cloth gives way. When the denim at the crotch or thighs starts to thin and you can see light through it, it can be reinforced from behind with little visible change. Once it has torn open, the repair is larger and shows more.

Hemming is the other adjustment most jeans need. We hem on a Union Special 43200G chain-stitch machine. The chain stitch draws the hem slightly as it is sewn, which twists the cloth and wears into a rippled, roped fade along the hem as the jeans are worn and washed. A lockstitch hem stays flat. If you are buying raw denim, wash the jeans first, then hem.

Washing, wearing and repair lead to the same place. A well-made pair of jeans is built to be worn hard and kept for years. Look after the cloth, repair it when it needs it, and the fades will take care of themselves. Our denim repair, hemming and alteration services can be booked online or in store at 3 Johnston St, Collingwood.

+ Frequently Asked Questions

Wash them when they are dirty or smell. If you want high-contrast fades, wear them three to six months before the first wash and wash sparingly after that. If you prefer a softer, even fade, washing every few weeks with daily wear is fine.

Most Japanese jeans are sold once-washed and can be worn straight away. Raw, unsanforized jeans should be soaked or washed before you hem them, as the first wash can take several centimetres off the length.

Yes. Turn them inside out, do up the fly, wash cold on a gentle cycle with a mild detergent, and hang them to dry. Never use a dryer.

Once-washed and sanforized jeans shrink very little in a cold wash. Raw, unsanforized jeans shrink noticeably on the first warm wash, typically a few centimetres at the waist and around five centimetres in length.

With regular wear, whiskers and honeycombs usually appear within three to six months, with defined contrast after nine to twelve months. Heavier fabrics and lighter wear take longer.

High-contrast fades show sharp, pale lines against a dark base and come from deep ring-dyed indigo, heavier fabric and infrequent washing. Vintage or low-contrast fades are softer and more even, from lighter dyeing, softer fabric or more regular washing.

No. Cold does not reliably kill the bacteria that cause odour. Airing jeans between wears helps, and when they smell, wash them.

Loose indigo sits on the surface of new denim and transfers with friction, especially when damp. It reduces with each wash. Until then, take care with light-coloured shoes, bags and upholstery.

As soon as the fabric at the crotch or thighs starts to thin. Reinforcing worn denim before it tears gives a smaller, neater repair and extends the life of the jeans considerably.