The Ultimate Guide to Getting the Best Denim Fades (with

[@mg2380]

I've worn raw denim from The Gap (my first pair), Unbranded, Brave Star, N&F, Rogue Territory, and Momotaro. They all went into the washing machine inside out on a gentle cycle using dark protect or regular detergent (no color safe bleach). The moment the rinse cycle is done I remove them, flatten them out by hand, and hang dry them. So far, so good (no weird marbling).

[@xxflamezxx1able]

At the end of the day, I think it’s important to remember that you paid for the product and you should use them as you please. I personally don’t like high contrast fades so I wash mine more frequently (every 20 -30 wears or so)

[@Stridewise]

I do like high contrast fades but not enough to go 100 wears without washing :)

[@uncannyfox]

How do you wash your jeans? In the washer or do you soak them?

[@shirayasha]

Same here. I throw my jeans in with the rest of my clothes and wash everything together. I've found that it helps expedite the fading process quite a bit.

[@aceymac]

Fades are definitely a matter of taste but also popular trend. If you look back at 70's ads, they often brag about how their jeans give soft even fades (like Levis & Lee), I guess it fit in with that whole 'natural' vibe at the time, that's what folks thought felt 'authentic'.

[@jimmylee2745]

@@shirayasha I did that once , when I bought a pair of raw jeans without knowing . Just say some of my darker clothes , especially ones with white pattern, Stripes or wordings, they turnt blue lol . Ffwd few years later I got into raw jeans and learned alot. I would say after your initial 1st soak to bleed out some of the dye , you can go ahead wash them together with your other clothes.

[@nearly-blindbrian8372]

I work in theatre and our costume shop uses spray bottled filled with potato vodka to kill germs and fight odors. Regardless, I still wash my jeans when they get smelly.

[@Stridewise]

This is very exciting and funny, thanks for teaching me about yet another side to jean preservation!

[@shanecorwin731]

Zeke tha GOAT!!!!

[@kailerpetersen6404]

Ah, the freezer trick! During a cooking class in high school my teacher had made a point to dispel any myths about food. She taught that freezers don’t kill a single bit of bacteria, only momentarily suspend their growth. So, as soon as anything comes back out of a freezer growth will resume as normal without any bacteria having been eliminated.

[@NonLegitNation2]

yeah, that isn't true. I've put sneakers in the feeezer before to stop them from smelling. Stinky sneakers are a result of bacteria from your feet sweating. Every pair I've put in the freezer came out not smelling anymore and the only way that happens is if the stink causing bacteria have died. So the feezer can, and does kill bacteria.

[@elihopper9834]

i had some brown rick owen’s jeans from 2004 and threw them in the wash. there were no white lines prior to the wash, and post wash the jeans were almost as white as they were brown in some spots. i must’ve been the first person to wash them in years

[@koral1842]

if you work outside you’re washing your jeans everyday

[@zwm3726]

If you're washing your jeans everyday, you should get two pairs of jeans

[@koral1842]

@@zwm3726 thanks for your contribution smartass

[@ncristi8]

ok guy

[@elihopper9834]

jeans are made to be worn a few times without wash

[@comkillatv]

Wait you wear you jeans everyday! The same ones?

[@POVShotgun]

That's a good ass interview. I have no more questions left about raw denim now. Imma wear my jeans till they fall apart completely.

[@Stridewise]

this comment really makes me happy, i love it when people say 'hey that content was actually useful and had a reason to exist!'

[@drwisdom1]

I am one of those "purists" about jeans and fading. But my aesthetic revolves around having been wearing Levi's 501 shrink-to-fit jeans since the late 1960s. Jeans were not appreciated back then and restaurants and other establishments had rules against wearing jeans, especially if they were faded or had holes. In that environment it didn't make sense for Levi's to pre-fade. Back then you had to fade your jeans yourself to become a "hippie", you couldn't buy that in a store. So that is what we did, and I continue to do to this day. But jeans got accepted in society in the 1970s and by the 1980s everyone started wearing them, even those too impatient to fade their jeans. So Levi's started catering to them and they became the majority of jeans buyers. More recently the cotton quality of Levi's jeans is so low and thin they have to pre-fade to cover that up. Vintage US made Levi's 501s made up until 2000 get an authentic beautiful fade from just wearing, washing, and drying. But fashion is a lot about trends and fads. Today that manifests itself in not washing your jeans in order to develop unnatural "contrasts" and horizontal wear lines. It looks fake to me whether those horizontal lines were created by the buyers or a laser at the Levi's factory. It is interesting that videos like this promulgate these fads causing viewers to think they shouldn't wash their jeans to show them off. That is just another kooky modern fad like wearing your baseball cap backwards. Wear your jeans up to three days before washing unless you live down South where sweat requires washing after one day. The indigo dye doesn't absorb all the way through the cotton fibers. Fading is due to the cotton fiber's outer surface containing the indigo being rubbed off due to abrasion and secondarily due to the indigo being washed out. We wash jeans inside out because that minimizes abrasion in the dryer where most of the fading occurs. Washing inside out causes them to fade slower. If you want your jeans to fade faster then don't dry them inside out. Dry them in the dryer on hot. You can't eliminate shrinking, buy your jeans the correct size, shrink them, and be done with it. Never buy jeans that will be too small after they have shrunk. Never use bleach - that eats the jeans!

[@veiledrecalcitrance4314]

Cold does not kill bacteria. Not going to explain the reason I had to research that (looong story) but only heat kills bacteria regarding temperature. In fact, if you buy clothing from a country not known for its hygienic production (fur, goose down, animal based products etc) it’s best to have it cleaned before wearing.

[@jimshen0308]

6:58 Nick is like...ARE YOU SURE ABOUT THAT?

[@007cheburashka]

Was there the other day and it did not occur to me the floor is lined with denim.. wow.

[@Stridewise]

And the dressing room curtains!

[@samuelguce]

I’m just looking forward to starting my fade - 3 attempts at buying Samurai S510XX 19oz but keep getting sizing wrong or in one case got sent a pair that had already been soaked. I have a pair on the way again so fingers crossed

[@isaiahlancaster6493]

Just did this with my favorite pair of raw denim that I’ve been wearing for a year and a half and it completely ruined them. So that’s fun

[@Vandaimeful]

You did what? The not washing for 3 months thing?

[@isaiahlancaster6493]

@@Vandaimeful no, the cap of bleach

[@Vandaimeful]

@@isaiahlancaster6493 oh, yeah that didn't sound like a good tip at all.

[@jctmanu]

What exact was the result?

[@Pugetwitch]

You're supposed to do that only after you've washed them a few times 😂 It's to add contrast to the already preset-in fades. I'm experimenting with bleaching some jackets, and going through a lot of these posts. Instead of soaking my jacket com on I added a small amount of bleach concentrate to a water bottle and sprayed it lightly, it really added some depth to the fades to this old Lee jacket I found recently. It's hanging up in the sun drying right now🎉

[@AwAlRiZzLa]

I like high contrast and I hate washing my jeans. I usually wait a year before they get their first soak. But I’ve moved to southern Florida and it’s so hot and humid here I think I’m going to have consider washing sooner because I don’t want them to get a sweaty funk smell.

[@Ikari777]

I'm in Jacksonville, and I got 200 wears before washing, but they were only 12.5 oz. It's rough to do more now through the end of the year.

[@Magnetar83]

So much great advice here! Thank you 🙂

[@Stridewise]

thanks for watching man

[@1kontrabida]

Get a brush with a blend of horse hair and brass and brush your jeans after each use it'll help in keeping them clean in between washes.

[@Stridewise]

I love this

[@frankrizzo7185]

And a litte febreeze

[@1kontrabida]

@@frankrizzo7185 yes!🙏🏼, recently I bought those dryer balls so u don’t have to use or if your allergic to fabric softeners and I brush my jeans and spray a little bit of febreeze and corn starch spray and run the dryer hot for 5 to 10 min and the jeans came out really good and still continue the patina process.

[@shirayasha]

nice interview!

[@Stridewise]

thanks man

[@neo4216]

Great video! I've been wondering on this for a while, why the fades always associates with raw denim? Wouldn't normal rinse/dark wash jean get those fade as well (just maybe less contrast)?

[@tiderider]

Thank you for an excellent video. I need to buy some naked & famous. But 1st, I need to wear the jeans I have.

[@didisenpai5562]

Just wear it. Wash when needed.

[@machoprotegido5607]

I like my jeans a very saturated mid blue and don't want them to fade at all...

[@youlikedyourowncomment5151]

I have a brand new pair of jeans and cant return them, how do i fade them especially the front thigh area without wearing them?

[@Pugetwitch]

Ya caint

[@davidmun1601]

Keep up the great work

[@Stridewise]

Will do David!

[@Shang_Style]

Hey Nick what did you think of the mainline selvedge? Sticking to the easy guy fit?

[@Stridewise]

Yes, definitely Easy Guy for me! Looking forward to wearing it in Italy this summer :)

[@dulifuli00]

I wash my jeans after 2-3 wears coz i hate dirt.

[@Stridewise]

These days I do too really, like I don’t often go more than a dozen wears

[@christianbarros1580]

Hey! What about ironing your jeans???

[@carloscarion1748]

Denim is dyed using an ingredient called methylene blue, which is antifungal, and antibacterial

[@alleneng]

alot of the factory distress gets wrecked when u wash denim

[@yeahrightbear8883]

So how do you wear the same jeans every day and no one notice? I feel like if I wore the same jeans after about day 5 my friends would start questioning me.

[@Littllewilly0316]

This is the comment I was looking for.

[@jangcop6790]

No one really cares

[@Pugetwitch]

That's crazy 😂

[@thelourdelovesyou]

Legendary

[@carotherscontent]

12 months of swamp a$& is work jeans would be insane. This is 100 days of going to the coffee shop?

[@Cyrix29]

Hi Stridewise, I'm writing to ask you which compartment of the washing machine the bleach goes in, as I don't have a compartment dedicated to it. Do I put it together with the detergent or in the softener or pre-wash compartment? I await your answer

[@WhiskyOctober]

current washer has a bleach compartment, but when my old washer didn't have one, I used to put the bleach into the main compartment as the water is being filed. As long as the bleach is diluted before it hits the jeans, it should be good

[@tur74d56]

Aren’t any of those jeans for sale

[@Jam-m7m]

At 6:14 he says. But personally I just use TIDE Detergent tide detergent

[@nahidkhan1234]

What jacket are you wearing? Thanks!

[@Stridewise]

I grabbed it off the shelf at naked and famous! it's their type 3, unsure of the fabric

[@dM3tria]

I have a question. It was recommended to me to size down. I bought a Broken Twill Naked & Famous jeans and I'm normally a 32 but I was recommended to do a 31. It fits a little tight around the waist. It is 100% cotton. I was wondering if that's okay? will it stretch to my size over time? or will I wind up ripping the buttons from stretching them etc?

[@Pugetwitch]

Make sure they fit you WHEN you buy them! Jeans are like shoes IMO, never buy them too small.

[@mrlolmaster1019]

what model of jeans were on the table???

[@MrBeanMess]

Lightest blue: Naked and Famous x Big John Collab Darker Blue: Naked and Famous Dirty Fade Selvedge Darkest pair with lots of holes: Naked and Famous Elephant 6 Broken Twill

[@o021455]

Zeke looks like the lead singer of Zeke

[@juancampos1164]

Technically, washing them will make them fade faster, given them an even fade. Nothing artificial, old school

[@AnoshMalik99]

Tell me where u got your jacket from? ✌😎

[@Stridewise]

Naked and famous!

[@Snazzaretti]

This guy used to be me roomate but he spent most of his time at his girlfriend's

[@rutgerumscheid5331]

You know that guy Zeke is pipe hittin down in SoHo you feel me?

[@terrencestamm3391]

I am afraid to wash mine, I do not want them to shrink at all….

[@danziegner]

Here in Texas we’ve worn jeans since we were two years old, and we wear denim jackets. There is nothing really innately fashionable about them. I buy several pairs of raw denim from the Big 3 when available for the fun of it, soak them in the tub and line dry three times before wearing. After, I just wear them without thought, wash them warm water and line dry after five or six wearings. We wear 101, 501, 505, or MWZ13 on the ranch. We wash our work jeans after every wearing in hot water with soap and a small amount of color-fast bleach to sanitize and patch when necessary.

[@xanglinfury6092]

So he wears the the same jeans every day? Not all Day Wears obviously. Or he just puts them on...

[@PashaPutra-n4d]

Bang gif aku celana denim kombor bang udah paket lenkap plisss aku pengen bgt celana kayak gitu😢😢😊

[@drakebeauvais2072]

So wait.... like dont wash them at all???? I literally can't do that... I skate, ride dirt bikes, I don't think raw denim is for me lol

[@datoneguyinthecorner5923]

Poor people in broken down pants are actually just Jean enthusiasts, noted.

[@carter_1]

I literally knew NONE OF THIS & that this 🌎 existed!! Soo washing my whole families jeans every time worn (28 pairs a week) is not right? The TIME I could've saved 🤦‍♀️

[@dannygonzalez6548]

😂😂

[@alexsherel3344]

Do you wash bed sheets after every use? I mean….

[@alexsherel3344]

@@DoubleRuination it’s the same principal. You sleep 6-10 avg hours per night. Depending on what you wear to bed…no disrespect. But yeah, unless you’re using 150-200 dollar jeans to WORK IN, no they don’t need washing.

[@alexsherel3344]

Ps I know your original comment was made in fun…now. But you never know…

[@tommysmith7031]

Nick seemed shocked when the dude recommended washing the jeans with bleach

[@andrewrigby6673]

He was, I could see him thinking 🤔 hmm, I’m not gonna be doing that 😁

[@acarnold]

Wear them.

[@韓国J]

what kinda guy are you? weird, cool, easy, super, strong, groovy, stacked or skinny??

[@Stridewise]

easy!

[@Geez55thSt]

I don't think it's a stretch to say you can go long periods of time between washes if you're not doing anything rigorous in them. If your crotch gets super nasty in cold/cool climates, you probably got something else going on... 😔😔😔

[@rakeshrajkumarmeitei8593]

Don't like fades, I like the clean solid color jeans

[@razorwireclouds5708]

Bruh... how can you not wash your pants for 3 months? Yikes. I wash my jeans every 1-2 weeks.

[@Stridewise]

I know right. I need to do a deep dive into like, what really happens when you don't wash clothes. Like if they don't stink, what are the actual cons

[@darimoree]

WOOOOOWWWW Du är Bäst

[@Stridewise]

hell yea(?)

[@dscrappygolani7981]

If you want to fade your jeans , go ride a horse for a fortnight. That'll do it.

[@Stridewise]

that's a great god damn idea

[@dscrappygolani7981]

@@Stridewise tried and tested. Plus, IMHO, good exercise.

[@Stridewise]

@@dscrappygolani7981 must slay your adductors

[@dscrappygolani7981]

@@Stridewise not really... A little yeah...but one's supposed to ride the thing, not 'ride' it 😏. Besides, I like horses. They make pretty good friends. I suppose when one enjoys the experience, one tends to take things in one's stride as it were. Haven't been on a horse for a while though. That's my one regret.

[@corneliuscrewe677]

@@dscrappygolani7981 My wife bought a rescue horse a year ago. As for me, after a lifetime of being afraid of them I’ve discovered just how wonderful they are. It’s been quite the journey getting to know him and helping to get him healthy again. Just wish I’d gotten over my fear when I was a young man, because learning to ride at 52 HURTS! 😂

[@chuiwyjustin]

i wash my jeans every wear.

[@PurpleKiwiFTWplezsub]

Waste of water

[@camronsmith4321]

To make this video without talking about starching is a hard L

[@CrookedJoeBiden]

Never wash jeans if you also want to get that sewer odor. 😂

[@Stridewise]

"it's called patina"

[@charlottenolan3499]

Skipped through but Isnt this video literally about washing your jeans? Title is misleading. I need more specific tips on how to fade denim intentionally ie tools, bleaching, etc

[@Stridewise]

I mean if you're talking about how to artificially age your jeans that's something else but I have a video coming out this week on that

[@JayJay-sf2wn]

That’s gross.

[@NonLegitNation2]

I mean I get it but then I don't get it. I wash my jeans about every 4-5 wears. Granted I don't own any raw denim selvage jeans because I'm not spending $200+ on a pair of jeans (that money is allocated to shoes lol). I'd imagine if you're only washing your jeans 3 times a year they would start getting pretty funky, people fart, they have stinky asses. After not washing your jeans for 3 months you probably won't notice your jeans smell like ass but I'm sure other people do.

[@rebirthofthecool5619]

You must stink, two weeks is the max. Bacteria is not necessarily what smells

[@gdaddy6922]

Oof bleaching denim... sounds like a cheater

[@jimmydgrant]

If my fades looked yellow and gross, I would try it.

[@Stridewise]

i'm enjoying how controversial that comment was

[@gdaddy6922]

@@Stridewise thanks for the reply!

[@dickfitzwelliner2807]

I can only do 3 wears between washes, after that it just gets too gross for me. Going months and months....nope!!

[@Stridewise]

Yeah I wash with abandon now

[@HandballMr]

Shoutout to Zeke, who did an excellent job of motivating you all to wear and wash your jeans however you like to. 👌🏼

[@Stridewise]

absolutely! my many chats with naked and famous have helped me be less neurotic about it all

[@youdiein36hours]

@@Stridewiseyou got served like a plattypomlette, platypus cheese, bacon, and eggs🎉

[@aceymac]

Good info & video, thanks. No one ever mentions fit as part of fade though. I find the tighter the jean, the faster the fade and conversely, loose and stovepipe legs fits seem to hold their color a lot longer. Just a thought.

[@Stridewise]

Yes, that's true! Good observation

[@mattd313]

My wife thinks it's gross because I wear my jeans more than a couple times before washing them lol

[@edwinner100]

my dad has a wallet fade in his back pocket and its something that you only get from taking it in and out and having it in the same spot its one of the coolest things ive noticed with denim how the fading goes

[@David-jw7km]

Just wear your jeans. How hard is that to understand?

[@makuIa]

bro 3 months without washing your jeans? what about us dudes with a girlfriend

[@Stridewise]

for the record i wash my jeans when i feel like it and that is 'when they feel gross' or 'when it feels like it's been a while' haha i'm not a no-wash guy

[@minesaver]

I've been watching a bunch of your videos after ordering a few 501s. I got one pair selvedge, mostly because the scantron color was only available that way. I hadn't thought much about trying to get fades, but now I am. lol. I'll take a note not to wash them too soon, but I can't help feeling like jeans and fades has the same rabbit hole potential as fountain pen ink. If you're not currently into fountain pens and the various inks they can use, don't look into them because you won't be able to afford pants AND pens/ink. lol. Ok, thanks for the content. Now I'm wondering if my garment dyed jeans will fade at all like indigo. Guess I'll find out.

[@MeepMeep88]

2:55 LOL interesting choice of words. The brownish is "from the lack of washing".. Not because he's a filthy hippy haha

[@Stridewise]

hahahaha

[@dahak972]

Great video! I’d love to see you go out to California and do Brave Star someday.

[@luckydc3761]

I've had much better luck with Gustin than Brave Star.

[@panair4126]

That was an enjoyable & informative video that taught a 76 year old fan of denim jeans.Thanks to both you gents. 😊

[@wingduong424]

Hi Nick! Great video! I will definitely go purchase jeans when im in soho area.

[@Stridewise]

Thanks Wingothy!

[@operamatthew]

freezing only makes the bacteria dormant. they will deactivate when the temp rises again.

[@ubaidu11ah]

They talkin 3 months, I wash mine after every 3 wears

[@goodinsrt8]

3 months? What?

[@TuneinR]

This is crazy!

[@Laguna2013]

my ~$250 USD polo jeans tend to rip out in the hindquarters after about 2-3 yrs of use. Should I try to restore these or will they be too weakened to use. I wash every few days. Can't have them stink

[@rimaarts]

How do you define 3 month of wear? 5x a week 8h? What about commuter trousers? 2x a day 1h? That would make it a year instead of 3 month?

[@barrybarnes96]

I think jeans look best when they're still pretty dark blue and still fairly uniformly blue ..so maybe what they look like after a couple of months of wear and 3-4 washes. Once they get large faded out patches on the front of your upper leg and/or rips etc...then they look like nasty wear that came out of a dumpster dive to me.

[@GTX1123]

If you look at pics of bikers from the 60's and 70's you can see really good denim fades; i.e. they weren't given to washing their jeans a whole lot...

[@deborahforbis9116]

Hey Nick, is it possible to do a video on your favorite denim jackets? Or at least give me some recommendations of the most in-demand denim jackets out there? I am researching the hell out of the internet and have found some great options from 3Sixteen/Rogue Territory/Momotaro/Tanuki, etc but I am so new to denim that it can be difficult to narrow down. Thank you!

[@Stridewise]

So I'm not an expert partly because I don't love blue denim on blue denim and partly because I have a longass torso so most don't fit me! I have Tanuki's Amagumo and an Oni type 3 in secret denim! this video might help kzbin.info/www/bejne/oovQi2R8acuihdk

[@1979augistine]

My man rocking a rad denim shirt heck yeah !

[@Stridewise]

@alexandergannon7780 was starchy and stiff, fresh off the shelf!

[@peregrineslim4446]

Can you actually get a job as a "denim-wearer" for those who need to wear a suit 9-5?

[@davesnothere8859]

at the levi store in the 80s they had product you could add to the wash to do this. while that isn't pure, it is also not nasty. wash your paints nasty asses.

[@ziggyplay]

Thanks! This has been very useful. Just looking for that worn out look, I washed my jeans very often to wash out the color. I just found out that the best way to wear them out is to not wash them very often. Cheers!

[@journeyman6752]

The Depaaaaaarted interview.. Yikes.

[@thomaskemp904]

3 months between washing?!!...bogging!

[@victorthaler9495]

Going to wash my raw denims the first time in 8 years

[@curlyanneb1973]

Can we discuss the stink. I mean, it’s gotta

[@itsbuyorbye8736]

3 months with no washing? 🤢

[@homeroho-mo1297]

3 MONTHS??????????????????????? NAH THATS CRAZY

[@Stridewise]

I'm very pro wash

[@chickletloki8444]

What brand denim jacket are you wearing?

[@Stridewise]

Naked and famous !

[@bienmendoza4111]

how much bleach though? should the bleach be mixed with tide?

[@Stridewise]

Just a capful! Yes with the tide at the start usually

[@Lunatic4Bizcas]

¡ Wrangler ® !