Raw Denim 101: A Beginners Guide to Understanding Raw Denim

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In this video professional male image consultant and style expert, Aaron Marino, explains the difference between regular denim and raw or dry denim. Raw denim is becoming a very popular alternative the normal wash jeans. Learn how to take care, wash and clean your raw denim jeans. How to eliminate smell, care, wear and how to wear your new raw denim jeans. This is denim for dummies. Understanding raw denim and selvedge jeans

[georgeking]

that's right! wear them for a long time until it will stand alone if you take them off, and it will climb the the wall all by itself.

[millennialdisposition]

Never thought I'd hear the words "virgin jeans" 😂

[dcf]

love this video, i love raw denim jeans (Levi 505 shrink to fit ) but the secret is to DRY CLEAN ONLY or the other method vinegar & water but you never wash them otherwise the fit is changed drastically! and the color becomes totally different

[SpiritJaivyn]

Want to begin with dry/raw denim?
Cheaper: Unbranded, Cheap Monday, certain Nudie Jeans, Levi's STF
Medium: Naked & Famous, A.P.C. Atelier laDurance
High end: Momotaro, Iron Heart, Samurai, Somet

For clean freaks: one guy got his jeans tested at university at the beginning and after months of wearing: bacteria levels were not different from one that was worn just one day. Smell depends on your own hygiene and what you do, no one can smell anything from my dry jeans :P

[Beckah]

I put on my new raw denim jeans on april 26, 2015 and around that time I also watched this video. In 2 days my jeans will turn 1 year without a single wash. They look amazing with all their creases and such and today I'm washing them for the first time and I'm so excited!

[EbonyBladeXX.mp]

Raw denim boys for life. Reppin the Rogue Territories right now.

[stevenambrosio]

3 months in on my Petite Standards and they still smell brand new. The only way that your jeans will smell after 2 wears is if you've never used a shower in your life.

[DrawesomeGaming]

Finally! A hobby my mom's willing to fund!

[drwisdom]

I have been wearing US made shrink-to-fit (STF) Levis 501xx jeans since 1970 so I have a lot of experience with "raw" jeans. I don't believe your recommendations are practical. Before washing, Levis STF 501xx jeans are way too big to wear. So much that it is hard to believe they will shrink enough to fit, but they do. If you buy too small a size so that they fit when unwashed, then you can never wear them again once they are washed. Levis STF 501xx jeans are so stiff you can't wear them before washing. Even after the first washing and drying they are still too stiff. I have to wash them at least twice before they don't hurt.

My beliefs are that anyone who buys Levis STF 501xx jeans that fit them before being washed is wasting their money, and anyone who wears them before washing is a masochist.

[BlueBetaPro]

They might not smell, at least not that much, there are bacteria called AOB (Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria) that develop and they consume the smelly ammonia. AOBs are really beneficial bacteria can remove smell, heal wounds, reduce acne and help keep your skin clean.

You might think that cavemen were really smelly, in fact this might not be true because of AOBs. If you stop showering with soap and use just water after 2 weeks the smell of sweat will go away and stay away, I tried it and my acne also healed up really well during that time. The bacteria is also used in some hospitals to spray directly on wounds to help them heal faster and better. There's also a commercial skin care product.

[ClericBranson]

Apc, naked and famous, nudie jeans co. Boom! There it is.

[bcbbysausage]

Meh, I haven't wash my jeans in 2 years and they don't smell bad, guess I'm either lucky or you shit yourself monthly?

[strad]

I found it curious that you hadn't mentioned the sizing/shrinkage factor which is critical to unsanforized denim. My cheap LEVIS STF get the hot water tub soak for an hour, then drip damp and out on until dry. This is the raw denim custom fit method, THEN wear without washing for extended period.

A critical component of the goal.for me. My 34' inseam is now 31' and perfect!

[ToddCopeland]

Might have been mentioned before but freezing temps _don't_ kill bacteria. What will remove the bacteria is to heat the jeans up to 110F. Also, studies have shown very little increase in bacteria on unwashed jeans when compared to washed jeans.

[MrDrewbies]

It's funny reading the number of comments saying that not washing your jeans is disgusting. The CEO of Levi's said at a conference that he hadn't washed his jeans in over a year. I never wash mine and there's absolutely no smell. Obviously if you spill some food on them you'll want to sponge it off but there's no need to throw them in the washing machine.

[TheLastSliceOfPie]

This is too much commitment for jeans for me. I'm already doing enough with just getting shit dry-cleaned. Plus thick, raw denim if you're wearing a slim fit makes it extremely uncomfortable if you squat down or bend your knees a lot in my experience.

[mandeepbaweja]

I wear raw denim almost last 2 years i stopped wearing i dont wash my jeans....but i dont like the results after washing....so i buy another in every 6 months and donate older....i m a dark denim lover!

[payperplane_pilot]

i’m halfway thru the video and you’re hilarious 🤣 🤣 you had me at “uh uh jack that’s not how it works” lmfaooo 😂😂

[dang]

Decent video, it covers some very general knowledge. But misses a few key points. I think as an average not-in-the-know viewer was to watch this, he or she would assume that unwashed denim is this new phenomenon. And while it certainly has made a comeback within the last decade or so, unwashed/selvedge construction jeans are about as old as time itself. That's why people like myself enjoy them. it represents tradition, an Era where things were simply built better. the 'self edge' lining comes from the old shuttle looms, which bind the ends of the fabric neatly and clean. This is how denim was ORIGINALLY produced. Owning a pair of Cone Mills denim is like putting on a piece of history. In the mid-late 70s companies started using a much faster denim production technique known as projectile looms. While they can weave denim in higher volumes and in much shorter time, leave these very frayed/messy ends to the fabric, which is much more likely to unravel than your traditional selvedge cut. with that out of the way, as far as the smell goes I have never had a problem with that. I'm 6 months strong into my 17oz Cone denim from Left Field NYC (Made in the good ole USA) and I have no odors whatsoever. and I wear these jeans pretty damn hard. I guess it all comes down to personal hygiene? I shower twice a day so my likely hood of smelling like shit is low. I see pre-distressed jeans as asinine. Since the factory methods of distressing the jeans are extremely tough on the fabric (they often get washed and dried with basalt stones lol) it's like buying a brand new car from the dealership but they "broke it in" for you by adding 15, 000 miles on it.

[bigred]

Funny video. I used to use the freezer and Febreeze, but after a while, I just gave up. Embrace the smell of your denim, it's the smell of progression and VICTORY!