Complex How to: Repair your jeans with Self Edge NYC

Here's the thing about raw denim: after months and months of wear key areas like the crotch and back pockets can blow out, and your hard-earned fades and whiskers can seem like a lost cause.

Thankfully, Andrew Chen of Self Edge New York can help. The shop repairs jeans through a process called "darning." It's way more durable than a patch and essentially creates new fabric and weaves it into the old denim, creating a more natural look that gets better with age.

You can't do this just anywhere — Self Edge is one of the few places equipped with a 1950s Singer Darning Machine.

Check out how they can make your favorite pair of jeans last longer as Andrew walks us through darning process.

[craigferry]

The sewing machine is a Singer 47W70 Cylinder Arm Darning Machine

[swicheroo]

I'm from LA. I moved to Iowa for a while, and had a lady who would do repairs to the crotch of my 500 dollar jeans. You had to drive 30 minutes deep into the countryside. She charged me 8 bucks a pair and acted guilty like she was cheating me. In LA, a repair like that would have cost me 50 bucks.

[suetv]

Cool machine. In 2018 this tear is feature, not a problem, hehe.

[Melatina]

Can this work for other fibers? How about dress pants?

[guardian]

Wow, I never knew a hole that large could be repaired without it looking odd and bunched up. Very impressive. You are an artist my friend.

[KevinMichaelMichael]

I love this video. I hope more people start to consider products that can be repaired instead of just thrown out.

[Stan_sprinkle]

cool to know that's a legit process. I sort of "accidentally" had the same process done in Korea to my favorite jeans. I didn't speak enough Korean (still don't) to understand what they said they were going to do, and at first I thought they just hacked it and did some weird technique on my jeans. But watching this, it looks like they did a pretty good job. For about $15, too.

[GaryAKline]

Anybody who gave dislikes must be competitors. I think Andrew Chen did a great job of explaining some of the typical hole/rip problems with denim jeans and how best to repair them. Knowing what I learned here, I was able to visit a local tailor and have them do this kind of repair for a relatively inexpensive price. $5-$10 to extend the life of a pair of favorite jeans for at least another year or two is well worth it!

[macmurfyjka]

Darning jeans done right! So many people patch and pray, or pinch and none of those solutions work as well as a real darn that uses existing fabric like what you did. Good job dude.

[livingaboard]

I thought this was a pretty cool video. I had no idea this type of repair was possible.  I would like to see how this machine works in more detail

[studiofaro]

Excellent work!  And yes I am experiencing machine envy in a big way...

[BigNak]

Great business model to preserve people's jeans. I have amazing memories in my jeans and will be by your shop soon

[raechelnahh]

I'm going to see how this works with my darning foot. For those asking about using a flat foot I recommend seeking out a darning foot for your machine.. they are not that expensive. Denim thread + Darning foot. I'm sure we can simulate his magic. My Husband fucks his jeans up SO BAD... This will save my sanity for sure.

[heathermartinez]

This is one of the only videos I've seen where a patch was not used

[j_gate]

"A stich in time saves nine " I guess applies well here Beautiful work and nicely edited also, perfect amount of context to really convey the process. I'm now a subscriber.

[Adventurousgirlu]

Can You please do a video using a regular sewing machine. and put a link on my box

[johangnuhp]

clean AF, wish I had a sewing machine.

[hanksgavin]

He did a great job on that repair. I wish I could see a longer more in depth video though. Thanks guys.

[ajchen]

@GaldinoSanchez We've got storefronts in SF (714 Valencia) and LA (144 N. La Brea), but this was filmed at our NY location (157 Orchard).

[johnplank]

Wow what an awesome vid!! Now I want one of those machines. I've just started repairing jeans. On a brother.. going to look for one asap. Thanks for sharing.