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dry denim is denim fabric in its purest form - it has yet not been washed or treated. this means a pair of dry denim jeans has never touched water before you do your first home laundry.
to understand how to take care of dry denim jeans, i will divide it into two categories: unsanforized and sanforized denim. the difference between the two is that unsanforized denim will shrink up to 2 sizes in waist and length during the first couple of home laundries, while sanforized denim has minor shrinkage abilities.
bdd only uses the second category, so I will focus on to wash and take care of sanforized denim. |
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pre-washed denim is a pair of denim jeans that has been rinsed, stonewashed or treated in any other way after the stitching process in the factory. the effects made on jeans that are pre-washed often replicate authentic fading you would get by wearing a pair of dry denim jeans for some time. unfortunately it is impossible to make it look like you have actually worn in the pair yourself, so you will always see a difference between a pre-washed pair of jeans and a worn in pair of dry denim jeans.
because it is impossible to make a perfect replica of a worn in pair of dry denim jeans, bdd only uses effects to alter the colour of the fabric such as rinsing, stonewashing and bleaching. eg. the bdd-001 super stone has been stonewashed with pumich stones dipped in bleach, to create an even light and bright colour. if you want an authentic looking pair of worn in jeans, i shall always suggest to go for dry denim.
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taking care of you dry denim jeans is quite easy - just follow these 3 rules:
rule #1.
wash your dry denim jeans as less as possible. water and detergent will gain too much loss of indigo and cause unwanted creases. too much washing will also create an equally faded out pair of jeans - what we want is high constrast fading on our dry denim jeans.
rule #2.
delay the first laundry as long as possible. how long depends per lifestyle, fabric and fit - 6 months is good period of time to start with - a longer wait is recommended.
rule #3.
wear your jeans as much as possible - preferbly every day.
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pre-washed denim jeans do not have that much rules as dry denim jeans, but the first rule applies to pre-washed jeans as well:
avoid washing your jeans as much as possible, as water and detergent speed up the fading process of the indigo and eventually break the fibers from inside. tumble drying will speed up this process even more, and add some extra shrinkage. i highly discourage the use of tumbler dryers, not only for your jeans, but for all clothing. |
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when the time comes to do the first home laundry, follow these steps:
*measure the inseam and take a note - this is important to check if the jeans have shrunk in length after wash.
*turn the jeans inside out and close all buttons.
*put the jeans in the laundry machine without any other clothing.
*set the machine on 40° C for standard fading effect or on 60° C for higher constrast.
*add a small amount of detergent.
*turn off the tumbler dry setting.
*turn on the laundry machine and wait.
*when finished, immedeately take out the jeans.
*measure the inseam again and check your note.
*if the inseams have shrunk, you can now stretch them back while they are still wet by holding the waistband with one hand and pulling on the hem with the other hand, untill they have the same length as before.
*lay them down flat to dry.
*when still a little damp, turn them back and put the jeans on.
*now check if all creases that have become more visible after wash still match with the foldings that appear when kneeling down.
*if they match, take them off and let them dry completely - if they don't match, manually rearrange the foldings at the correct areas and kneel down a couple of times before taking them of again to dry completely.
*when completely dry, take some pictures of the jeans and send them to info@benzakdenimdevelopers.com to earn a spot in the gallery page.
for the next couple of home laundries it is suggested to follow the same steps as above, but try not to wash more than once per 30 days of wear. after this you may wash together with similar coloured clothing, but remember to:
*always turn the jeans inside out.
*never use the tumbler dry function.
*get rid of most folds before dry, to avoid unwanted and perminent creases.
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to wash your pre-washed jeans at home, follow these tips:
*as said before, wash as less as possible - it is not necessary to delay the first wash till 6 months, but no more than once per 30 days of wear is recommended.
*always turn the jeans inside out.
*wash together with similar coloured clothing.
*never use the tumbler dry function.
*before hang to dry, get rid of most folds to avoid unwanted and perminent creases.
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