Because denim is an exceptionally durable fabric, it can take years to get your jeans looking exactly how you’d like them. The rising popularity of distressed denim is the result of manufacturers addressing a serious gap in the market. The designer denim community was quick to start crafting jeans that had a more ‘lived-in’ look and feel – and the result, distressed denim, has been increasingly popular since it’s reinvention in 2001.
Distressed denim is made in a number of ways – sometimes the fabric is stretched over an abrasive surface to create ‘bald’ patches; sometimes a slightly-acidic wash is used to soften the fabric; sometimes the jeans are put together and then run through a machine that slices and cuts the trousers at random to create a distressed effect. The process can be as simple or complicated as the designer chooses.
Popular makers of designer distressed denim jeans include Paper Denim & Cloth, Chip and Pepper and Seven for all Mankind. Most labels known for making jeans produce at least a few styles in distressed denim – Levis,Wrangler, Pepe, and Calvin Klein are just a few notable names.
Generally, distressed denim jeans will cost you more than the more standard washes and styles – this is supposedly because of the extended time distressed denim spends in production. However, many of the lower-end brands distress their denim with machines, this means the majority of jeans produced have the exact same markings, somewhat defeating the purpose of buying ‘unique’ distressed jeans in the first place. That unique look and feel is what designers hope you’re after – and willing to pay a little extra for.
When you’re buying distressed denim jeans online, ask the retailer for additional pictures so that you can be sure the jeans are just ‘distressed’, not destroyed – this is particularly important when you’re buying from smaller boutiques where designer jeans are ‘hand distressed’. Also, beware of counterfeiting – many of the more expensive labels are frequent victims of copy-cats, and the quality of the distressing is a real let down, even at a bargain price.
© Designer Jeans.org.uk 2006
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