Caring for raw denim is simple: wear them often before you ever wash them, then wash rarely, always in cold water and turned inside out. Hang them to dry instead of using the dryer, and spot-clean small marks as they happen. The longer you wait between washes, the sharper your personal fades will be. Let them come on their own.
What raw denim is, and why it fades
Raw denim is denim that has never been washed or treated after dyeing. It arrives dark, stiff and uniform, and it stays that way until you start living in it. The indigo sits mostly on the surface of the yarn, wrapped around a paler core. As you move, sit and bend, the dye wears away at the points of highest contact, revealing the lighter cotton underneath.
That is where the character comes from. Whiskers fan out from the hips. Honeycombs form behind the knees. High-contact points like the front of the thighs and the edges of the pockets fade first and fastest. None of it is printed or faked. The pattern is a record of how you actually wear them, which is why no two pairs end up the same.
Breaking them in
Breaking in raw denim means wearing it enough for the fabric to soften and the fades to begin. There is no trick to it. You just put them on and keep them on, ideally for weeks or months before the first wash. The denim moulds to your body, the creases settle where you bend, and the contrast builds.
A few habits help. Wear them on real days, not just around the house, so the friction does its work. Resist washing at the first sign of looseness, because that softness is the fabric breaking in, not wearing out. And if you crease something you would rather not keep, a bit of movement usually evens it out.
Washing and drying
When the time finally comes, wash rarely and gently. Turn the jeans inside out, use cold water, and skip the heavy detergent. Hang them to dry on a line or a rack. Heat from a dryer is the main thing to avoid, since it shrinks fibres, dulls the indigo and can crack the fades you have spent months earning.
Between washes, lean on spot-cleaning. A damp cloth lifts most small marks without touching the rest of the fabric. Remember the trade-off: less washing keeps contrast sharp and the fades dramatic, while more washing gives you a softer, more even colour. Neither is wrong. It is a matter of the look you want.
A note on airing out
If you are stretching the gap between washes, air your jeans regularly. Hang them by an open window or outside on a fresh day. It keeps them feeling clean without putting them through the wash.
The heavyweight, baggy angle: the Resurge Jeans
Heavier denim rewards patience. Our Resurge Jeans are a 420 GSM heavyweight raw denim in a baggy cut, dark blue out of the box and built to age. That weight gives the fabric real structure, so the creases hold and the fades come through with depth rather than washing out flat.
The baggy fit shapes where the contrast lands. More movement through the hips and behind the knees means more pronounced whiskers and honeycombs over time. Wear them in properly and they become unmistakably yours. You can find them alongside the rest of our bottoms.
We are Phrase Studios, a small label out of Gent, Belgium, started in 2023. From friends, to friends. We like clothes that get better the longer you keep them, and raw denim is about as honest as that idea gets.
FAQ
How often should you wash raw denim?
As rarely as you reasonably can. Many people go several months before the first wash and only wash occasionally after that. Less washing means sharper, higher-contrast fades. If you prefer a softer, more even colour, wash a little more often. Spot-clean small marks in between and air the jeans out regularly.
Can you put raw denim in the dryer?
It is best not to. The dryer's heat shrinks the fabric, dulls the indigo and can crack the fades you have worked for. Hang your jeans to dry on a line or a rack instead, and let them dry fully before wearing.
How long before the first wash?
There is no fixed rule, but the common approach is to wait until the jeans genuinely need it, often a few months of regular wear. Waiting lets your personal fades set in before any washing softens the contrast. When you do wash, go cold and inside out.