New Trend: Not Washing Your Jeans—for Months

Raw denim enthusiasts like it dirty
By Kate Seamons,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 29, 2010 3:53 PM CDT
Updated Oct 2, 2010 8:00 AM CDT
New Trend: Not Washing Your Jeans—for Months
Dirty = better?   (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Why spend $150 on ripped, faded, and worn designer jeans when you can make your own—by not washing them for six months? That's the thought process behind lovers of "raw denim," who wear the same pair over and over and over again, even sleeping in them. "You wear the raw denim in, as much as you can, so that it starts taking on your body shape," said Darryl de Necker, who wore one pair for 22 months with only two washes.

Raw denim isn't what you buy at the Gap—it hasn't been washed before hitting shelves, so it's stiff and covered in indigo dye that rubs off over time, leaving creases to show where your knees bend, or around where your iPhone lives in your pocket, reports Aol News. Which leads to the all-important individuality of the pants. "All the marks on them after two or so years are your own. Not like a pair of treated denim you buy in a store that looks the same as everyone else's, but your own." Want to try it? Levi's sells raw denim 501s for $37 ... or you could fork over $260 for Jean Shop's pair. Click here to learn how raw denim enthusiasts keep their jeans clean, sans washing machine.
(More raw denim stories.)

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