Do some brands break in faster than others or do all dry jeans seem to wear at the same rate?

SDA's and Sugar Canes break in the longest, then Nudie, then APC, then Earnest Sewn.

The heavier the denim and more dyes, the longer it takes to break it in.

Thanks Grapist.

I don't necessarily agree with that. Denim does not absord indigo well, so whether it has plenty of indigo or not will not matter too much in terms of the "breaking in time". The more you wear your dry jeans, the quicker it will break in. If you ride a bicycle to work and walk with your jeans, they will break in more quickly than someone who drives to work in their jeans. It all depends on the person wearing them more than the actual jean itself

well... both matter.

well dyed jeans(many dips in the indigo dye) will take longer than poorly dyed jeans. they also take on deeper hues once they start to fade. this is the reason japanese brands like sugarcane and samuari take a long time to break, and nudie gets great results in 6 months. this is one factor.

the second is the yarns used in the denim itself. if you have ringxring denim, the core of the denim is going to be white, with all the indigo on the outer part. with OE yarns, they are more porus, so more indigo leeces into the center of the yarn, making for a less vivid fade that takes longer to show contrast. most selvage denim is ringxring.

the person wearing also plays a huge role. if you just walk around someties and go out in your jeans, it will take a long time to show wear. THIS is the main reason that people suggest waiting 6 months to wash. if you are very active, you will fade your jeans much quicker. see my 2 month old sugarcanes in the evolution thread for an example of this.(i skatebaord 1-2 hours a day in them, and have washed them 5 times)