Help me find some nice raws!

emilyLOVESlime · #1 (**permalink**) 02-23-2012, 01:58 PM

Hey guys

So my guy's birthday is coming up and while he didn't know about raw denim just a month ago, I've introduced him to the idea and he loves it. He's the kind of guy that likes making stuff (wood, metal, leather) and wears only two pairs of jeans (that are identical, except for straight/bootcut leg) and just rotates them.

I told him that raws would be perfect, described the reason why you wear them, and he loves the idea of creating his own wash. The words "if I want rips I will put them in by myself" comes out of his mouth a lot, so I think this will be a perfect gift.

Now it comes down to which brand and what cut to get him. His favorite pair of jeans that we tried on at the Diesel store were Vikers in 882v, which were a stretch pair. He liked them better than all the other Viker washes because the stretch pairs seemed to have a SLIGHTLY slimmer leg.

Diesel Viker 882v Jeans for men

He tends to be a size 28/29 in the waist but he has thicker legs (he has a swimmer body)…wondering what the sizing is for raws- I know you're supposed to get a smaller size and let it stretch, right? We'll be going to Selfedge to try on the jeans, and I'm looking for a slightly lower price point since it'll be his first pair.

treasurehoard · #2 (**permalink**) 02-23-2012, 03:11 PM

Nudie or 3Sixteen is probably the 2 cheaper brands you will find at Selfedge. You might be able to pick something up for around $200 for those. Otherwise I think most of them start at $300 and go up from there. If you are looking for a lower price point on anything but Nudies it will be tough. You might be able to pick up a lightly used pair on superfuture. Unless you can catching them on sale at selfedge or finding a way to buy them in Japan (most of the time the proxy fees will nullify any discount and with the Yen currently sky high you won't find much of a deal).

VSwim09 · #3 (**permalink**) 02-23-2012, 03:53 PM

^^ agreed. Naked and famous is cheaper too but they aren't at selfedge. I don't know anything about them though. You can always go through rakuten and eliminate the middle man but you need to be confident in what you are ordering because they don't communicate so well in english.

Raw denim doesn't tend to stretch like prewash junk since there is often elastane or some other stretchy material in the fabric. Raw is 100% cotton minus the thread in some jeans. The will stretch out and stay there unless washed, when they shrink again. 3sixteen seems to be slimmer cuts in general I would say but all brands carry the gamut of sizes.

emilyLOVESlime · #4 (**permalink**) 02-23-2012, 04:44 PM

Thanks Mike...I was poking around the Selfedge website and it looks like Nudies (or 3sixteen) might be a good fit for him. I was looking to spend around $200-$250. Anybody know what cut would be similar to the Viker for either brand? It seems like there aren't too many options for cuts (which is good, its not overwhelming) so I might just make him try on 6-7 pairs in the store.

I guess I was asking about that initial stretch. If he was in between sizes, would he just go with the 28? I know they won't shrink back until washed but its better to go with the smaller size, correct? Or should we kind of size it like any normal jean that he would be buying?

treasurehoard · #5 (**permalink**) 02-23-2012, 05:20 PM

3sixteen 12bsp or Nudie Avg Joes will probably be what you want. The workers at selfedge will be able to give you a better idea of how much shrinkage the denim will have than I can.

Nudie is sanforized so you won't need to soak, but it will still shrink on the 1st wash a bit.

emilyLOVESlime · #6 (**permalink**) 02-23-2012, 06:04 PM

Thanks

And then I have questions on how to wear the denim. I know obvs that you will fully wash the jeans after a certain amount of time (and the time is up to you) but what if you want to clean them because they smell bad, etc? I've been poking around and obviously I am buying the cheaper end of dry denim so people say not to wash them because the dye job isn't that great. Thoughts? I think my boyfriend's jeans would get smelly after awhile.

Also, are soaks used mainly to "wash off" the displaced indigo and make the jeans cleaner? You do lose the creases and combs afterwards, right?

If there is a thread that I can read to better answer my own questions (I've scanned through all the stickied posts on this part of the forum) please point me there

treasurehoard · #7 (**permalink**) 02-24-2012, 12:19 AM

In general people say 6 months is a good time for the 1st wash. Really its up to the wearer though. I have seen pairs that were washed with in 4 months that turned out incredible. Nothing wrong with washing them on a regular basis. Overtime the jeans will fade with wear and washing.

Soak can be used for cleaning, can also help to shrink the jeans - the waist on 1 of my pairs stretched a lot, after a good soak it tightened back up for a while so the jeans fit better. Depends on how long you soak them for but yea at least some of the creases flatten out. Mine tend to crease in the same/similar spots every time though so it makes the fade lines a bit wider.

Personally just IMO you should try to find a pair on superfuture. I see decent prices for good pairs there all the time. As long as it is something he likes and will wear on a regular basis it will be worth it in the long run.

emilyLOVESlime · #8 (**permalink**) 02-24-2012, 12:58 AM

Hmm. Okay. I am just afraid of the fit (without trying the jeans on) because I know he is really picky about it. Maybe I'll just have him try some stuff on at Selfedge and if he likes any of it I'll go hunt for a cheaper pair.