Designer jeans, and what happens after the first wash

The question nobody answers: what will it do after the first wash

You can put five pairs of jeans next to each other and they will behave completely differently, and no retailer tells you which is which. Here is the framework.

Sanforized denim has been pre-shrunk mechanically. Published figures for how much it still moves range from about 2 to 3% up to about 5%, so treat 5% as the outside case.

Unsanforized, sometimes called loomstate, has not. It can shrink up to about 10%, which the same source describes elsewhere as one to two sizes. That is a completely different purchase decision.

Denim with elastane in it does neither. It bags out instead, typically at the knee and the seat, and then partly recovers when washed.

Denim weight, in ounces

The oz figure is the weight of one square yard of the fabric, not the weight of the jeans.

Under 12oz is lightweight. Twelve to 16oz is midweight, which covers most of what people wear. Sixteen oz and above is heavyweight, which is stiff at first, takes longer to break in, and holds a crease and a fade far better.

Most denim of 20oz or more comes from Japan, against 11 to 14oz for standard Western denim. That is not the same as saying Japanese denim is generally heavy: most of it sits in the 13 to 16oz range like anything else.

What actually makes Japanese denim different

This gets written about badly, so here is the substance.

It is woven on vintage Toyoda shuttle looms descended from 1924 machines, which produce rolls a little under three feet wide. That narrow width is where the selvedge edge comes from. The looms run slowly, and some are deliberately modified to chatter, which creates the irregular surface texture that is the whole point.

Much of the high end is loomstate: not sanforized, not singed, not calendered. So it is precisely the denim most likely to shrink a full size.

The dye practice differs too, including dyed wefts that give a grey or brown cast rather than the white weft of standard denim.

Edwin comes out of this tradition, which is worth knowing before you buy a pair in your usual size.

Washing raw denim

Use cool to lukewarm water. Warmer water costs you more indigo and more shrinkage.

Soak in a tub for 30 to 45 minutes with minimal agitation, then rinse cold for five to ten minutes and hang to air dry overnight. No machine and no tumble dryer.

The old advice about waiting six months before the first wash is not supported by the people who actually know denim. Every three to four months of moderate wear is a reasonable interval.

Stretch, and what it does to the fit

Elastane in denim buys you comfort and costs you shape retention. A pair with meaningful stretch will feel better on day one and will have bagged at the knee by the end of the day, then come most of the way back after a wash.

Rigid denim does the opposite: uncomfortable for the first two weeks, then moulds to you and stays where you put it.

Neither is better. They are different purchases, and the mistake is buying one expecting the other.

What we have deliberately left out

We have not published a shrinkage percentage for any specific pair, and we have not repeated the commonly quoted figures for Levi's shrink-to-fit, because we could not source them from the brand.