Taking Care of Raw Denim: The Sun

I'm not a denim head by any means but when it comes to caring for raw denim we share the same philosophy: no washing for an extended period of time.

I've had my 501s for a while now but aren't even close to being worn-in since I don't wear them often enough, let alone every day. They've gotten softer though, evidenced by its droopiness, which is a good sign. Whiskering is evident on the crotch and a few creases behind the knees, but nowhere near honeycombing. Otherwise fading is minimal and the colour distribution remains uniform.

How long to wait before your first wash depends on who you ask: purists insist never; aficionados wait at least one year; and enthusiasts around six months, but this is purely my conjecture. One uncompromising condition, regardless of time period, is the denim should (must) be worn (almost) every day from day one until you finally decide it's time to wash. It builds character, for you and the jeans.

Odour is the number one concern of the raw denim regimen, especially if you wear yours every day. There are many methods proposed online from putting your denim in the freezer for hours or days (I don't believe in this approach) to soaking them in a light soap or detergent solution for 30 minutes (hand agitation optional), or even just tossing them in the washing machine on the short or delicate setting—proceed at your discretion.

The inside of your jeans is always in contact with your skin, meaning the build up of dead skin cells, sweat, and oils provide fertile grounds for bacteria to fester. Turn them inside out before sunbathing your raw denim. Lay them flat or hang them; either way it's imperative the sun's rays come in full contact with the fabric because UV rays work best on contact, so any area untouched will be out of UV's wrath.

My preferred odour killing method until my first wash is to leave them out in the sun. Ultraviolet light kills enough bacteria and germs to rid of any odours starting to manifest in or on your jeans, leaving behind that warm sun-kissed scent. I say "enough" because ultraviolet light works best for sanitising air and water, which they have special machines for. Ultraviolet light directly from the sun won't be nearly as effective as UV light machines because it passes through the ozone layer reducing the amount that actually makes it to earth's surface even on a clear day, so ideally the jeans should sit out in the sun for a while.

This is where I explain what "for a while" means. I waited for nearly 18 months (a testament to how seldom I wear them) before I decided to sunbathe my 501s, and that's because it started developing a gnarly funk so I left them in the sun for two hours each side (turned inside-out, of course). Admittedly, that didn't quite do it so I did another session—this time for three hours on the front, again inside-out, which seemed to do the job. My point is start early. If you just started wearing/breaking in your raw denim and want to keep them fresh, leave them in the sun whenever you instinctively feel like you need to wash them. That way you can regulate the bacteria growth and delay your first wash.

Don't forget the sunbathe the outside, too. Another property of sunlight is colour degradation—like bleach, but at a snail's pace, so don't worry too much about colour loss if preservation is your goal.

Many factors affect how often and how long to sunbathe your raw denim:

• Denim weight: a lighter denim (12 oz. or less) will require less time in the sun than a heavier denim (above 16 oz.)
• Frequency and duration of wear: all day every day, or once a week for a few hours?
• Lifestyles: active vs sedentary
• Your physiology: do you sweat easily and profusely?
• Strength of the sun during seasons; a hot sunny summer day is more effective than a cold sunny winter day
• Proximity of where you live to the equator (maybe I'm stretching now)
• Laying your denim flat to air out after wear is better than folding them up right away

I will delay the first wash on my 501s as long as possible mainly because I don't wear them enough, but I don't believe in never washing them. The beauty of raw denim is the very quality that makes them somewhat high maintenance, but the results that come from the effort are more than worth it when you consider that, yes, many people may own the same pair you own but when it emerges from the chrysalis that is new raw denim your pair will be uniquely yours. Raw denim is a subtle wearable personality, for those who pay attention.