Modules Jeans: designs a jean

My best friend Kate is huge Dry Denim enthusiast. “Why would I want to buy jeans that are made to look like I already wore them? I just don’t get it,” she says, “What I do, is buy raw denim and, at first, they may be awful, but then I sit in my bathtub wearing them, and soak in them…and then I wear them til they’re practically dry on me…Oh my gosh! It is toruture! But totally worth it…” she squeals… “Then, I wear them constantly, do crazy things like lunges in them, jump around in them, maybe even work out in them, dance around the house in them, and of course, I never wash them…Then they behave. Then it’s not as if it looks like I broke them in…because, I actually did! The best part is when they get all of the creases in them…around the backs of my knees and on my legs…and they are my creases. Man, I wish they were more of a girl thing though…it’s so hard to find great women’s dry jeans. Love my Levi’s though!”

new jeans raw soaked Guide to Dry & Raw Denim

Brand New Raw Denim After their First Soak in the Tub!

I can remember one week last year when Kate came to visit me. She had the most amazing pair of Levi’s on. When I say amazing, I mean really amazing. They were the kind of jeans that look like you had to lay down to get them on, but really, she didn’t have to do that at all. She just glided right into them. They were straight leg and just slightly high waisted…but nothing too trendy. And as she had mentioned in her previous dissertation on broken in dry denim, they were faded everywhere, just right to her body.

What was the secret? They were dry denim of course.

So, maybe many of you already know about Dry Denim, or, as it is sometimes called, “Raw” Denim. Dry Denim is, in fact, developing a cult following these days with huge fan forum’s and websites out there. Like my best friend, there are many people who agree, that a natural fit and fade to one’s own body, is preferable to a fade that is made to order. There are companies out there that are specifically devoted to Dry Denim and guys and girls alike who refuse to buy anything else. Finding Dry denim for women, however, I do have to agree is typically more challenging, and much of the women’s dry denim is…well…watered down a bit…but…let’s get down to basics first…

Characterized by its unaffected state, Dry Denim relies on the denim and the wearer themselves to get the material and color to that cozy and, if you will, sometimes destroyed stage that we love so much. Denim is an American Favorite for many reasons. The main basis, I would venture to say, is it’s comfort factor. No matter what style we make a jean (skinny, wide, boot, boyfriend, straight, etc), they still remain pretty comfortable. There is pretty much nothing we can do to make denim uncomfortable (ok, there are times when we wear it too tight and yes, that crosses the line!). But, as a whole, denim’s ability to soften up and adhere to your particular body, creating, at times, an almost cashmere feel, is what has made the industry impenetrable and the look iconic (understatement). The difference between Dry Denim and the majority of our designer denim favorites today is that the makers of dry denim are leaving it completely up to the denim and you to do the softening and wearing….they are taking themselves out of the equation. Way to trust the jeans!

So, although it certainly is not the quickest way to an A+ fit, it seems to be the most authentic these days.

Here are some pictures of dry denim’s progression: