Thursday, April 19, 2012

raw

Have you heard of raw denim?  Maybe everyone has already and I'm just super late to the game, but on the off chance that you're like me, I thought I'd share my discovery with you.


I first read about raw denim over at Dead Fleurette (one of my favorite blogs, check it out if you're not familiar with it), and she linked over to the guys at Rawr Denim, where I promptly got completely sucked in to this fascinating subculture and lost the better part of my day.

Raw denim is unwashed and untreated; it's stiff and dark, and from what I can tell, incredibly uncomfortable in the beginning.  And then, as you wear it (no washing allowed!), it conforms and molds to your body in a way that raw denim virgins like me can only begin to imagine (Levi's 501s, shrink-to-fit?  Yup, that's what that means).  It begins to crease and fade and tell the story of You.  Your wallet/coin/good luck charm in your back pocket, extra wear from the shaft of your boots, abrasions on the hip from your messenger bag... all those whiskers and fades and creases that high-end denim companies spend so much time artificially creating for us, will actually be yours, honest and authentic.  Maybe it's totally irrational for me to be so enthralled by the idea, but I'm starting to obsess.  And I'm thinking I may have to try this.  I'd probably go with the A.P.C.s, since they seem so easily accessible, but there's lots of options out there if you're interested.

After the jump, some enticing photos from Rawr Denim...

There's plenty of info on raw denim online, the sheer amount of forums and chats and articles will blow your mind, (though it does seem mostly male-driven).  Rawr Denim seems to be one of the greatest resources though, with detailed explanations of what exactly it is, how to care for it, how/when to wash, etc.  My favorite posts though are from the Fade Fridays section, where people send in photos of their own raw denim, before and after.





What do you think?  Would you try it?

12 comments:

  1. Hmm, sounds like an interesting idea! Very cool!

    xx
    Giovanna
    www.oliveandanarrow.com

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  2. thanks for visiting my blog and leavin a comment.
    this sounds interesting, but I don`t think I would try it. this color is to dark for me, I`m not much of a fan of it, but the worst thing is this uncomfortableness. I would go crazy!

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  3. It sounds very interesting, but I am not too sure about it.

    I hope you are having a great weekend.

    Stop by our blog and enter our Giveaway for a personalized necklace by Sima.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I LOVE the idea of this but my only concern is how long it takes to finally get over the stiff uncomfortable beginning stage?

    Would love to read someone's adventure with raw denim and to hear/see how it progresses!

    I'd definitely try it. xx

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  5. I love raw, and the consept is amazing!!!

    love K

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  6. The stiff part turns me off...but I like the idea of a Story of You. You'll have to let me know how it goes if you give them a shot!

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  7. The stiff part turns me off...but I like the idea of a Story of You. You'll have to let me know how it goes if you give them a shot!

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  8. What a cool concept. I would love to see what type of effects my body would on these jeans. The discomfort in the beginning is a little discouraging but I'm curious enough to try it. Thanks for sharing. I'm going to look into this some more. ;)

    You Like It? I Made It!
    http://youlikeitimadeit.blogspot.com/

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  9. I own a pair! I've had the jeans for about a year and a half (still haven't washed them...gross or not?) They're highwaisted and dark denim (I haven't washed them because I LOOVE that they are dark wash instead of light wash, and I am scared I won't find another pair of dark highwaisted jeans that I love as much!) Mine are not Rawr denim, but similar - and they were not very uncomfortable or stiff in the beginning, they were just like any normal pair of jeans!

    You should definitely purchase a pair!

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    Replies
    1. Cool! Always good to hear from folks who are experienced in this. To date I've been too intimidated and overwhelmed to actually take the plunge, and now that it's 500° outside the idea of dark denim sounds worse that 7 years in hell, but come fall I'm definitely going to look deeper into this. I'd love to hear more about yours, what brand they are, where you got them, if you tried them on first, how they fit when you first got them...

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  10. Cool post! I learned a lot from all of those articles. I also found this article which is really thorough: https://www.washingtonalley.com/blogs/raw-denim/the-10-things-to-know-about-raw-denim-before-purchasing

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