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...
