I just returned from Los Angeles to meet with a new jeans manufacturer.  Why did I have to do that when we’ve been making jeans in Los Angeles for five years with the same trusted sewing contractor throughout?  Well, Rock and Republic (a luxury denim brand) also used this contractor and that’s how this story starts.

The contractor’s business strategy was to have one anchor brand that kept him busy — that was Rock and Republic.  Then they had a few smaller brands like Todd Shelton that filled in the gaps.  When Rock and Republic filed for bankruptcy in Spring 2010, writing off their debt was too much for our contractor — they closed shop.  So — we had to find a new contractor.

We spend years developing relationships like these, so it’s always “bad timing” to have something like this happen.  But the timing here was particularly challenging, because we had customers waiting on jeans.

I leaned on some trusted contacts in Los Angeles, and we went to work researching potential replacements.  We chose a contractor that came with excellent referrals and philosophically fit well with the Todd Shelton brand.  We look to work with people who value quality, have an eye for details, and generally treat people with respect.  It takes time to find people like this, but when we do, it’s always exciting.

With our decision made, I flew out to LA to get our relationship with the new contractor underway. 

The good news is that this change brought new ideas to the table, and that means more excitement for our denim line.  And while we hate making our customers wait, we also can’t give them anything but our best jean construction.  So to all of you who have been so patient, I apologize and appreciate your unwavering support.  You guys have been amazingly patient throughout this process.

I promise we are going to deliver you a pair of jeans that will be better than ever, and that the wait will be worth it. And to those of you who haven’t tried a pair of Todd Shelton jeans yet, now’s a perfect time to do it.  Thanks everybody.

You can wash your jeans as you do any garment, but if you want to preserve the integrity of the denim and bring out the high’s-and-low’s (which makes denim beautiful and your jeans unique), you’ll need to make a few adjustments to your standard wash process.

Each time you wash your jeans, you wash away a touch of the denims natural indigo color.  This color loss not only changes the color of your jeans, it also fades the distinct high-and-low distress marks created each time you wear them.  Keeping this distress visible is desirable; with it, the jeans become unique to you.

Here we offer you a few simple ideas to keep your denim looking special after the wash process:

 Wait Till You Can’t Wait Anymore

If you learn anything from this article, learn that you don’t need to wash your jeans as often as other garments.  The more you wash your jeans, the more character you strip away.

Denim has the ability to “shake off” most anything you’ll accidentally or purposefully rub on it during a day (almost magically), so constant washing isn’t necessary. 

The day will come when you know it’s time for a good cleaning.  Until then, resist “knee-jerk” washing.  “I’m doing a load of darks, do you have anything you need washed”, she asked.  “I guess you could wash my jeans”, you should avoid responding.  “I’m good for now, but thanks”, may be the more thoughtful response.

Turn the Jeans Inside Out

Most guys won’t turn their jeans inside/out before washing; it’s an extra step they’re unsure makes any difference.  But turning your jeans (or any garment) inside/out has a purpose. 

During the wash process jeans rub against each other, this abrasion (over time) breaks down the integrity of the denims cotton fibers. By turning your jeans inside out, the abrasion takes place on the under side, preserving the surface.

Don’t Stuff Your Washer Full

Imagine a washing machine packed solid with jeans; during the agitation cycle the jeans constantly rub against each other.  They have no room to move freely, increasing the abrasion and deteriorating the cotton fibers.    

Now imagine a washing machine half full of jeans; during the agitation cycle the jeans are suspended in water.  They can move without obstruction, reducing abrasion and wear. 

Less abrasion will preserve the cotton fibers and indigo color.  So instead of jamming in those last few garments set on doing just one load, break it into two loads.

Wash Cold, Gentle Cycle

Washing in cold water helps preserve the denims indigo color.  Washing in hot water can cause the denim to bleed indigo (no good).  You want to minimize the color reduction during the wash process.  Wash in cold water, your jeans will get clean and you’ll preserve the natural indigo.  

The “Gentle Cycle” is the best setting to reduce abrasion and minimize color loss, while still cleaning the jeans.  A less vigorous wash cycle will help maintain the high-and-low distress.

Don’t Tumble Dry, Air Dry Instead

From the washing machine, turn your jeans right-side-out and lay them over a chair to dry.  Once dry (several hours later), they’ll be a bit more stiff than if you tumbled them, but they’ll loosen up quickly once on.  

By air drying, you save the jeans about 40 minutes of heat and abrasion from the dryer.

The Romance and Quirkiness of Denim Care

If you don’t already know, there is a cool subculture of denim enthusiasts affectionately called “denim-heads”.  They think about denim like some guys think about Star Wars. 

Some denim-heads never wash their jeans, but if their denim absolutely needs cleaning, they’ve developed creative alternatives to the washing machine.  Here’s a few:

• Wash your jeans in the ocean. The salt water preserves the indigo and kills bacteria. 
•  Wash your jeans while wearing them in the shower.  The denim will be cleaned as they form to your body. 
•  Put your jeans in a plastic bag and place in the freezer overnight.  The cold will kill bacteria and your jeans don’t have to come in contact with water.

Although these solutions are intriguing, they might not work for every guy, that’s why we titled this article “Washing Jeans: A Practical Guide for Denim People”. 

Wash only when necessary.  Turn inside/out.  Don’t over stuff the machine.  Wash cold.  Air dry.

In other words, jeans are not true to size.  All the denim brands we’ve evaluated are between 1” and 3” over the labeled size.  For example: a jean with a 34 size label could measure anywhere from 35” to 37”.  To make sense of this, you’d need to understand the designer’s intentions.  Levi’s has a longer rise, it needs to sit higher on the waist to prevent sagging in the crotch, and for this Levi’s may target 1 1/4” over the label.  In contrast, Diesel has a shorter rise, it needs to sit lower on the waist to keep the crotch from riding up, and Diesel may target 2 1/2” over.

At Todd Shelton, our target is 1 ¾” over our labeled size (for jeans only), we have a ¼” tolerance meaning that our waist can measure between 1 ½” to 2” over; this applies to our trim and generous fit.  If you’re considering ordering a Todd Shelton jean, we’re going to show you how to determine your waist size based on the jeans you already own.

Grab your jean with the best fitting waist.  Lay it flat on a counter, smooth out the wrinkles in the waist.  With a ruler (or tape measure), measure across the middle of the waistband.  Double the measurement and that will be your target spec.  Keep in mind we add 1 ¾” to a labeled size, if your target is 34 ½” – you should order Todd Shelton 33”.

Compared to dress trousers, jean waist measurements are more generous for two main reasons.  First, jeans today are designed to be worn lower on the waist; the more generous the waist, the lower the jean will rest on the hips.  Second, jeans are more casual than trousers, designing for comfort is more acceptable and a more generous waist is more comfortable (and forgiving).

There’s the theory that clothing brands will put smaller size labels in larger clothing to make the customer feel smaller than their actual size, with the goal of improving self image.  We’ve heard from our girl friends that Banana Republic does this; they may be an actual size 6 but wear Banana Republic size 2.  They like the idea of being a size 2, so they shop at Banana Republic. 

If this type of resizing is being done, we believe it’s being done for women’s brands.  We haven’t seen this with men’s brands.  As mentioned above, there is a reason for increasing the waist measurements for men’s jeans; it has more to do with style than psychology.

Our generous straight-leg is the Plainview.  It’s a slightly roomier version of our standard Watts, designed for guys that prefer room for comfort.  Although generous throughout, it is by no means an oversized jean.    

Both jean fits are similar in appearance, as you can see their proportions were kept consistent.  Although the differences may seem slight, both fits are necessary to ensure our customer gets their desired fit. 

Compare the fit points in the image above.  1. Hip circumference / 2. Crotch (rise) / 3. Knee circumference / 4. Bottom Opening.  Each point shows the Plainview will offer slightly more room than the Watts.

Choosing the right jean fit for you

Selecting the best Todd Shelton jean fit may be as simple as deciding, “Do I like my jeans to be a little roomy or do I like a trimmer fitting jean?”  For guys that have full legs or just prefer more room for comfort, we recommend our Plainview.  For guys with leaner legs, we’d start with our Watts.  Beyond leg size, it becomes a style decision. 

We’re here to help.  If you have any fit questions, please contact us.  If we ship you one fit and you decide the other fit may work better, just let us know and we can easily exchange, it won’t cost you anything extra. 

We hope you found this article helpful.  Would you like to view our jean collection?

Simply put, true selvage denim is made on old looms – used in denim production before the 1970’s. After the 70’s, denim mills began modernizing their machinery to reduce variations and speed production. The old selvage looms became obsolete in modern mills.

The word selvage comes from “self-edge” – the edge of the denim will not unravel and is used in the garment. You can spot a selvage jean by looking at the outseam. Notice in the photograph above, the white edge with red thread, this is the “self-edge” of the denim. A non-selvage jean will have a cover stitch on these edges to keep the denim from unraveling.

What makes selvage denim desirable? It’s the variations created by the old loom technology that gives selvage denim its character. The more variation, the more unique the denim (you see the variation on the denim surface). Selvage denim is half the width of modern goods and the old looms run much slower, this makes selvage denim more expensive.

Today, denim aficionados will say the Japanese are the leaders in high-quality denim. The story is that when American denim mills were modernizing in the 70’s and 80’s, the Japanese bought their old denim looms and shipped them back to Japan. The rest is history.

But America still has one century-old mill that kept their old looms. Making beautifully unique denim. World-class, artisan denim that cannot be duplicated by modern machinery.

We hope you found this article helpful.  Would you like to view our denim collection?