How to Soak and Wash your Denim (2024)

If you have boughtunsanforized(non-pre-shrunk) denim jeans or jacket with a non-wash finish, you need to soak the garment in warm water to remove all of its shrinkage before you start wearing it. The steps are very simple:

1. Fill a bathtub or bucket with warm water(approximately 40ºC) with enough water to cover the garment.
2. Turn the garment inside out and dip it in the water.
3. Leave it to soak for approximately 1 hourwithout stirring it to prevent excessive loss of indigo. If the garment floats, you can sink it with cans or objects to keep it submerged.
4. Take out the garment, hang it from a clothes hanger andleave it to dry.

Once the garment is dry it will be ready to wear, as it will have lost all of its shrinkage and will now perfectly fit your measurements.

All our denim is Raw, contains the highest possible amount of indigo and has not been distressed in the factory. This means that the garment will gradually acquire a unique character over time and washing, and that it will be worn in according to the nature of the fabric and the use you give the garment. We like to describe raw denim as a blank canvas where each user is the painter. No same two jeans will fade in the same way.

Much has been written about how long you should wear raw denim before washing it for the first time so that the fades are as contrasting as possible.Our recommendation is that, if you want jeans with dramatic and highly contrasting fades, you delay the first wash as much as possible, but do always apply logic. In other words, if for example after one month of wearing your jeans they have become dirty and need washing, do not hesitate to wash them; after all if the cotton fibres are clean this will contribute to extending the life of your jeans.

If you give the jeans their first wash after 6-7 months of regular use and you put them through consecutive washes only once in a while and always by hand in the bathtub, there will be very little loss of indigo and you will therefore obtainhighly contrasting fade lines, mainly next to the front pockets (fades known as whiskers) and behind the knees (honeycombs).

If, however, you wash the jeans very regularly in the washing machine right from the first month, you will have greater loss of indigo, providing a far more even fade without those highly contrasting lines produced by use.

We ourselves love a contrasting fade in which the denim jeans or jacket reflect their owner’s lifestyle. This is why we recommend that you delay the first wash and do it in a bathtub or bucket according to the following steps:

1. Fill the bathtubor bucket with enough water to cover the garment.Lukewarm water(30ºC) will be perfect for the garment to lose only a minimal amount of indigo.
2. Pour a dose of detergentinto the water (avoid bleaching or whitening detergents).
3. Turn the garment inside outand dip it in the water.
4. Stir the garment for a couple of minutesso that the soapy water fully penetrates the fibresand then leave it to soak for approximately 1 hourwithout stirring to prevent excessive loss of indigo. If the garment floats, use cans or objects to keep it submerged.
5. Rinse the garment in cold waterto remove any detergent residue.
6. Take out the garment, hang it from a clothes hanger andleave it to dry.

If you prefer to machine-wash your jeans, we recommend that you turn it inside out and wash it on a delicate cycle, also avoiding the use of bleaching or whitening detergents. When it has finished washing, take the garment out of the machine, hang it from a clothes hanger and leave it to dry.

Once the garment has dried, it will be clean and ready to wear. The days following a wash can be a good time to rehydrate the leather patch on your jeans. We recommend that you use a balm such as Smith’s leather balm, which we have at your disposalhere.