Hey everyone!
I didn't know on which thread to post this so instead decided to just open a thread.
A big part of the reason I got into leather is not only looks but also durability: I'm a sucker for buying once, crying once (if only we actually bought once, tho…). Similar story with jeans/denim, I wanted some pair(s) that would stand the test of time.
As I was poor and/or ignorant in my 20s, I thought all jeans were basically equal when it came to quality, or at worst somewhat equivalent. I would buy my jeans from fast fashion stores, particularly C&A as their jeans were cheap (10-20€) and fit me great. As I got a job, progressed in my career and was able to spend more money, I started trying other (mall) brands such as Jack&Jones, Superdry, Boss or Levis. As you see, I went progressively up in price rather than straight up. Out of these, you might get surprised, but my favorites were Superdry as they fit me best, but all of these brands as well as the cheap fast fashion ones lasted the same, somewhere between one and two years until they all broke around the crotch/groin, so why would I pay more for brands when fast fashion offered the same? Sometimes I would have two pairs that I really liked, other times I would have a pair that I really liked (and broke) while my other pairs I didn't like as much and it would then kick in the quest to replace those I really liked.
All of this got halted during covid as obviously I wasn't going out as much. The pandemic also enabled working from home, thus I do not leave the house for half the day every day ever since, this meaning the time durability for my jeans increased to around 3 years (or so I would estimate). Around 2 years ago, as the at-the-time-favorite-pair broke, I decided to start the experiment: Let's buy a pair of expensive mall jeans and also a pair of far more expensive Japanese raw denim.
There's also a catch: I like slim fitting jeans. I got somewhat thick legs, so it might sound counterintuitive that I like them slim fitting (not skinny, hate the look and the feel). Most raw denim are more relaxed fitting, seemingly even the ones stated as tapered or even slim… But that's a problem I have in general. The way the jeans fit most of the models on online stores is different than how they fit me as models usually have skinnier legs than me. Anyway, what I'm getting at is that I was not ready to totally give up the slim look and that also implied that I wanted to still have a percentage of elastane for comfort and a more progressive change (aka I was not going to dive right into the deep end of 25oz raw denim).
I went for a pair of Calvin Klein jeans as they were on sale and I liked how they fit me as a replacement of the pair that had just broken (can't even remember the brand), with these CK being 99% cotton, 1% elastane. For the Japanese denim, I contacted Redcast Heritage who patiently helped me with my first raw denim pair and sizing recommendations, so I bought a pair of Oni 122S-BE 15oz Relax Tapered jeans, 98% cotton, 2% elastane.
The CK jeans were very comfortable since the beginning. The Oni were hell, I went down in size as per recommendations and simply buttoning them up was an absolute nightmare. I trusted Redcast Heritage, who told me they would stretch in a couple days and to wear them at home. Indeed, they stretched and the hell became just a bearable purgatory. I'll be honest: This was a power through for the sake of empirical research. And, eventually, they did stretch enough that buttoning them up became easy and stopped being one of Hercules' labours.
It's a year and a half later. As mentioned, I still work fully remote so I don't wear my clothes as often and as long as I did pre-pandemic. From a purely comfort perspective, I would wear the CK jeans without a doubt. From an aesthetic perspective, I would wear the Oni (and they have still not developed any of the fades, although it's not like I consider fades particularly aesthetically enhancing nor detrimental). If I had to wear only one pair for years, I would choose the Oni but simply because I don't think the CK will last enough to be worn for much longer.
In a further break down of the above, I would say I've worn the CK pair about twice as much as the Oni. Laziness and the desire for comfort can take the best out of me and they are simply comfier. With this in mind, it might not be a fair comparison as one has seen far more use despite having been bought at around the some time, but it is still proper evidence and data as it's not like I've babied them and had them as wardrobe kings. The Oni today feel sturdy, as new, not a hassle to put on and off, comfortable but still somewhat stiff and I suspect this is a stiffness baseline that is not going to go away (at least not in the near future).
The CK instead feel as if I was wearing nothing at all (Nothing at all… Nothing at all… Nothing at all…) but as I mentioned before, I do not expect them to last long. They were somewhatish stiffish when new but now they just feel flimsy. I even got a hole near a pocket, caused by my phone case. I've had small holes caused by keys, but by my phone? That's a new one! Also the edges of the front pockets are starting to peel on a couple areas, also a new one for me. Funny enough, I do have a small, almost unperceivable fade likely also from my phone's edge on the Oni pair. Photos below:
All in all, I think this is pretty much all I have. For many this would read as "look, that horse finally made it to the finish line!", but this is a journey that I've decided to document for two reasons:
The first one is that I haven't seen anyone really taking my approach. Everyone I've come through were either on "Raw denim is the way to go, I was blind and now I see, love at first sight" or "Raw denim is a **** to charge you 5x the price of any random mall jeans that are as good". On the price topic, I am still troubled/undecided on whether you'll spend the same money or not on several mall pairs that'll eventually last as long as a single pair of raw denim, but I still see things going for one or the other and I certainly do not see raw denim as something that should be the standard for everyone.
The second reason is that while I'm not fully sold on raw denim, I'm sold enough that I'm curious to get a second pair from some different brand, different style, 100% cotton, different weight, perhaps already used, perhaps custom (!). Because buy once cry once, amirite!? Anyway, this means I've taken enough conclusions to consider my journey as barely just started rather than already having finished abruptly.
On to the next one! Thanks for reading
I didn't know on which thread to post this so instead decided to just open a thread.
A big part of the reason I got into leather is not only looks but also durability: I'm a sucker for buying once, crying once (if only we actually bought once, tho…). Similar story with jeans/denim, I wanted some pair(s) that would stand the test of time.
As I was poor and/or ignorant in my 20s, I thought all jeans were basically equal when it came to quality, or at worst somewhat equivalent. I would buy my jeans from fast fashion stores, particularly C&A as their jeans were cheap (10-20€) and fit me great. As I got a job, progressed in my career and was able to spend more money, I started trying other (mall) brands such as Jack&Jones, Superdry, Boss or Levis. As you see, I went progressively up in price rather than straight up. Out of these, you might get surprised, but my favorites were Superdry as they fit me best, but all of these brands as well as the cheap fast fashion ones lasted the same, somewhere between one and two years until they all broke around the crotch/groin, so why would I pay more for brands when fast fashion offered the same? Sometimes I would have two pairs that I really liked, other times I would have a pair that I really liked (and broke) while my other pairs I didn't like as much and it would then kick in the quest to replace those I really liked.
All of this got halted during covid as obviously I wasn't going out as much. The pandemic also enabled working from home, thus I do not leave the house for half the day every day ever since, this meaning the time durability for my jeans increased to around 3 years (or so I would estimate). Around 2 years ago, as the at-the-time-favorite-pair broke, I decided to start the experiment: Let's buy a pair of expensive mall jeans and also a pair of far more expensive Japanese raw denim.
There's also a catch: I like slim fitting jeans. I got somewhat thick legs, so it might sound counterintuitive that I like them slim fitting (not skinny, hate the look and the feel). Most raw denim are more relaxed fitting, seemingly even the ones stated as tapered or even slim… But that's a problem I have in general. The way the jeans fit most of the models on online stores is different than how they fit me as models usually have skinnier legs than me. Anyway, what I'm getting at is that I was not ready to totally give up the slim look and that also implied that I wanted to still have a percentage of elastane for comfort and a more progressive change (aka I was not going to dive right into the deep end of 25oz raw denim).
I went for a pair of Calvin Klein jeans as they were on sale and I liked how they fit me as a replacement of the pair that had just broken (can't even remember the brand), with these CK being 99% cotton, 1% elastane. For the Japanese denim, I contacted Redcast Heritage who patiently helped me with my first raw denim pair and sizing recommendations, so I bought a pair of Oni 122S-BE 15oz Relax Tapered jeans, 98% cotton, 2% elastane.
The CK jeans were very comfortable since the beginning. The Oni were hell, I went down in size as per recommendations and simply buttoning them up was an absolute nightmare. I trusted Redcast Heritage, who told me they would stretch in a couple days and to wear them at home. Indeed, they stretched and the hell became just a bearable purgatory. I'll be honest: This was a power through for the sake of empirical research. And, eventually, they did stretch enough that buttoning them up became easy and stopped being one of Hercules' labours.
It's a year and a half later. As mentioned, I still work fully remote so I don't wear my clothes as often and as long as I did pre-pandemic. From a purely comfort perspective, I would wear the CK jeans without a doubt. From an aesthetic perspective, I would wear the Oni (and they have still not developed any of the fades, although it's not like I consider fades particularly aesthetically enhancing nor detrimental). If I had to wear only one pair for years, I would choose the Oni but simply because I don't think the CK will last enough to be worn for much longer.
In a further break down of the above, I would say I've worn the CK pair about twice as much as the Oni. Laziness and the desire for comfort can take the best out of me and they are simply comfier. With this in mind, it might not be a fair comparison as one has seen far more use despite having been bought at around the some time, but it is still proper evidence and data as it's not like I've babied them and had them as wardrobe kings. The Oni today feel sturdy, as new, not a hassle to put on and off, comfortable but still somewhat stiff and I suspect this is a stiffness baseline that is not going to go away (at least not in the near future).
The CK instead feel as if I was wearing nothing at all (Nothing at all… Nothing at all… Nothing at all…) but as I mentioned before, I do not expect them to last long. They were somewhatish stiffish when new but now they just feel flimsy. I even got a hole near a pocket, caused by my phone case. I've had small holes caused by keys, but by my phone? That's a new one! Also the edges of the front pockets are starting to peel on a couple areas, also a new one for me. Funny enough, I do have a small, almost unperceivable fade likely also from my phone's edge on the Oni pair. Photos below:
CK pair: Both pics above of the hole made by my phone, big enough to comfortably fit a fountain pen through it
CK pair: Damage around the edges of the left pocket
CK pair: Damage around the edges of the right pocket
CK pair: Damage around the edges of the right pocket
Oni pair: Almost unnoticeable fading where the CK pair has the whole (only noticeable in good light and proper inspection)
Oni pair: Almost unnoticeable fading around the left pocket edges (only noticeable in good light and proper inspection)
Oni pair: Almost unnoticeable fading around the right pocket edges (only noticeable in good light and proper inspection)
All in all, I think this is pretty much all I have. For many this would read as "look, that horse finally made it to the finish line!", but this is a journey that I've decided to document for two reasons:
The first one is that I haven't seen anyone really taking my approach. Everyone I've come through were either on "Raw denim is the way to go, I was blind and now I see, love at first sight" or "Raw denim is a **** to charge you 5x the price of any random mall jeans that are as good". On the price topic, I am still troubled/undecided on whether you'll spend the same money or not on several mall pairs that'll eventually last as long as a single pair of raw denim, but I still see things going for one or the other and I certainly do not see raw denim as something that should be the standard for everyone.
The second reason is that while I'm not fully sold on raw denim, I'm sold enough that I'm curious to get a second pair from some different brand, different style, 100% cotton, different weight, perhaps already used, perhaps custom (!). Because buy once cry once, amirite!? Anyway, this means I've taken enough conclusions to consider my journey as barely just started rather than already having finished abruptly.
On to the next one! Thanks for reading
