Question (first posted by @T0t ): I have a pair of Levi 510's (http://www.levi.com/US/en_US/mens-jeans/p/055100591?camp=CAGPLA_DF:05510059103134:LEVI) and people have confirmed that they are raw denim. I haven't washed them since I bought them and I bought them 4 months ago. I want to starch as well as shrink my jeans (they're starting to stretch) but I don't want any fading. I want them to keep the same deep blue color/sheen. Suggestions? I've never starched anything before (but I do have liquid starch) and this is my first pair of raw denim.

Answer (first posted by @whodini ): All jeans will fade. Those 510 rigid's probably have some creasing and fading already. If you're absolutely set on keeping them as dark as possible, you have one of two options:
1) Dryclean them. Problem is that this won't fix your shrinking problem.
2) Wash them CAREFULLY. This means a soak in cold water or a soak with Woolite dark. Starching is just spray and iron. The caveat is that starching promotes stiffness which promotes creasing which promotes fading.
510's are a beginner jean. If you're deadset on keeping a jean its darkest blue your options are either buying a new pair of 510s every 6 months or buying a single pair of something notoriously hard to fade like a pair of Ironhearts.

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This Q&A was first posted in our I have a Jean thread (clever, right?) Want to ask a question or contribute your knowledge to the community? Join the discussion here.

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