Denim dyeing 4 dummies

[Bona Drag]

Doesn't look like there's a thread on this in the archives, and I feel like we've gotten away from some of the denim nerdiness recently.

I thought of this while looking down at my Jean Shops the other day; they look nice now, and still have plenty of wear left before a wash. I know they were made of well-dyed denim, mainly because I'd read knowledgeable people here and on sufu say as much, and also because I think rnrswitch's pair in the sufu gallery is one of the nicest fades on the internetz (that, and an insane discount, was what made me decide to take the plunge, despite a zip fly and no rivets).

But when I got them, I just...couldn't tell that the denim was dyed well. It looked kind of muddy, and too smooth, for want of a better word.

Same thing with the 5EPxSF; I believe Fok when he tells me this is probably the best-dyed denim under $300, and some of the best dyed denim period, but I can't really see why. Does this make any sense? I guess I'm still not sure what to look for despite two and a half years in the game.

I realize it may be hard to explain, even with pics, but someone drop knowledge - Pablo? Fok? Who? Brian?

 

[Pangolin]

This is a very interesting topic. I think dye quality should be defined though, as several jeans wearers might have different expectations, from fast fading denim, exotic treatments to stubborn indigo. I tend to be in the second category and like my jeans to take their time to fade, which is why I wouldn't call Samurai jeans, for example, very well dyed, whereas I believe that they are very popular precisely for those super fading capacities. My pair of 500XX has way too many white threads after only 4 months of wear for my tastes.

I can usually decide if I am going to like the way a pair of jeans will fade after a month of wear, rarely less.

 

[Bona Drag]

Originally Posted by octopandda

This is a very interesting topic.

You would have thought, but no one bit. Hoping someone will get nerdy in here.