How to Get the Best Raw Denim Fades

It might be the most common question we receive: how do I get great fades on my raw denim jeans? For many, this is the appeal of the whole industry. When you fade your own jeans instead of buying them pre distressed, you’ve earned your fades — they tell your story and are uniquely you. 

To answer this question (and all the ones that typically come with it), Nick from Stridewise visited our New York City store to interview the co-manager Zeke Hartwell about gettin’ faded.

The long and short of it: your jeans will fade if you wear them, no matter how often or how infrequently you wash them. That said, many guys like to wash them as infrequently as possible because this produces the highest contrast fades. Check out the whole interview above, or read Stridewise’s guide to denim fades.

Zeke goes three months between washes while wearing his jeans every day — but again, you can wash them more frequently if you like. Just make sure the jeans are turned inside out and washed on their own, otherwise they might bleed dye onto your clothes. For more info on this aspect of fades, check out another interview with our CEO Brandon Svarc, where he answers the question: should you wash your jeans at all?