life of stanley: beginning to look good
The front looks great with the lovely yarn slub beginning to show nicely. The stiff fabric also makes the jeans develop lovely creases and stripes if washed outside-out, which is what I did this past weekend. That way the jeans are rubbed against the cylinder in the washing machine, creating natural lovely wash stripes. No ironing afterwards, naturally.
Some nice grinding on the back too:
Here you can see the wash stripes quite clearly:
life of stanley: Pockets 10 months in
The hidden rivets are keeping the pockets securely fastened but the wear & tear is beginning to show. The above might be a case of the 'sitting too much on arse effect'.
life of stanley: getting around
Part of the charm of working on a pair of unwashed jeans for a long time is to build a history together with them. That's what makes them more than just a piece of clothing. The Stanley's have now been going for roughly 10 months, so we have a long way to go still. Since we're spending much of our days at our office, they don't get as much wear & tear as I'd like but at least they get around. This week they've been to Oslo and HK. Next up is Berlin.
life of stanley: getting dirty
Some would say it's time to wash the jeans.
life of stanley: appreciating hidden rivets
We've been through quite a lot by now, Stanley and I. The back pockets are beginning to become worn & torn. Thanks to the traditional hidden rivets, the pockets will remain securely fastened.
life of stanley: the crotch
Some nice contrasts are beginning to emerge. The warp yards were rope dyed which, among other things, yields higher indigo colour fastness than slasher dyeing, so it takes longer than usual to get results when wearing the denim from the raw state. You often hear 6 months in stores but this will require closer to 2-3 years to achieve a great result.
life of stanley: 4 months in
Signs of abrasion as the excess indigo is gradually worn off.
life of stanley: the first hole
I fell off my bike on Magasinsgatan recently, tearing the fabric. So there it was, the first hole in my Stanleys. /Alexander
life of stanley
To begin with, the pair of Stanley Heavy Red Selvage was epically stiff due to the heavy fabric. The surface of the fabric is a bit hairy because the fabric is unsinged as a tribute to the denim manufacture of the good old days. The singe treatment involves scorching the surface with a flame to burn the tiny hairs and make the surface smooth. Followed by various other surface treatments, the fabric gets a clean, crisp surface that characterises most denim offered in stores these days. However, on a pair of jeans which give a tribute to the history of denim, the unsinged fabric contributes to the character. Less is more.
Life of Stanley
In August there's a new version of style Stanley coming, featuring the meanest unwashed, unsinged selvage denim we have ever tried taming. I have been wearing a prototype for some time and will be sharing some occasional photos of the jeans and how they develop over time. /Alexander