SLXS — Lifestyle & TravelWhy I Wear Nudie Jeans
I’m not extravagant by any means and I truly, truly don’t care about labels. The reason why I’ll sometimes wear brand clothing is purely for quality purposes. And this is the main reason why I won’t shop at YDE because I refuse to wear clothing that is made for midgets. And nothing is cotton, it’s all polyester ensuring that when I’m standing in a club and someone lights a cigarette, I’m going to go up in flames, and die wearing the ugliest shirt of my life. Which is not how I want to go.
Anyway I always speak of Nudie Jeans as if they’re a child (I could not love a human baby as much as these denims) because I dig them so much. In fact, you’d have to do something pretty special to get me to wear any other denim brand. You’d literally have to offer me a whole shit ton of money.
Why I dig Nudies:
My Nudies…showing subtle wear, but still need loads more time to be worn in
A pair of Dry Broken Twill, exactly the same as above, just worn in. 1 year 6 months before their first wash. Awesome. (Via)
- There are no wanky rips and cuts and wear marks on them. I don’t know why people want to buy clothing that is worn in already, because that just takes away from the individuality that dry denim offers (Note: Nudie do offer treated denims, but I won’t wear those)
- You’re an individual aren’t you? So why the hell are you wearing a pair of denims that are worn exactly as that other guy in the club? And WHY ON EARTH are you still buying Levi’s? (Possibly the worst jeans ever)
- They’re different. I love the fact that bands like Band Of Horses come into Nudie Stores just to play a few songs for a small audience (View those videos HERE) The brand is all about passion, and I love that. Nothing can compare to passion for what you’re doing.
- They wear beautifully. I get no satisfaction from buying jeans that are worn in for me. I want to know where the lines come from. I want to know that the marks on my pockets are from my hands, reaching into my empty wallet multiple times a day, just checking to see if any money has magically appeared. I want to know that the marks on my knees are from kneeling down and taking photos. I want to know that that tear came from falling down those stairs. I want to know that those creases on the knees are from the walk of life. I want my jeans to share a journey with me, and have the same marks to show for it. Our life journey comes as scars, wrinkles, stories. I want my jeans to have scars, wrinkles and stories. I want them to fit my body like they are an extension of my soul. I don’t want a bootcut, I want a straight cut. I want pure denim. I want the best. This is what Nudie have to say about their denim:
We love jeans, a passion we share with everyone who mourns a pair of worn out jeans as a close friend. Jeans share the same soul and attitude as music. The inspiration springs from the same dreams. As a true jeans brand we are not looking for the short-term trends. The inspiration is far from glamour and catwalks. The collection is tight, like a rock band, reflecting the feeling of everyday life.
Design goes beyond creating just a product that serves to fulfil a need or a function. The philosophy of Nudie jeans is to become part of your dreams. Jeans have a natural built-in dream and attitude.
Nudie will stay true to jeans and all about jeans.
Nudie is the ”naked truth about denim”. Denim has the ability to age beautifully – formed by its user into a second skin, naked and personal. The longer it lives the more character it gets. The indigo is a living colour that fades and gives the denim its character. The more you wear your jeans the more beautiful they get. Jeans are more than just a piece of clothing.
I’ve always had a love affair with denim, and my first pair were Levi’s (HORROR), but they carry my entire high school career in them. These are them:
Falling over in Green Man. Running to Billy The Bums for girls. Doing Tequila Slammers at Late Edition. Sleeping on the bench in the garden. Knocking hubbly coal onto them on the patio. Finishing matric. Failing my drivers licence. Passing my drivers licence. Going to college. Failing at college. Passing at college. Meeting new friends. Saying our farewells to friends that passed on. Going to plett. Going to Hermanus. Waking up in a place you can’t remember going to sleep at. Listening to new music, finding music that changes your life. Clubs, pubs, cars. My Levi’s were there at all these times and they carry the marks of a youth well drunk. My Levi’s were slightly faded when I bought them, but most of the wear and tear was purely from using them, day in and day out until they started to fall off me. Literally until they started to tear off of me.
Dry Denim is pure, unwashed denim that you need to wear in yourself and it’s not for everyone. It’s for the purists, the freaks, the passionate.
And I don’t expect you to be any of that, but if you are…welcome to the club.
5 Comments on “Why I Wear Nudie Jeans”
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How can you tell the difference between Raw denim and treated denim?
Raw/Dry denim will in most cases be labeled. Some people think a pair of dark Levi’s count as raw denim, but they have in fact still been washed. With raw denim water has never touched them, they are simply dyed and sold as is. That’s why the indigo often wears onto lighter clothing such as underwear, and onto my white t-shirts. But it washes off easily.
Also because they are not washed you need to buy them knowing that they can stretch a size or two. Some people buy two sizes smaller, some people one size smaller to accommodate stretching. Two sizes smaller is the ideal if you want a tighter fit (Also dependent on the cut)
I actually bought mine in my normal size as I ordered them online and wanted to play it safe. Next time I’d definitely do one size smaller, two sizes is pushing it a bit tight.
But to get to the point, dry and raw denim will be labelled, and the denim will be dark with no wear and tear on it. Blue Blood in Cape Town sell raw denim, although I have had experience with them and they don’t wear as well as Nudies.
G-Star also sell raw denim in Cape Town (At Fabiani and at the G-Star store in the Waterfront), and I have a pair of G-Star, but they don’t wear and fade as nicely as Nudies either. My G-Stars have a slight stretch material in them, so there isn’t that hard surface which wears off, leaving you with awesome wear in your jeans.
Nudies are definitely my only choice, you can order them online at the following link:
http://shop.nudiejeans.com/
Just note that you do get hit with an import fee if you order them, 45% of the price of the jeans. Which sucks! But it’s still cheaper than buying Diesel etc in Cape Town.
Sweet, thanks man
I love the look and fit of Nudie Jeans. Unfortunately they suck. I have used them for three years and they wear out within 6 months for me. They rip in the crotch. I have now gone back to Levi’s, and the last two pairs still haven’t worn out within a year. If the quality had been better I would have gone back to Nudie right away.
Hi Hakan
I’ve been wearing mine for around 2 years now, but not daily as South Africa is too hot to wear denim all the time. and they have started to wear now, also in the crotch. They look amazing though, but I’ve bought a replacement pair.
I bought a pair of Naked & Famous Skinny Guy which I’m currently wearing in, so I’ll see how those go. These are photos of my Nudies:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/slxs/sets/72157627788739073/