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Distress Your Jeans

Jeans, like all clothing fashion, have gone though many changes. There is always a certain cut that will be the hottest for each season. However, there is one hot & rugged trend that seems to endure through the years - people want to wear their jeans as though it has been worn, washed hundreds of times and torn through years of roughing it out – completely ruined!

Many top jeans companies have capitalized on this, carrying this highly sought-after off-shoot range of denim known distressed jeans. Lucky, Guess and Chip & Peeper are examples of some of the brands that carry distressed jeans in their online store.

As an alternative to buying distressed jeans, you can choose to distress your jeans and achieve the same cool look. 

Distressing jeans is a fairly simple task; however, achieving the desired look may require experience. If you choose to distress your jeans, be careful, as distressing jeans may weaken the fabric and affect its overall lifespan.  Distressed denim jeans are permanent; that means to say, if you don’t like the outcome there is nothing much you can do about it especially if you have “created” holes in your jeans. It is therefore advisable to distress your jeans with a used pair! If you don’t have a well-worn pair, consider buying from shops.

HOW TO DISTRESS YOUR OWN JEANS

There are a number of sites that provide a step-by-step approach to distress your own jeans.  Many recommend using bleach to distress your own jeans; there are others who recommend the use of the milder dishwashing liquid.

When using bleaching liquid to distress your own jeans, do take note of the following:

·         Make sure you wear rubber gloves and put on an apron as bleach burns!

·         Be careful of bleach with ammonia as it has a choking smell and may irritates your nose

·         Bleach whitens everything!, use carefully and not let it splash on parts of the jeans you don’t want to fade

·         Put your bottle of bleach on a thick layer of newspapers or piece of plastic sheet, away from your plants, carpets and anything that you don’t want to get bleached

·         Bleaching jeans in enclosed area is not recommended due to the obnoxious smell & fumes

·         Do not wash your freshly bleached jeans together with colored fabrics.

Dishwashing liquid may be a better alternative to bleach for distressing jeans as it is less corrosive and don’t completely distress your jeans.  Nevertheless, you should also take the same precautions [as recommended for bleaching].

So, how do you distress your jeans? Follow the simple 9-steps guide below to distress your own jeans:

(1)   Lay your jeans on a large piece of plastic sheet

(2)   Use an utility knife to cut desired areas of your jeans [eg. areas correspond to the knee, hemlines]

(3)   Sandpaper the cut area until you see the cords

(4)   Pour dishwashing liquid [choose the non-colored type] onto a piece of cotton cloth and dab the liquid on areas you want the faded look [you may also use a paint brush to create the sweeping effect]

(5)   Let the liquid seat on the jeans for 1 hour

(6)   Dip your jeans into fabric softener liquid until it is completely soaked with the liquid

(7)   Wash your jeans in hot water together with a pair of old shoes made of coarse fabric, and tumble dry

(8)   Repeat step (1) to (7), if desired.

(9)   Sparingly splash some paint or dye on the jeans for that rugged look [optional].

CAUTION: A DIY distressed denim jeans may not give you the desired effect compared to those manufactured by jeans company as this may be your first or second attempt at distressing jeans.  Nevertheless, you can take pride that it is your own creation!

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