One Year Anniversary: Naked and Famous "Skinny Guy"

It's been a year since I have been wearing my "Skinny Guy" broken twill denim. I purchased them in Calgary at Holt Renfrew, but you can purchase them in the city now at Luna + Hill on 3rd Ave. The purpose of raw denim is to personalize your own denim. Most raw denim is recommended to be worn for six months without washing. Why buy pre-ripped costly denim when you can do it all on your own? You can treat your pair of jeans like a project, it's always neat to see change and the end result. These costed me $140 which was quite affordable and justifiable for the quality and look in my opinion.

Buying Guide
For Naked & Famous, all of their pants are a 34" leg inseam (can be hemmed). For the waist, I went with one size below my true fit. All fits and brands have different buying instructions, it is pretty standard to size down 1 or 2 from your true waist size. There are tons of different fit and colour options from each brand. I chose the broken twill because it is known to fade a bit nicer than their other washes. They will feel awkward at the beginning, but don't worry it only gets better.

One Year Ago
When I originally started wearing them I could barely do up the top button. It took me quite some time to put them on because the legs were very narrow. I never hemmed them but instead chose to use a double cuff. They were incredibly stiff and uncomfortable.

Taken One Year Ago

Now

They feel much better, the legs and waist stretched out nicely. I don't use a belt anymore and instead let them sag a bit. I still use a double cuff but my right one was done quite poorly and has a small tear in it. Because the jeans are long, there is a bit of a buckle at the knee as well. There is also a random tear behind my left knee located in the honeycombs. They have a couple of scars from activities like jumping soccer field fences. The photos beneath were taken with flash to show you exactly where they have faded and how they have worn. They were shot today.

How I Wore Them
Although my movements were restricted, I did everything I could to personalize my denim. I chose to ride my bike, skateboard and do weird stretches in them. There is now a noticeable Blackberry outlined in the front right pocket and my wallet is outlined in the back right.

Plans for the Denim
Right now I like the deep indigo colour of my denim but think that a single soak will not only clean them but look good (my girlfriend and mom will be happy). I hope to give them a nice long bath after the Spring because it will be mucky and wet. The plan is to follow The Madbury Club's instructions of letting them sit in a tub for a few hours. After this happens I may choose to hem them, but this is undecided.

Conclusion
So far, I am very happy with the way my Skinny Guy's have turned out. Naked and Famous produces very affordable raw selvedge denim, while still keeping things creative. I am always interested in seeing how other raw denim wearers' pants turn out, please feel free to post a picture of your jeans on our Facebook page. Mine still have a long life ahead of them and I am excited to see how they will turn out.

Love the North