Jeanius Tips For Destroying Your Own Jeans

Denim is one item in your wardrobe that’s all about individuality. What styles you pick out and how you wear them is all up to the wearer, which is why most people are so committed to that one favorite pair.

For those of you who want a unique pair of jeans but don’t have time to wait years and years for them to naturally distress, read on for our tips on how to transform any denim with these simple at-home tips and tricks.

1. Know Your Starting Material

The type of denim you start with will ultimately affect how it looks when it’s worn-in over time. As a rule of thumb, remember that the heavier the denim, the more resilient it’ll be against wear and tear. Be careful when distressing denim with stretch — the elastic material makes fibers more prone to snapping rather than tearing.

2. Get The Right Tools

With the right equipment, you can achieve that same distressed look in much less time than those brand’s selling you destroyed jeans.  Sandpaper breaks down the denim fabric and is perfect for light distressing. Use an ingle-edge razor blade for scraping away surface threads and cutting seams. A block of wood or deck of cards makes a great backing so you only distress one layer at a time.

3. Angle Is Everything

When distressing jeans, it’s important to work horizontally across the fabric since that will break down the warp (blue) threads and leave the weft (white threads) structure intact. In other words, you’ll destroy your jeans without actually destroying them.

4. Find The Right Area

Denim naturally degrades as you wear it, so distress the areas that work for your particular jeans. With all denim distressing, less really is more. Even though you may want intense shredding and gaping holes, remember those things will occur through natural wear. All you want to do is get the process started.

Want to achieve that natural, off-duty nonchalance of your favorite worn-in jeans? Just follow our tips and start destroying.

The one item that looks better in distress.