Denim Washing Process

Have you ever wondered what goes into creating a perfect denim wash? Neither have we... just kidding! It turns out to be quite interesting and takes a great attention to detail.  

We sat down with our Product Manager, Lucia, the true denim wash expert to find out more about our Performance Denim wash process. Lucia has been working with denim for over 20 years, so if there’s anyone that understands denim washes it’s her.

Let’s take a deeper look into the process with (3) easy steps:

  • 1. Choosing a Fabric

  • When nailing down the perfect wash, one of the most important components is the fabric. Performance attributes like Coolmax, stretch, and anti-bacterial applications can have an effect on the appearance of the wash. For that reason, it’s crucial to choose a fabric that’s dark and rich in colour to get the maximum amount of wash range.

  • 2. Testing Washes for Inspiration

  • Once we’ve chosen a denim fabric, we work with the laundry also known as ‘wash house’ to develop a base wash colour palette. Building out a wash palette provides us with reference when gathering inspiration for future denim washes - and to keep ahead of the trends.

    Choosing a wash palette is done by putting the fabric through wash cycles with enzymes, washing agents, and lava stones. This breaks down the denim and creates unique washes to alter the dark blue colour in the original fabric.

    3. Styling the wash

    This is the most important step in the denim washing process as it determines the style of the denim wash. For instance, you can whisker the denim (see image 1) or hand sand the denim (see image 2). Whiskering creates the light markings across the thighs, whereas hand sanding creates the washed out look usually around the pocket and knee areas. Both these processes give the denim a worn out or vintage look.

     

    Image 1 - Denim Whiskering 

    Denim Whiskering

     

     Image 2 - Denim Hand Sanding

    Denim Hand Sanding

     

    Just like that, you now know most of the story behind our washing process for Performance Denim. Shop our Performance Denim with wash styles Vintage or Vintage Tint for men and Vintage Tint or Juniper for ladies.