The Secrets of Shrinking Unsanforized Denim

by Matt Wilson

Our Brother in Berlin

Our last, but by no means least denim expert is Daniel Cizmek, the man responsible for bringing some of the best Japanese denim over to Europe.

Over the years, Daniel has shrunk down jeans for himself and his customers at DC4; he has seen and done it all when it comes to shrinking unsanforized denim.

Daniel is “okay” with the bathtub ritual up to a point. He doesn’t mind seeing people stepping into their tubs wearing their jeans. The water should be around 40 degrees centigrade and he recommends you sit there for 15-20 minutes. Once out of the tub do a few squats. This will set in the honeycombs and whiskers. Then take them off and lay them on a drying rack.

For Daniel, personally this is too much trouble.

“I have done this whole celebrity thing. Lying in the bath with jeans on. But I don’t do it anymore. It is too much hassle.”

Instead, he just throws them in the bath and lets them air dry.

Essential Advice

Daniel does offer this essential piece of advice, however:

Shrink to fit jeans should never be worn before they have been soaked!

The cotton needs the water to tighten and bind together. If you don’t soak the jeans, the cotton will break up much, much faster. Wearing them immediately the cotton yarn gets very dry and brittle.

When it comes to the first wash, Daniel adds that some types of jeans, The Flat Head, for example, can shrink slightly up to the third wash. Keep this in mind when you have your jeans hemmed, allow yourself a little wiggle room with the cuffing.

As a parting tip, Daniel gives us the solution to true to size unsanforized jeans:

If your jeans are a tight fit around the waist and you can’t afford a loss of inches, insert a piece of wood in the waist. It should be half the length of your actual waist. This will prevent the denim shrinking down, making them wearable.

Myths Busted. Sense Prevails

So, there you have it folks. For the denim experts, it is quite universal; the days of wearing your denim in the bath are long gone. The reality is much simpler, much less messy and a lot more comfortable.

How about you dear readers, any particularly quirky methods for shrinking jeans? We would love to hear from you in the comments section below!

Thanks to Freshness Magazine for the awesome images of Kiya.

A Shout Out For Our Friends In The North!

Matt Wilson

Before turning his attention toward clothing and fashion, Matt Wilson was a product designer. He witnessed first-hand the unethical manufacture of products designed and developed specifically for obsolescence and quickly recognised the inherent dangers of this attitude towards consumerism. A happy chance occurred when he discovered Raw Denim. Fascinated by the narrative contained in each garment, this newfound passion led him into a journey of discovery through the fashion and clothing industry. The qualities he found in a great pair of jeans he soon found in other garments, shoes and accessories. Up until February 2017, Matt was heavily involved with Selvedge Run, a trade show for menswear, shoes and accessories. A home for brands with a philosophy that aligned perfectly with his principles of craft and quality at the core of a good product. He now shares this passion the as the Editor of Rope Dye, an online men’s lifestyle magazine about the passion for well-crafted menswear as well as other cherished products and designs that baulk against today’s throw-away culture.

35 comments

Martin February 16, 2015 at 10:50

Why not? What special qualifications/experience do you need to be able to comment on shrinking jeans other than having shrunk jeans before?

Denimhunters February 17, 2015 at 07:22

Hi Martin,
We’re not really sure what you’re commenting on? Is it something specific in the article or one of the other comments?

jano August 18, 2015 at 10:53

funny to read all the so called denim expert opinions! page nr 3 is the best with following statement:

“The cotton needs the water to tighten and bind together”!!!!!where the hell u get this science?

for those who really want to know what matters: nothing!
whatever u do is ok. the shrinkage is just caused by the tension in the yarn during weaving and by sanforizing the fabric these tensions relax and the fabric get stability.
wearing washed/unwashed, sitting in the bathtub with or without detergent/salt,etc is not critical to this mechanical parameter.
under temperature the fabric will return to its original position and, if unsanforized, shrink.
thats all and the rest is BS.

leonard November 23, 2015 at 04:14

The article says yo soak before wearing but my eviscerate says to wear as long as possible then soak, which is it?

Denimhunters November 23, 2015 at 09:16

Hi Leonard,
Thank you for your question. As it is argued in the post, there is no “right” way to soak your raw denim jeans. However, the article quite thoroughly points out the pros and cons of pre-wear soaking vs. no soak. With pre-wear soaking, the fading may take a little longer and the contrasts may not get as pronounced (cons), but the denim will in all likelihood last longer (pros). The only way to find out what works for you is to try – which is also one of the most fun parts of raw denim. However, if you’re wearing unsanforized denim, we would always recommend a pre-wear soak to get the majority of the shrinkage out of the denim.
Best,
Thomas

leonard November 23, 2015 at 04:16

Levis tag*

The Denim Hound April 25, 2016 at 23:45

I find most jeans, especially from Japan have a rise that is already close to being too short for me. If soaked right away with no constraints it could be game over.

I usually soak the legs all the way up to the rise with out touching. Also splashing the front by the pockets so it won’t create a “pouchy” looking front rise area. Let air dry then wear for a month or so to get all the stretch out of the waist and rise. Being carful to not let the crotch get too worn out. Then full on wash with soap to get all the built-up starch and dirt out for longevity of the denim. Constantly hand streaching the waist and rise throught the wash and dry process yo insure they dont overshrink. Then I go as long as possible before the second and third wash. 🙂

The Secrets of Shrinking Unsanforized Denim

Our Brother in Berlin

Essential Advice

Myths Busted. Sense Prevails

Matt Wilson

35 comments

Leave a Comment

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