Are pre-faded jeans worth buying in 2025? Our guide to selvedge washed jeans
For years, the selvedge denim world viewed pre-faded denim as a bit of a faux pas, and put emphasis on the act of developing personal fades from raw jeans. Anyone who’s taken the time to do this knows how time consuming and sometimes disappointing this process can be at first, with fades often taking much longer than anticipated to appear, and the extreme contrast seen on vintage examples being almost impossible to achieve without a thorough thrashing. It’s for this reason that brands like RRL and FULLCOUNT have changed their outlook recently, attempting to perfect unique and authentic fades on some of their classic models. With these styles becoming incredibly popular, let’s take a look at some of the best fades on the market, and dive deeper into what makes them so great!
Mid-wash Fade
The mid-wash fade is perhaps the most ‘authentic’ fade you can wear outside of doing it yourself, with special care paid to realistic contact fades, whiskering, and honeycombing. FULL COUNT’s ‘More Than Real’ wash does a great job of this, with lightened knees and pocket bags overlaid with vibrant whiskering under the top block. This effect gives you an incredible fade without spending the 2-3 years it would take to achieve it naturally, making them a great way to instantly add depth to your outfits. Brands like orSlow, aVontade, and Warehouse all do different takes on the mid-wash jean, and each has a slightly different method of achieving the look, but it usually involves an overall wash which is then hand distressed for a more natural look. We find that mid-wash jeans work best with more vintage inspired outfits, so we’ve paired them with classics like the chore jacket and work shirt.
Vintage Fade
Vintage denim is a huge inspiration for many heritage brands, and many of the most sought after pieces have fades produced by their unique storage locations. Often discovered after spending years crumpled in a barn or down a mine, brands like RRL have gone to great lengths to reproduce these stunning fades. Their exact process is held close to the chest, but the brand boasts a process involving over 50 separate steps to achieve their characteristically broken-in look. Obviously, doing this to a pair of jeans yourself will be almost impossible, so grabbing a pair this unique without the heavy price tag of a 100 year old pair is a great way to add some flair to your wardrobe!
Light Wash
Light wash jeans are perhaps the most controversial of the bunch, with many raw denim fans declaring them a no go. It’s important to remember, though, that just because a jean has been given a wash, doesn’t mean they’re any less well made than their raw or deep indigo counterparts. It may seem obvious to some, but the term ‘raw’ only refers to the unwashed state of the cotton, not the quality of fabric or selvedge status. Increasingly, these older rules on raw denim are making way for some fantastic faded jeans, FULL COUNTS’s ‘Dartford' and Spellbound’s ‘Blast Wash’ being just two of many. Usually, these jeans are finished by stripping indigo from the jeans using pummel stones or pressurised sand, creating a pair that feels like it's been left in the midwestern sun for decades. Doing this to a pair of jeans yourself would take decades to achieve, so this is really the only option other than true vintage to get your hands on this kind of fade.
Unique Fades
With fading techniques becoming ubiquitous in the heritage market, brands have of course begun to experiment with what they can produce. Denim masters like ONI now produce jeans with unique ‘Bio-Bleach’ washes that use fungi and bacteria to leech the indigo from their fabrics, and brands like RRL are producing classic cuts from different colour cotton entirely! FULL COUNT has even applied their ‘Dartford’ wash to black jeans to create an old school biker look, which works fantastically when paired with classics like the Schott Perfecto! For standout outfits, it’s worth exploring some more unique styles of fading.
