Before I begin my rant, however, check out the video from the Mr. Porter youtube channel for yourself.
Okay, full disclosure, I have a pair of raw Japanese denim jeans. I appreciate quality, craftsmanship, and all those other hallmarks of beautiful simplicity - also known as overpriced simple stuff.
The video features Michael Williams, the founder of A Continuous Lean, a blog about men's clothes. Actually, it's a very successful blog about stuff. It's all really nice stuff - paper products, clothes, leather goods - but it's basically about stuff and how to find and get good stuff. Michael Williams, not surprisingly has a beard.
From the first few seconds of the video, I feel both fascination and budding irritation. I like the aesthetic - clean lines, nice font, basic colours. The topic is of interest to me as well. I myself invested in a pair of raw denim jeans (made here in Bangkok from Japanese denim) because I like the way they are made and who made them. I could have bought at least two pairs of regular jeans for what I paid for my _________ jeans (though I never would have paid the prices I have seen for raw denim jeans in North America). I also want to take care of my jeans, my initial reason for watching the video.
My irritation builds so quietly that I am not even aware of it until Mr. Williams shows how to wash his raw denim jeans. As soon as I see the clear soap bottle and elegant font on the label, I start to realize what the problem is. A little pop-up shows that this isn't just soap, it's The Laundress Denim Wash. I groan softly and make a silent guess as to the price. Later, when I look it up, it turns out I was low by about 50% as a 16 oz. bottle goes for USD 19 and the classic duo of wash and freshener goes for the unbelievably low price of USD 33.25.
I have to detour here to acknowledge my own contradictions. I know that jeans and denim are originally an 'everyone' item. And I know that I went out and bought a pair of jeans for a 'not for everyone' price. I did it because I believe in locally made products that are made well. I also did it because I think that my SINGLE pair of jeans is going to last me a very, very long time. I didn't buy my jeans because I am curating a wardrobe. I did it because they match my values, AND I hope that this pair of jeans will last as long as two regular pairs.
Back to the video (and my irritation)...
About midway through the video, Williams urges us all to wait as long as possible to wash the jeans (which I was also told when I bought mine). To do this, he urges us to use anti-bacterial spray to remove odours. The spray is, of course, from The Laundress and costs USD 16 for an 8 ounce bottle. Umm, buying a pair of jeans has somehow taken on the properties of having dreadlocks; it's a lifestyle decision.
It was at Step 5 in the video that my irritation turns to anger. I find myself angry enough to actually exclaim, "Awww, come on!" at my computer at 5:50 a.m. At 2:51 in, Mr. Williams urges us to 'know when to retire our jeans.' He says, and I quote, "At any one time, you will probably have several pairs of jeans in rotation at varying stages of wear and tear." He then proceeds to show us (two pairs of) jeans that are quite torn (good for 'DIY or the garbage'), the 'weekend casual jeans', the 'everyday jeans', and finally the 'Friday night jeans smart enough to go with tailoring and dress shoes.'
Five pairs!!! Of raw denim? We're talking USD 500-1000 worth of jeans. Over the jaunty whistling of the video's soundtrack my indignation boils over. The implications around class and environment of spending that much money on JEANS are monstrous. How anyone could justify choices like that is a mystery I can't begin to fathom.
Don't even get me started on the mystery of wearing denim and dress shoes at the same time.
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