Jeans are one clothing item that will never go out of fashion! Even your oldest pair has the potential to last you through another lifetime of different wardrobes. In fact, sometimes the older and more wore-torn your denims look, the trendier they are! If we look at current trends, for example, then many prefer the distressed and rugged look. Many even purposefully make them look that way.

But, to end up with a stylish pair of distressed looking DIY pants, you kind of need to know what you are doing.  Otherwise, you could just end up with an awkwardly sliced pair of pants. 

If you have the right equipment, however, and some insight into what the best techniques are, you too can flash a fashionable pair of American made jeans - without having to forgo an arm and a leg for a designer brand. 

Free Stock Image - Pixabay

In this article, you will find 5 different techniques that you can apply. Feel free to select one, two, or all of the ideas to try at once so that you can “tweak” your jeans and reach the level of “worn and torn” that suits your own style preferences best. 

Gather Your Tools

Depending on the type of distressed look you prefer, you may need some or all of the following tools: 

• A razorblade
• A bleaching agent
• Paintbrushes
• A pair of scissors
• Tweezers
• Bobby pins
• Sheets of sandpaper 

If you feel a little daring, you could also stock up on some iron-on badges, safety pins for a hardcore look, and you can bedazzle your denim with a few sparkling gems. 

Different Distressing Techniques

Fade the Fabric

If you want your jeans to have that really washed-out look (like they have been washed 100 times), then this is the technique you will need to follow. 

1. Mix water and bleach (a mix of 50-50 works best). 
2. Apply your solution to your jeans using a paintbrush.
3. Try to create natural-looking streaks.
4. Add more bleach to the knee areas (where fading tends to be the most prominent).
5. Leave the bleach on for a few hours (or until the denim starts to fade to your preferred shade)
6. Wash them and hang them out to dry
7. You can repeat this process if you weren’t happy with the results.

Fray the Pockets and Edges

The frayed look is all the rage and to get this style right, all you will need is a sharp razor blade!

1. Start by scraping the razor to and fro on the denim until you get the effect you like 
2. This technique works best when applied to the zipper area, waistband, and pockets. 
3. Make Small Holes

Tiny holes around the pocket area will give your denim a damaged effect that looks natural. The blunt end of Bobby Pins work great. All you need to do is:

1. Pick and scrape at the fabric and to make small holes. 

This can be quite a tedious application but using a blunt edge does give the most ideal and natural results. 

Cut and Pluck

Most fashionistas go crazy about this look. And the steps are so easy! 

1. Simply use a sharp pair of scissors to cut horizontal strips (they can be as wide or as narrow as you want them to be). 
2. Now, grab some tweezers and pluck out the loose threads (or you can leave them be). 
3. If you pull out the blue threads, the white threads will remain to give a frayed-torn result. 

Free Stock Image - Pixabay

Create Soft Patches

If you want your jeans to look like they have lived through the ages, a nifty hack is to rub spots down using sandpaper. While this won’t make any holes, it will give the fabric a soft and fragile feel. The soft fabric will now also distress naturally on its own after time.

Free Stock Image - Pixabay

End Note

These distressing methods can be applied to all types of denim clothes, not just jeans. From denim jackets, skirts, and shorts to your favourite dungarees, distressing your denim clothes is one way to “jush” your wardrobe.  

Much love - @sweetpea

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