My Skull 5010xx jeans were purchased from Self Edge in April of 2008. They were my daily wearers for over a year… after that, I started to rest them once the crotch started needing continual repair. I brought them to Pablo at Stanton Tailor last week for a full overhaul and it’s safe to say that they’re good to go for some time. I will continue to give them some wear from time to time, but I’ve moved onto another pair of jeans for everyday usage.

What intrigues me most about raw denim is the process that it goes through with consistent wear. No two pairs age alike, and each worn-in pair of jeans tell a story about the wearer and what he did in them. Kiya once said that “jeans don’t lie.” In these jeans, I moved 3sixteen from a little cubicle in the garment district into our first official office space on Allen Street. In them, I painted, renovated, built fixtures and moved furniture into our new home.

I wore them to Canada for product development trips and endured both New York winters and Las Vegas summers in them. In short, they were a sturdy and dependable companion through some very eventful times.

Over time, I’ve had to reattach the back patch, repair the crotch, and add denim strips to reinforce the front pockets because the pocketbags were ripping out from extensive wear. I read somewhere that Skull specifically chose to use cotton thread (as opposed to poly/cotton thread which is stronger) so that jean wearers could become better acquainted with their local tailors. I’m not sure if that fact about the jeans is true, but Pablo and I have certainly become good friends.

I definitely plan to keep them in light rotation for years to come… some outfits call for a worn-in, faded pair of denim and I like that this pair’s wash is authentic and personal. I also like the occasional memories that come with wearing these jeans – thinking back on what I’ve gone through in them is a great reminder of the struggles and blessings that I’ve experienced in the past two years.