Some call him Swiss Jeans Freak, some call him Jeansus, we simply call him Ruedi. Ruedi Karrer is a 56-year-old geologist from Zurich and he is probably the most devoted raw denim fan fading today. If you’ve spent any time on Instagram or in the comments section of this site, you’ve seen him pop-up for “hardest core denim evos” that “deserve to live forever” and which he begs will never be washed.
As mentioned above, Ruedi never washes his jeans and the fade reflects it. The super contrasted whiskers and combs have blown out in multiple spots. The crotch has required several repairs, but the patina and the overall fade is nothing short of spectacular. For those with the strongest possible fades, it takes a dedication like no other, and that’s Ruedi to a T.
Details
- Name: Iron Heart Mega Beatle Buster
- Fabric: 100% cotton Japanese raw selvedge denim
- Weight: 25oz.
- Fit: Slim Straight
- Unique Features:
- Special Popeye branded leather patch
- Limited to 119 pairs
- Hidden knife pocket
- No longer available from Iron Heart
In his spare time, Ruedi runs the Jeansmuseum of Heaviest Fadings, which features over 12,000 pairs of worn and new denim pieces. His obsession runs deep, in his own words:
I was born Sept. 8, 1959 in a remote alpine 40 people village in the swiss alps in a poor 12 person family. After receiving 2 Levi’s jeans in a cloth donation parcel at the early 70-ies I got raw denim addict (sic). I’m wearing my raw denim gear (jeans and denim jackets) every day and in multiple layers during cold winter seasons and in 3 steps as office outdoor and work pants. Also for skiing, climbing mountains, and for traveling and daily bicycling.
I never ever wash or soak since I love the unwashed raw denim color tone much more then the royal blue color tone you get on washed items. All raw denim heads shall wear the hell out if their raw denim stuff as long as possible but never ever throwing them away. You can give your well loved but retired raw denim projects an eternal life at the Jeansmuseum at any time. With displaying the power of natural denim evolution on as many as possible samples to the visitors, the raw denim spirit shall be kept alive.
Naturally, the founder of the Jeansmuseum has to have some fairly beastly fades for himself, and Ruedi’s evo does not disappoint. The pair in question is a 25oz. set of Iron Heart Mega Beatle Busters, a collaboration for the second Heavyweight Denim World Championships.
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The Evo
Ruedi wore his jeans hard–every single day for 835 days when the above photos were taken. He’s jogged in them, skied, rode camels, given blood, laid down in traffic, and even summitted Mount Kilimanjaro in them. This pair has truly seen it all and Ruedi has done an amazing job documenting the process.
Happy late birthday, Ruedi, your jeans deserve to live forever!
