Sugar Cane 1947 (3 Years, 3 Washes)

Fade Friday – Sugar Cane 1947 (3 Years, 3 Washes)

Updated: May 8, 2025 | Published: Jul 19, 2019 by Ben Keefe

For this week’s Fade Friday, we have a pair of Sugar Cane 1947 jeans that have been worn for 3 years and given 3 washes, likely one a year. After seeing so many fades week in and week out, it is easy to look at a pair and take it for granted because we mainly just see the finished product. But we need to take a step back and remember that pairs like this take time and dedication to evolve. So, although we are seeing some nice fades today, just understand they were three years in the making.

These jeans, which come to us from Heddels reader Gene, are fairly dark due to the selective washes. However, within this darkness, there are layers and layers of different blue hues that emerge, giving this pair a shadowy appearance. This is especially prevalent in the whiskers of the jeans because the dark areas between the fades are just as striking as the lap lines themselves. The wear on the edges of the knees is similar in that both the fades themselves and the areas between the fades create a mysterious look.

For the most part, the backside of these jeans is evenly worn out, with the seat and honeycombs being the most eye-catching. But what I find to be the most exciting about this pair is the tears. For any denim head who has worn a pair of jeans constantly knows that fades are not only an indication of a loss in indigo but a wearing away of the fabric itself. So when I see rips like this, I know that they were worn so hard that some points in the jeans began to give out. The asymmetrical and organic look that results is one of complete individuality. Some may choose to mend these tears with patches, but there is something to be said about embracing the gnarliness and deconstruction.