Whilst working as a barista within a coffee roastery, I always wondered what a pair of raw denim jeans would look like after some serious wear in that setting. Sure, I could have tried to find out myself, but I only worked the odd morning here and there. Thankfully, our reader, Alex, has submitted his pair of Big John R008 jeans, worn for the past year at a roastery and coffee bar.
Big John jeans are amongst the most handsome and underrated denim goods to come out of Japan. Wear a pair for up to 16 hours a day, shifting pales of coffee around, making cortados, and roasting coffee beans, and they may end up looking as stunning as Alex’s pair. Seriously, it’s pairs like this that help you fall in love with raw denim again and again. Picture-perfect whiskers, stark and cavernous honeycombs, and a gorgeous faded indigo hue throughout providing a backdrop for the creased and faded wear pattern.
The wear on these Big Johns shows Alex is clearly a cuffer, with a darker indigo section towards the hem. But it’s the brown tinge of the heavily faded areas that’s even more unique. Speaking from experience, there are coffee grounds and residue flying around everywhere in a coffee roastery/bar, and it looks as though some of these particles have bedded themselves deep within Alex’s denim. 15 washes in and that brown hue is still there to see.
You can keep up with Alex on Instagram @mr_alexchong
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Big John Rare R008 Raw Denim Jeans
- Fabric: 100% cotton selvedge denim
- Fabric weight: 15.5 oz.
- Fabric source: Japan
- Made in: Japan
- Fit: Straight
- Additional Details:
- Custom hardware
- Indigo-dyed leather patch
- Leather-backed, selvedge button fly
- Hand-stamped pocket bags
- Available at: Denimio for $278.19
