“These are nowadays very rare and are gold dust in the denim world as there is actually a small (beauty) flaw with this machine – it creates a high tension on the hem which makes the jeans ‘rope’, giving them a distinctive fade over time.”

Ultimately, spend as much as you can, and you’ll be rewarded with a pair you’ll want to cherish for years. Jeans were originally designed to be worn hard, and this just isn’t possible with an inferior product.

Pardeep Sahota, store manager and buyer at American Classics in London agrees. “Mass-market high street jeans won’t last for everyday wear due to the lower grade materials used, giving them an inconsistent quality. Investing in true artisan denim brands isn’t cheap, but because they’re made in much smaller runs from higher quality cotton, buying selvedge and/or raw denim offers more than value for money.”

Denim Trends To Keep An Eye On

You may not have the time or patience to go raw, especially if you’re after a specific look with your denim. Like any piece of clothing, jeans are not immune from trends. Ripped jeans were everywhere for a while but the last couple of years have seen a rise mid-wash and acid-wash denim, in line with the 90s trend that has somehow permeated the high street. You don’t have to look too hard these days to see a pale-wash jean/chunky trainer/puffer jacket combination Instagramming his way through a flat white.

Inspired by a more timeless decade are wide-leg jeans, a denim trend which takes its cues from the 1950s. Brands such as King & Tuckfield and E. Tautz have been championing breezy legs, often paired with other mid-century staples such as knitted polo shirt and penny loafers.

Model Richard Biedul who collaborated with the former and regularly walks many of the top men’s shows believes this is the direction men’s legs are going, “This season, the demand for wide legs has once again been echoed on the runways of London, Paris and Milan, with designers across the globe showcasing a wider, more relaxed male silhouette.”