Artificial Distressing - Topic of the day 10/31/24
Because sometimes you want the wear and tear without the "wear". How do you feel about artificial distressing of clothes? How authentic looking should a pre-distressed item be in your opinion? What methods of distressing are worth it, and what methods should be best like to time itself?
263 Replies
Artificial distressing is poop
Only buy pre distressed clothes if they are older than you
I was at TK Maxx a couple of days ago, and they had ripped Tommy jeans for £50 :linkDead:
This was after I found ripped Polo jeans for £40 at a vintage place
I want unholed jeans! Not holed jeans.
some of the melty maison mihara yasuhiro and tons of the avant garde/goth/darkwear/designer distressed/raw hem knits from rick, ann, raf etc are all great
pre-distressed jeans and t shirts read a little corny to me but whatever if you like it and you have swag who cares
I used to be massively against it on philosophical grounds. Like alot of people my age I feel like my first foray into fashion was through raw denim, and my initial interest was spurred by how in-authentic my prefaded jeans felt. Since then I've lightened up alot.
Its only bad when it looks bad
There seems to be artificial distressing which tries to seem natural, and artificial distressing which leans into the artificial aesthetic, if that makes sense. Personally not wild about it but I'll respect it.
Another thing I've realized through denim is that by the time there is a "cool" amount of fading or fraying/holes in the visible places, often times the garment is functionally falling apart because the crotch has blown out or something like that. If you like the look of fading/holes/washing, it honestly makes sense to just get it like that in the first place
at some point i feel like this butts up against washes/whiskering on jeans and i think a lot of that is fine / tons of acne and eckhaus stuff that either could read as or is explicitly meant to look like distressing is also fine
There's a fine line between artistic and intentional or a false imitation of something created from age imo
it only looks bad when it looks badfire
i have a few pre-distressed hats (and another in the mail) but that’s a, hard to distress naturally and b, artistic in implementation anyways
sometimes i want something to look old but i want to steal the valor too
otherwise it’s natural distress all the way for me
That should be the motto of mfad
i bought a hat secondhand that was already distressed and some jeans that someone else heel bit am i a bad person :blushiedog:
Hats are an accessory that are difficult to properly age
nah
there’s also a difference between thrifting something that someone else wore the hell out of and the cheap looking pre-distressed jeans
Definitely
I used to be super opposed to it but now I don't really care. Pre-distressed jeans and stuff are fine but it's hard to spend retail when there are a lot of options for my style 2nd hand.
I don't think this is true for everyone tho and being judgey for buying something pre-distressed at a factory is p silly imo
yeah. i don’t judge but i’m particular about it in my own wardrobe
Firstly, you're being less wasteful buying secondhand/vintage
Of course if pre-distressed is all the person can get/wear that's a different scenario
anyway all of this is sick and the ann stuff specifically (last 3) is a ton of effort on the makers' behalf iirc
i know from calla being here that you can distress knitwear at much much lower cost tho which is sick
How much of this is from ssense? :linkSmug:
0
Ah
SAM NO
I looked like it could’ve been from there lol
i mean some of it might be on ssense, the first 3 are this season's acne
I'm currently looking at buying corduroy overshirts, but they're tough to find here secondhand, or they're not great quality. Whilst buying new is much easier and possibly cheaper too
Some of them at least
Guy that liked my sweater with the huge holes in it says what
:linkThink:
Shut up
absolutely doubt that it is both cheaper and comparable quality but we're getting off track
Yeah, I'll make a thread about it later in #questions-and-advice
i may have misread your initial tone about 'you should buy secondhand it's better' vs 'it's easier to buy new and it's cheaper' tho
I was wrong about this lmfao
nuance in my subjective hobby gamer server
It depends on your situation, location, and other factors too
It isn't just a simple thing always
So true
Owned
The question of quality can be a tricky subject. Especially with my local area having a boom of secondhand stores of cheap Y2K stuff that wasn't great back then
I own a few pre distressed pieces - most of us do probably, or else we’d all be in various states of raw denim or we’d have bought all our washed denim 2nd hand.
And going from washed denim to something with a few rips or tears really isn’t that big of a step, and also not something I consider morally wrong. Brands like PRL go crazy on their distressing in a good way - being inspired by specific pieces of vintage with particularly cool wear patterns. And I think it’s nice to be able to also wear stuff that would otherwise be a one of one.
yeah quality is a dogshit metric but like lol buying cheap shit firsthand has a human cost
ANYWAY
sorry, off topic
i bought a secondhand pair of carhartt carpenters (the original sin) that are really wonderfully thrashed and i suspect somebody did it artificially but i love them anyways and am already just playing dress up so
Honestly it doesn’t really matter if your blue collar cosplay has been distressed by the manufacturer or someone wearing it - we’re all just posing anyways
I love Golden Goose sneakers so much
this is not a joke
i think they look bad ass
pre-distressed is cool
regllar distressed cool
Unless you're a Rural French farmer or factory worker from the town of Nîmes in France during the 19th century then you're just doing class/historical cosplay (same thing with Chore jackets)
I used to have a side gig replicating distressed hollister jeans for people.
Way back in, like, 2009/10
Just wanna say I appreciate there's people here making the argument for pre-distressed. Thought maybe this'd turn into a one-note discussion, instead I'm hearing some interesting thoughts.
Sandpaper, files. A couple people wanted their jeans shot with birdshot
Pre-distressing? In my fashion server??????
ah shit yeah i also bought a really fucked up halo 2 tshirt and i love it lmao
Ill have you know i can beat the shit out of my pants on my own
Pre distressing is sick
its literally just a swag thing
is this a joke
And it’s a narrow minded opinion if you are into fashion and not into pre distressing
yep
:msalute:
an overly researched joke, had to double-check the spelling of the town name
Remember when people loved paint drip common projects
Or Those Ones.
do you mean the paint splatter GATs?
My favorite example of Pre-Distressing are the Homer Campbell Jeans by Levi’s. These are a pair of jeans with a cool as shit history that Levi’s decided to replicate (at an insane price point).
These would’ve literally been lost in the archives forever if Levi’s didn’t replicate them, so I consider that a net win.
I like distressing that doesn’t try to look authentic
Pre distressing is peak fashion consumerism and should be banned
Yeah GATs not CP
You’re in a fashion server lmao
Fashion is a de facto consumerist hobby
Fashion is consumerism
is this really your first message in the server?
You can be fashionable and wear out your clothes
Also most real distressing looks like shit
cause most people aren't on their knees all day
saw some visible mending at the flea market last wk that im bummed i couldnt justify buying it kicked ass
just your mom
Telling that the person with the Sam Hyde pfp has bad takes.
its mostly shit like crotch blowouts
which looks bad
The pieces we idolize are the very rare cases of sth surviving and actually looking good, so there’s a bunch of selection bias with authentic distressing
lol
only predisstresed tthats bad is those dirty acne jeans, not for any real reason i just think it looks wack
And that shit is expensive
The good miner distressing
historically my experience distressing through actual wear has been crotch blowouts on skinny stretch jean
from bike seat friction
i kinda agree tho those are maybe my least favorite of the bunch
not the look
:nooooo: im sorry kyn i dont like it
I prefer someone replicating it in earnest to make it available to the general public. Because it’s cool so everyone should get a chance to be cool.
eckhaus has a yucky wash i love
I love it
Agree
I love disgusting jeans
Ripped knees from biffing it
Acne makes the best disgusting looking jeans
I'm glad I got older Levi's because they are already a bit worn out and distressed, so if I mark/stain them, it's not a big issue. Also, I can modify them without the same awkward feeling as you would with a new garment. However, sometimes artificial distressing can get it just right
Omg I have the jacket in this color
Should I buy the matching jeans
It’s only $200 on Depop in my size
Imo fashion isn’t some fucking trading card game where you’re only cool if you own the black lotus - cool stuff should be available vintage as well as pre distressed and we shouldn’t judge each other about it.
here here
It isn't one-size-fits-all, literally
char if u dont cop ill kill u
char with the green suit
unless its the balenci greaves
this could be sick
a lot of runway/couture stuff is like this but also a lot of it isn't really accessible in terms of swag or everyday wearability so that's moot
Ugh
im on a medium cop freeze rn so im pressuring u sorry not sorry
a cop.. chill
a cop frost if u will
I find runway/couture stuff difficult for me to connect with or potentially adapt into my style, or maybe I'm just a normie
Is that the fashion black lotus then lol?
artificial poop mud stains :chefskiss:
Me too
Kinda
But I broke it
kind of!
I’m trying to slow down
a lot of runway is still useful as inspo and all the wacky shit you can just treat like an art project
That's true
like idt im gonna wear most of the shit i post to #inspiration from runways but i do look at it frequently
I mostly get inspiration from film/tv
yeah ur only cool if you own the first edition base set charizard who cares ab a flower bro i got a dragon
lots to draw from in terms of silhouette and color combinations
I can understand those aspects
Idk anything about that I only played yu gi oh
ok based but im not gonna stray from the conversation topic any further
Also if anyone wants to read a rant about how fucking cool the Homer Campbell jeans are lmk
Lotus is good in every deck and the greaves are very much not good in every outfit
The greaves are more like the Mishras Workshop
@Holfram
Fuck you mean greaves are not good in every outfit
shut up
Change Charizard to Exodia
the idea that "distressing is peak fashion consumerism" or whatever is so fucking funny because it perfectly illustrates
1. Complete lack of swag
2. Total misunderstanding of what fashion is
3. Dork
Totd: magic the gathering when
"Ooooo my chinos are so functional and disconnected from fashion-brained idiots" you're a fool
my chinos got a fucking patch on their ass making them objectively cooler than chinos without an ass patch
I think I hear the whispers of Meyrl Streep talking about cerulean blue
Genuinely that shit should be required reading before joining the server like
Smdh
Not the movie?
reading/watching whatever lmao
fashion consumerism is something everyone should self-evaluate imo, but not like that lol
I'm seeing the musical in January. It's a Breakfast at Tiffany's trifecta situation
We should make everyone read The Fashion System and Orientalism and then we can really raise the level of discourse in the server
I'll be wearing corduroy from toe to shoulder
You’re weak for not wearing a corduroy hat tbh
barthes & said would be so sick to have in the server
It'll be evening, hence why no hat, also indoors
[user was timed out for this post]You gotta be releasing moths into your closet to get your callapilled sweaters, that's the price of fashion
If you're not pouring acid onto your jeans every morning, you're a poser
I have a personal hangup with certain examples of artificial distressing, I don't even like to do a patch on a vintage item where it doesn't need it, but that's also because i have my work cut out for me repairing all the real holes
there's just no comparison to an old garment that has the burnish and patina of wear with the accumulative layering of mending over time
Anyone have experience distressing jeans? I would love to replicate this fade https://discord.com/channels/1116793467654381685/1116800072093532191/1300468711500808243
sandpaper no?
For stuff like that you gotta do sandblasting
if you do distressing yourself wear a mask please
otherwise ya its pretty much always sanding or using a dremel to rip stuff up
First time smiles has ever encouraged wearing a mask
sorry i had to delete that
There is no logical framework that justifies every other aesthetic design decision made but doesn’t justify distressing
Extremely weird take
this may be the nicest thing you've ever said to me
That I assume you have not actually thought through
Either you think aesthetics have value or you don’t
I’m sorry for not clearly marking my shitposts
And if you don’t, you’re wrong
i love when bishop comes in to drop the hammer of good informed takes + direct but generally respectful confrontation
I considered including 101 Dalmatians or something to make it clear I wasn’t serious but I decided the users of this discord had it in the bag
everytime Bishop has a helpful and level headed take I must shitpost harder to balance
Dude if bishopcorrigan is this good imagine what rookcorrigan is like
Ya you would never recommend people read random philosophy books in this server, its so unlike you
Popecorrigan final form
I felt that ‘you should read two famously dense books to access a discord server where we talk about Halloween cummies’ was pretty straightforwardly not serious
If I were arguing against bishop I’d just stand in the opposite colored square as him. Then he can’t get to me
insane sentence tbh
This was a big problem for him at alfargos
Basically this, for me
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1301576419989786656/1301579469915422843/C00054-863_A.png to me these just look like they have shit stains on, grim
That’s so hot
They don’t look cheap
And you can’t get the shit stain look with real world wear usually
What don't work for some folks, will work for others, but I ain't letting you sit on my couch in those
Unless you wanna be basking in shit
Irl they look amazing
Any photos of them on a person? Because I am genuinely not seeing it
And the beauty of artificial distressing is that up close you see they’re a very high quality pair of jeans but you know the previous owner didn’t actually destroy it
Idk what to say from this photo they look really nice
theyre just jeans idk man
theyre good
swag difference i fear
they're good
Char gets stunlocked by poopoo jeans case in point my Gap jeans
i think regardless of how you choose to distress it the visual effect from a distance is going to read as the same
Actual shit stains would look very different and much less cool than these.
just for the record
You won’t wear good looking jeans bc they aren’t comfy like what you think my wardrobe is all sweats smh
They’re comfy they just feel like elastane lmfao
what are u a shit stain expert? got a lot of experience with shit stains poop boy?
these are more "wiped dirt off my hands onto my jeans" sort of
:ohyes:
if you want to get close enough to my pants to judge if the ripped jeans came from me being on my knees or a pair of scissors then that's weird ngl
there’s like this uncanny valley effect to factory distressed jeans + the fact that 2010s mall shops had them everywhere that i think has me turned off so strongly
I need thicker denim to contain my quads
There’s bad distressing too and that’s mall brands
yea
Also it’s funny that people consider acid washing and sand washing not distressing but it literally is
It’s a double standard for the non distressing folks
it is so distressing lmao
haha
i guess what i’m most picky about with predistressed discourse is the tears
i will acknowledge my hypocrisy
douse your pants in acid (lsd)
anti-artifical distressors get to lighten their jeans via sunlight, that seems fair 🙂
yeah at what point is it like "buying jeans that aren't dark wash indigo is cheating"
yeah lmao
(other dyes being ignored here for reductionist purposes)
Leaving your jeans on the roof in the summer like my grandparents did (probably)
my dad used to put jeans into a bag of rocks and tie them to a pier
or drag them behind a car
Under-appreciated damage that I'd like to see become more aestheticized: pilling, bad ironing, loose yarn of a sweater getting snagged as you walk away slowly leaving you in your boxer shorts and sock garters
i really emphatically dislike pilling but an iron mark would go hard
gonna throw my jeans on the local train tracks and see what happens
really long loose yarn i think is a rick/ann thing tho
pilling is cool
sweater shavers can suck it
Camiel fortgens too
dribbled food stains are the one that makes me mad
i forget about them bc the name cant find a fold in my brain to live in
stolen valor my beloved
and I will disrobe in the restaurant bathroom to pitifully try and remove it before it stains with handsoap and sad paper towels
Also i've split the ass seam in so many of my vintage pants
so if we could make that cool that'd be convenient
As someone who likes the look of unwashed raw denim, I'm not about that distressed look
Has balenciaga put out pre-thrashed hanes looking underwear because that's another one that could be cool to make sexy
Earning valor by painting my apartment in my workwear
which wall did you paint sulfuric yellow
The wall behind the toilet
fitting
So I never have to clean it
This reminds me of the time I was puzzling over someone's oddly distressed, two-tone wash jeans on the subway before realizing they had pissed themself.
This is a banger
I can't believe contractors would rip off hard working fashion designers like this smh
first belly laugh of the day
idk they might have been on to something
louis gabriel nouchi had a collection of simulated sweat and pit stained clothes and i have to assume that was the inspiration
I think one of mcqueen’s first collections too
Baseball infield sand is a great substitute
stealing bases with the Acne on
Usually is a mixture of sand and clay
shoutouts to the Dodgers
Still an artificial distressing tho
Not if you play ball in your jeans 😌
Trueeee
Thisis reminding me I need to de-pill my ancient chore coat
Fabric shaver is a god send for that
yeah, we got one someplace
i need to bite the bullet and get one
I think hoodies in overwashed/faded black are cool
I guess thats distressing
Enzyme wash is the way to go
Pretty sure either margiela or moschino did this at some point
And di petsa of course did the piss jeans
I think personally I enjoy the fantasy of distressing my own stuff over time through wear and such. I do acknowledge though that its mostly a fantasy.
I don't really have an opinion on store bought distressing but I think self made distressing as a form of DIY is super rad.
I think you’d look really good in pre distressed things Leo
I personally prefer naturally distressed things more often than not, but just because I like the elements of randomness and history
There are lots of examples of well done distressing with intention, but I appreciate the accidental beauty of a naturally distressed thing
I think for me it 100% depends on what the item is.
Jeans? Natty all day
But a boro jacket? Its cool as hell
boro jacket .........................
I think it kinda has the same effect as artificial fading on jeans. It looks weird when the jean fades dont match up with the natural movement of your legs, artificial distressing is the same thing if its not done well
Yeah it’s just harder to do well and often done poorly
It’s fun to have something unique too which can come from artificial distressing too but often factories are pumping out tons of identically distressed things
I’m going to line a pair of jeans with sandpaper and then put them on over my other jeans to speed up the natural fades
Artificial distressing
My distressing
looks dope
Stolen valor distressing
$26 j crew or $2200 moschino suit u tell me
Wabi sabi 🗾
Thanks I guess! What exactly do you have in mind? Pre-distressed stuff usually is not on my radar but I would be interested to see the vision.
I feel like a good pair of used Levi’s bootcut jeans could work really well in your wardrobe
True, i really need some lighter colour, well worn denim.
Wow y'all got into this one
I like artificially distressed sweaters a lot
Big agree
W opinion
The vest I wore for the fit battle has these kind of gaps that you can see. (I think you can see my tie through the top one.) I was thinking/still think that cutting a few of the threads holding them together would be cool, but I can't bring myself to do it lol
I'm also always so tempted by the intrusive thoughts to "distress" a couple of these panels
Get a cheap one and practice!
practice is the key to getting good distressing
sometimes its going to look like shit, sometimes you're going to irrevocably ruin a piece of clothing
gotta either practice or only distress stuff that u dont care about