Should You Distress Your Own Jeans?

The biggest risk with DIY denim distressing is once you make a cut, you can’t take it back. A cut in the wrong place or a cut too big, and you’ve ruined your jeans. Yes, you could reinforce the shredded denim with a safety-pin chain (more on that in a moment) or patch it the way your grandparents did to make jeans last longer. But for the best ripped denim, you’re better to leave the shredding to experts. 

In fact, one of the advantages of buying distressed denim (versus DIY-ing it) is that the entirety of the denim is not aged from wear and tear. It’s put through a distressing process that preserves the “good part” of the jeans while wearing down the distressed parts — usually near the knees, thighs and calves. That way, you’re covered with quality denim where you need to be. 

Regardless, we’ll cover some common techniques that are used to create ripped jeans, as well as review a short history of ripped jeans through the decades. 

A Decade-By-Decade History of Ripped Jeans 

We’ll start our journey in the 1970s when punk rockers rebelliously wore ripped jeans and stained, hole-filled T-shirts. Of course, ripped denim began long before the ‘70s, but it was around that time that fashion started incorporating distressed denim to achieve certain fashion aesthetics. Prior to then, ripped denim was associated with the working class, and shredded jeans with hippie culture. 

Shredded denim in the ‘70s  

The best ripped jeans, of course, naturally resulted from wear and tear and repeated washings. To speed up the fraying, denim wearers added a little bleach to the wash and wore down the fabric with sandpaper or other rough surfaces. Buying ripped jeans was less common in the 1970s, as it was sort of a badge of honor to wear a pair of jeans for so long that they ripped and frayed naturally. 

Ripped, baggy jeans of the ‘80s

It wouldn’t be long, though, before denim brands caught the trend and started fashioning ripped jeans. In the 1980s, fashion designers started incorporating punk-rock-inspired distressed denim into their styles. Denim in this decade was influenced by the likes of Madonna, Michael Jackson, and ‘80s “hair metal” rock bands. The truly fashion-forward individuals reinforced their ripped jeans with safety pin chains. For an amusing throwback to ‘80s fashion, check out the movie “Flashdance,” which epitomizes ‘80s distressed fashions. 

Destroyed jeans of the ‘90s

A decade later, ripped jeans returned to the rebels, when the 1990s welcomed grunge and hip-hop culture. In the grunge scene, ripped denim became really ripped, as did torn flannels and stretched-out rock band tees. Men’s hip-hop culture sported only minimally distressed denim along with bulky chains and super-baggy jeans. The baggier the better. 

Deconstructed denim of the ‘00s

The 2000s saw the trend of “whiskering,” which used bleaching techniques to create a whisker-like denim fade in all the places that denim naturally creases. That’s also when fashion designers started adding those chunky silver embellishments to pockets, which we’re still trying to forget! It’s also the decade that kicked off with the Britney Spears-Justin Timberlake matching denim outfit trend (Google it), which wasn’t so much about ripped denim as it was a denim-on-denim-on-denim patchwork look.  

Super distressed, extremely destroyed jeans of today 

Today, distressed denim borrows from all those decades to create what can be described as super ripped, really destroyed jeans. We’re creating artfully distressed denim, with everything from flayed open thighs to spider-web-like tears that run the full length of the leg. In the 2020s, nearly anything goes with distressed denim. 

Women’s destroyed jeans feature symmetrical, spider-like tears just below the pocket all the way down past the knee. Our L.A. designers are placing cuts near the hip, below the panty line, extending down the outer thigh and adding some interesting touches with graffiti graphics and RSO logos. Check out these light-wash distressed flares with a Swiss-cheese shredded denim effect!

For men, our design team is going to the extremes with very ripped jeans combined with stacked flares, split seams and patchwork. Guys continue to ask for our highly popular moto jeans, featuring destroyed denim with reinforced panels at the thighs, knees and shins.  

How to Make Ripped Jeans

If you want to DIY ripped jeans, do so at your own risk! Remember, once you make a cut, you can't take it back. Review our related post on how to wash denim so it lasts longer, so you can protect your custom designs. 

There are a few denim-distressing techniques that fashion designers use to shred jeans and create dope drips. Some of the tools used include: 

• Sandpaper
• X-acto knife or box cutter
• Scissors
• Cheese grater
• Steel wool
• Pumice stones
• Razor

Before you rip your own jeans, find a small board that you can slide down the pantleg to protect the other side from being destroyed. The board can protect the back of the pant leg like a cutting board protects your countertops when you cook. Old books, notebooks and thick cardboard can also work.

How to rip jeans and leave the white thread

If you're wondering how to rip jeans and leave the white thread, this is the technique. This will create that spider-web effect by unraveling only the blue (or color-dyed) part of the fabric, leaving the white cotton part intact. 

Spread the jeans on a flat surface and slide the board down the pant leg. Use a rough surface, such as a pumice stone, sandpaper, or steel wool, to loosen the fabric by rubbing it against the grain. Typically it's a side-to-side motion, rather than an up-and-down one.

The time to make really ripped jeans depends on the thickness and age of the fabric. Once you start to see the fibers fray, you can start to create holes by using an X-acto knife, box cutter or even a cheese grater to gently destroy the jeans' fibers. 

This step takes patience (which is why you can see that shopping for distressed denim might be a better way to spend your time). If you rush it, you risk cutting the jeans and causing them to fall apart, rather than fray in a stylish way. 

Gently loosen the fibers to create more holes. You can even do this while wearing them, picking at the white threads as they stick out from the jeans. DO NOT use a sharp knife or cutting tool while you're wearing the jeans. 

How to make full rips in jeans with scissors

With the jeans laying on a flat surface, slide your protective board down the pant leg, so your cuts go through only one layer of fabric. Using sharp, pointed scissors, make a small cut. 

For optimal scissor-cut rips, try on the jeans first, and mark the areas where you want to distress them using tailors' chalk (regular chalk will do, too, as long as it washes off). Remove the jeans before making cuts!

How to Save Time When Distressing Jeans

The process of creating distressed denim, extra distressed jeans, and extreme destroyed jeans is tedious, to say the least. It takes a creative spirit and a steady hand. Take it from the experts: DIY distressed denim isn't as easy as it looks. 

Shop online and save time and frustration. Rockstar Original is a leading brand in destroyed denim for men and women. Shop men's ripped jeans and women's distressed denim from Rockstar Original, and when you spend $125, your shipping is free.