FAQ

Sizing & Fit

How do your products fit compared to other brands?

Since sizing varies from brand to brand, the best way to determine the right size in our brand is to take measurements from an existing well-fitting garment of yours, and compare the measurements to ours. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to do this.

Should I size down when purchasing raw denim?

Most raw denim will stretch up to 1″ total in the waist once you begin breaking them in, however some denim stretch more and others less. There will be fabric notes on each product page that outlines stretch info. Given this, some customers size down 1 size to account for stretch. You want your jeans to fit snugly in the waist when you first try them on and you should be able to button them without too much of a struggle. Please note that the stretch occurs mainly in the waist, not really through the legs, so please refer to the leg measurements if you are sizing down, to make sure they will still work for you.

What is the difference between your denim fits?

Stanton: this style is a classic slim-straight, mid-rise jean where the leg is essentially straight from the knee down.
SK: this is our “skinny” fit, but it is not a super-skinny jean. It tapers slightly from the knee down vs. the Stanton, with a slightly smaller leg opening than the Stanton. The rise on the SK is also slightly lower vs. the Stanton.
Silveridge: this fit falls between our Stanton and SK fit. It has a higher rise than the Stanton, and the leg falls between the Stanton and SK.
Strong Taper: as the name says, this fit has the most tapered leg and smallest leg opening out of all of our fits. It is has a higher rise and more room in the top block (crotch/seat/upper thigh) than the SK.
Standard Issue: this fit is our fullest most relaxed fit with the largest leg opening out of all the fits. It has the most room in the top block.

Caring For Your Jeans

What care instructions do you recommend?

We recommend washing everything in cold water (by hand is best) and hang drying only (except for our Waxed Canvas and lined jackets, we recommend only spot-cleaning for these). Specific care instructions can be found on each product page.

For raw denim, you can do a soak by filling up a bucket, your washing machine, or bathtub with water and soaking for approximately 30-45 minutes. You can choose to add a minimal amount of detergent to the water with minimal agitation (swish the jeans in the water a few times with your hands).

Note: If you have a porcelain bathtub, the indigo may stain the tub, so you may want to use a bucket or your washing machine for the soak. Hang dry only.

Do I need to pre-soak raw denim?

This is a personal preference, and it is not necessary to pre-soak raw denim. Our denim is sanforized (pre-shrunk) unless otherwise noted. Some customers choose to pre-soak raw denim to soften up some of the initial rigidness and to minimize some of the bleeding that occurs the first few weeks. Many customers do not pre-soak raw denim since it softens up and breaks in fairly quickly with a few weeks of consistent wear.

Note: Avoid sitting on white/light surfaces the first few weeks, indigo may bleed and stain furniture, car seats, etc!

The indigo on my jeans is bleeding a lot, is this normal?

Yes, this bleeding (known as crocking) is normal and expected. You can experience crocking for several months, it really depends on how often you are wearing your jeans. Soaking may help to minimize this but will not completely prevent the crocking. The best way for the bleeding to subside is to wear your jeans frequently! Avoid sitting on light-colored surfaces, and be warned that indigo will transfer to sneakers, boots, belts, etc. (we personally don’t think this is a bad thing.)

Are crotch blowouts normal/common?

YES! Do not panic if this happens to you. It does not mean that you have purchased an inferior-quality product either. Crotch blowouts come with the territory of wearing raw denim, especially if you are not washing them periodically and are wearing them on the more fitted side. Our friends at Heddels put together a great article explaining what can cause blowouts, and how to prevent them.

Caring For Your Waxed Canvas

Please visit our Waxed Canvas Care page to learn more about this unique fabric and how to care for it over the lifetime of your jacket.

 

Other Services

Do you offer chain-stitch hemming?

We are placing a HOLD on our hemming program in order to get through the busy holiday season, as we are a small team and do all our hems in-house. The hemming hold begins on 11/24/24 through 1/2/25. We will accept hem requests again after 1/2/25. We offer complimentary chain-stitch hemming on any RGT raw denim jeans that are purchased directly through our website. We are unable to offer hems on Trousers. We are a small team who does all our hems in-house, and we currently do not have the bandwidth to support trouser hems. All our trousers come with a standard 1" single needle hem that any local tailor can easily handle for a low cost. Hemmed jeans are not eligible for return or exchange of any kind, so we strongly recommend trying the jeans on first to ensure that you are happy with the fit. Measurements serve only as a guide, they cannot guarantee fit. You can always send your jeans back to us at a later date for hemming, you'd just need to cover the return shipping back to you ($12 domestic, $45 international). We also recommend adding 0.5" to your inseam to account for any minimal shrinkage that may occur after the first wash/soak. If you are confident with your sizing and want to request a hem at the time of your purchase, please enter a Note at checkout with your inseam length. If you purchased a pair of our jeans through a retailer, the cost of hemming is $30/pair (this includes domestic return shipping) or $75/pair (this includes international return shipping if you are located outside the US). The turnaround time for hems is typically within 7 business days.

Do you offer denim repairs or other alterations?

No, we are not a tailor or alterations/repair service company. The only service we offer is chain-stitch hemming (on raw denim ONLY). We highly recommend Indigo Proof, Science and Kindness, or Double Needle Denim Repair for any repair needs.

Do you offer custom jeans?

Though we started off as a custom jeans company, we stopped offering this service in 2009 to focus on our ready-to-wear brand. We do not offer any custom, one-off, or bespoke garments.

Other Questions

Sales Tax in California

California is a hybrid-origin tax state, so there is sales tax (city, county, and state tax) that is based on the origin of the order (where it ships from) and district tax that is based on the destination of the order (where it ships to).

Sales Tax in Illinois

Illinois has one of the strictest sales tax laws and has the lowest threshold for establishing a nexus. We have crossed that threshold and are now required to charge, collect, and remit taxes to Illinois.