Ever since the raw denim revival has blown up in the US, dozens of specialty repair shops have cropped up to help people preserve their favorite pair of jeans. Denim is a hardy fabric, but – when worn day-in, day-out – even the best-made jeans will start wearing thin. And, at some point, they’ll develop holes.
I get my jeans repaired about once a year at Denim Therapy. They’re just one of the many shops nowadays that specialize in something known as darning, which is where a seamstress covers up a hole by essentially “weaving” in new material. The result is sturdier than a simple patch job — which is what you’ll get at a more common alterations tailor — and when done with matching threads, it’ll look a lot less conspicuous. Which is good for areas like, you know, your crotch.
At the moment, Denim Therapy is offering a 15% discount on all reweaving repairs. If you’re outside of NYC and can’t drop your jeans off at their shop, you’ll have to mail them in. For a basic repair, as well as the cost of shipping back and forth, you can expect to pay between $50 and $75. That’s about the price of entry-level raw denim nowadays, but this way, you get to wear your favorite pair of jeans a bit longer. And like with good leather shoes, the charm of denim is all about how the material looks as it ages.
Note, in order to get the discount, your jeans have to be in their shop by March 9th. If you’re mailing these in, factor in a week for shipping. You can also see this post for some examples of things I’ve had done at Denim Therapy.