How To Care For Your New Tobaccos. Hint: Don't Throw Them In The Washer! When you get your Tobaccos, take the time to notice all the effort & detailed craftsmanship that went into creating these jeans, then put them on & beat the hell out of them. Your Tobaccos are made to get better with wear!

If you take care of your denim, it will last a long time and look good. Here are a few tips on how to get the most out of your Tobaccos.

BREAKING IN

Tobacco didn’t skimp on materials. Their denims & canvas are hefty, raw & unwashed. You may find them stiff or even restricting at first. Don’t panic. As you wear your jeans, they’ll stretch in the areas you need more room & will become more form fitting where you need less. The fabric will soften & fade over time. Every fade, fold & line, will be entirely self-inflicted. Your Tobaccos will be unlike any other pair.

TO SOAK or NOT TO SOAK

Some “denim-heads” pre-soak their jeans to get rid of any excess dye & shrinkage early, then wear the jeans at least six months before the next wash. Others prefer to wear jeans raw for six months, or as long as possible before washing to get high-contrast fades. In our experience, both can work. Though cold water is always recommended, warm water can be used if you want more shrinkage. Some even wear their jeans in the tub and then wear them dry. Do some web research before doing anything too crazy.

WASHING

When it comes to washing denim or canvas, the consensus is, less is more. Wear your jeans often; wash when needed. It’s not unusual for raw jeans to go 4-6 months between washes. Depending on how often you ride or wear your Tobaccos you may need even less. When you wash denim, the water washes out some of the dye. The loose dye then transfers to lighter areas that have faded. The more you wash, the more dye you lose & transfer, resulting in a flat, monochromatic look, rather than the contrasting dark and lighter shades you get with natural wear & limited washes.

Though raw jeans are machine washable, many denim-heads prefer to hand wash gently, inside out, in a tub of cool water, with “dark” detergent made to wash colours & prevent dye loss. Then hang dry.

SHRINKAGE and BLEED

Tobacco denims & canvas are Sanfordized, a method of stretching, shrinking & fixing the woven cloth in both length & width before cutting & producing, to reduce the shrinkage. 100% cotton, they will shrink 3-5% after the first wash, most of that in length. After washing, jeans will feel tighter at first, but cotton has some natural stretch & will loosen up after a couple of wears. This has been accounted for in the design.

Before the initial wash, dye may “bleed” or transfer onto other materials and fabrics, particularly when wet. Take care to not accidentally stain something you touch or sit on.

Shrinkage can be avoided by dry cleaning.