Factory Wrinkled Knees

When I was a kid, new bluejeans were dark navy. After hanging outside to dry on a freezing day, they were stiff as wood. We used to stand them up indoors, then watch them buckle and subside.

We had to wear them out and wrinkle them by ourselves. It took months for them to soften and fade. The indigo dye meant that under sodium vapour street lights, new bluejeans looked Royal purple.

Bluejeans were work clothes. They were made to last, and they did. Manufactured in Edmonton, they bore the proud label "Union made." My aunt, who worked at the factory, told me that GWG stood for Great Western Garments.

Now people buy worn and faded bluejeans. The more decrepit, the more fashionable. Foreign factories make the jeans. Conscious of trends, they wear them out for the fashion leaders, even bleaching spots on the thighs where the original jeans used to fade the most.

Some jeans have factory-fresh holes torn across the knees. If only we'd known our worn-out jeans would one day be collectors' items.

Wearing out newly manufactured jeans is definitely an art form, but some of the techniques still aren't perfect.

The back knee wrinkles, for instance. Today I walked behind someone wearing new jeans with pre-wrinkled knees. They were impressive, but not in quite the right place, a tell-tale sign they were not genuine.