Tired of wearing the same cotton-twill denim jeans day after day? While there’s certainly nothing wrong with them, many people prefer a softer fabric. Thankfully, many clothing producers are now offering stretch denim jeans, which as the name suggests, have greater flexibility than their standard cotton-twill counterpart. But what exactly is stretch denim? And how should you wear them?
Stretch Denim Defined
Stretch denim is used to describe a denim-blend fabric that contains some type of elastic material, such as spandex or polyester. The addition of this elastic fabric allows the material to stretch (hence the name, stretch denim). It’s important to note that only a small amount of elastic material is required to produce stretch denim. When spandex is used, for instance, it generally requires just 3% to allow for a stretching capacity of 15% of greater.
Benefits of Stretch Denim
The most obvious benefit of stretch denim is the increased softness and comfort. Most premium, high-end jeans are comfortable to wear, simply because the manufacturer uses the appropriate denim fabric and washing techniques to soften them. However, stretch denim maintains an even higher level of softness and comfort. So if you are looking for a new pair of super-comfortable jeans, stretch denim might be the way to go.
Disadvantages of Stretch Denim
What are the disadvantages (if any) of stretch denim? For starters, you can expect to pay more for stretch denim than standard cotton-twill denim. By adding elastic fabric like spandex, it increases the production cost; therefore, companies must price stretch denim jeans higher than standard jeans.
Another disadvantage of stretch denim is a shorter wearing life. The feature of elastic fabric will shorter the overall lifespan of your jeans, as elastic fabrics tend to wear down faster than non-elastic fabrics.If you are worried about your stretch denim jeans wearing down too fast, you can always take steps to preserve them by reducing the number of times they are washed, “spot cleaning” stains in a timely manner, and line-drying them instead of machine drying. These are just a few simple steps that can make a world of difference in the integrity of your stretch denim jeans.
How to Wear Stretch Denim
The great thing about stretch denim is that they look almost identical to standard cotton-twill denim. Upon close inspection, you may notice that stretch denim is tighter and more “form fitting,” but it’s difficult for most people to distinguish between the two different types of denim.
