Why are your jeans tearing at the crotch?

For some, it is a real scourge. A curse that sweeps over an entire part of their wardrobe that they must constantly renew.

For purists, however, it is only a step part of a beautiful journey.

So, after having discussed the pilling of sweaters and the leg twist of jeans , I will reveal to you what is happening behind another well-known clothing hazard: the “crotch blowout”, which could literally be translated as “crotch explosion " in English.

Which fork? Sometimes that of wool pants, or that of chinos, but above all that of our friends jeans.

Many of you have already told us about this textile tragedy, affecting both your elastic H&M jeans and your Japanese denims costing more than €200.

But if the price invested in these pieces has not changed their sad fate, who is to blame?

Whose fault is it: the canvas? the cup ? a manufacturing defect?

How to prevent this phenomenon from happening on your favorite jeans? If the problem is already there, what are the solutions?

We'll start by bringing in the accused. And sorry to say: the first is us. Or rather our thighs.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Georges from Repair Jeans for his contribution to our article. Benoît and Geoffrey had already visited him in his denim sanctuary largely affected by this type of wear : these are the ones that we wear most frequently to obtain a beautiful wash... avoiding any washing.

This is the first rule taught to young denim padawans: to avoid ruining a wash that can become unique over time, you must avoid washing your jeans for a while. Some even go so far as to play with the limits of hygiene.

However, the dust and micro-dirt that accumulate over the months at the level of the fork will happily take up residence among the fibers, weakening them. As for the residue of perspiration loaded with sodium, it is with pleasure that they will slowly but surely nibble away at these fibers while the abrasion does the rest. Real teamwork.

Concerning cyclists and the courageous who prefer to quickly climb the escalator from the left, the frequency of tension and friction will only increase.

In the latter cases, if your jeans are stretchy, wear by tension 3 will be less significant. You will therefore be able to practice the high kick a little more calmly.

But this elastic material will not only have advantages: less resistant to abrasion, the weft of a stretch canvas will be more easily "bared" during stretching and therefore placed in a weak position.

Hey, we've just discussed the case of our second suspect: the fabric of your jeans.

Suspect #2: the material

In the store, after having finished three forks of jeans, and in front of five shelves of denim of different weights and compositions, we are entitled to ask ourselves a question.

Faced with crotch blowout, which denim fabric to choose?

Let's start with the case of an elastic canvas: as said above, the presence of elastane will slightly limit the tension effect. But that won't do much:

• The wear effect linked to friction will remain unchanged,
• A more elastic canvas will be more difficult to fix by a retoucher, because the threads are less stable,
• In some repair cases, you will feel a difference in elasticity between the repaired area and the rest of the jeans.

Ideally, as jeans repairer Indigo Proof points out, it is better to choose jeans with at least 98% cotton. Below, effective repair can quickly become impossible.

As for Saint Jean Denim Selvedge, it is often made by machines to obtain a more durable weave. But will this postpone your crotch blowout indefinitely?

Well everything will depend on the impact of other factors.

According to Georges, if your crotch devastates all the twill crotches in its path, choosing 18 Oz Japanese jeans will not radically change its lifespan in the crotch.

In addition, some selvedge fabrics are also finer, others rougher, resulting in materials with a unique character but reducing the time it can take for abrasion to complete the fork.

Whether its fabric is raw or not, selvedge jeans are not a magic joker against crotch blowout. This is not the case for any denim. So let's move on to the next accused.

Suspect #3: the cut

Here, the convincing evidence is already more concrete. choose a piece that is too tight .

Conversely, jeans that are too loose will leave excess fabric in the crotch. As Corey Runkel, former stylist at Levi's, tells us, they can rub against each other and thus accelerate the arrival of your crotch blowout.

Suspect #4: sewing

Among those presumed guilty of the famous tear in the crotch, the hypothesis of a manufacturing defect at this level is often invoked. Which would therefore relate to sewing.

Unless this seam crumbles on its own without the fabric itself wearing out, this is almost never the case.

There is still a debate regarding the seam used in assembling jeans.

Indeed, almost all jeans crotches are sewn using a well-known sewing stitch: the topstitched folded seam, or flat-felled seam in English:

Some believe that this method, due to the folds at the edges that it involves, multiplies the layers of fabric, increasing the thickness and aggravating tension and friction on the fork. This seam, however, is stronger in itself, since it will not fray easily.

On the other hand, another approach allows you to join two pieces of fabric: the overlock stitch.

The overlock stitch would be a more efficient seam, garnering less thickness and tension, but more conducive to friction with the body and therefore to fraying.

With the exception of the most purist brands , the majority of jeans manufacturers seem to have chosen the flat-felled seam camp . the opposite of pants and chinos, rather sewn in overlock stitch in order to obtain a more refined look on the outside.

How to prevent?

To return to jeans, a first step can help you postpone its tragic fate.

We don't necessarily think about it these days, especially when we're motivated by getting our first cowboy wash.

So I'm revealing to you the big secret of anti-blowout: wash your jeans.

• This will remove all the dirt that nibbles on its fork.
• You will make the fabric less rough, and therefore less abrasive on the crotch.
• You will remove the chemical agents often incorporated into the fabric when it leaves the factory.
• You will stabilize its material.

If you absolutely want to obtain a wash with the greatest contrast possible, you will then have to accept this effect of wear which is also not a disaster in itself. Some see it more as the culmination of all their efforts to obtain the ultimate patina. They get it repaired and continue to have the full experience of raw denim washing.

Depending on what you want from your jeans, a repair kit containing these famous patches.

With a little experience, materials, and patience, you can even sew it yourself. But please, no patch to stick to the iron recommended byconseilsdemamie.com. They will fly away on the first wash.

Finally, as for prevention: keep an eye out. As soon as you see that the fabric is losing thickness in this rubbing area, and you start to be able to see through it, take it to an expert to have it repaired.

And to heal?

As I said above, don't hesitate to show your jeans that you love them: bring them in for repair at the first sign of blowout. A few stitches will then be enough to fix it. Your repairer may even take the opportunity to reinforce the edges of the worn area.

Depending on the level of wear, Georges from Repair Jeans tells us that the price of your repair can vary from simple to double: you will therefore show your credit card that you love it too.

What if one day you look at your fork and notice that it has become a real piece of Gruyère cheese?

In this case, it's a different story: surgery will be necessary.

This process is called “darning”.

Equipped with a suitable machine, a good repairer like Georges will be able to directly take up the weft thread and the warp thread for a multitude of different thicknesses of denim.

After removing the excess threads, the blue warp thread will be taken up first in the direction of the weave in order to recreate the initial tension of the fabric. Then the weft thread will be taken up in turn.

Once your companion is saved, the new thread used will gradually fade to “melt” into the fabric. Sometimes, even the direction of the wash of your jeans is taken into account during the warning. This thread will also relax, until you forget its presence.

And what about pants and chinos?

As for the friction effect, chinos are less affected since their cotton gabardines are much less abrasive. It is therefore often the cut and the morphology which are to blame, more often leading to a tear of the seam than of the fabric itself.

Cases of torn fabric are rather linked to a false movement when the pants are worn too tight. I was often able to see this on wool pants when I was a ready-to-wear salesperson, with certain customers liking to practice deadlifts in suits.

As with jeans, body humidity and the fact that these wool pieces are washed less often accelerate the deterioration of the fibers around this seam. As they are often thinner and more fragile fabrics, they will quickly fail you if your thighs fill them too generously.

Some solutions:

• Opt for a high waist and a suitable cut for your body type,
• For suit pants, if you wear them out quickly, consider taking a second spare when purchasing. Alternating the ports will logically postpone the fateful moment.
• You can also have a brand or retoucher add a fabric reinforcement to the thigh and seat of the panties. Don’t hesitate to talk about it as soon as you try it on.
• Have fabric scraps kept by the retoucher; they can be very useful in the event of a rescue operation.

The final word

A scourge for some, a sign of character for others, crotch blowout comes mainly from our use of jeans, our body shape and the suitability of the chosen cut.

So you can ignore it, you can delay it, you can even fix it. The important thing is that you now have all the information on hand to do so.

One thing is certain: between an intact fork and the deepest washout, a choice must be made. What will yours be?

Without forgetting our own jeans...

With artisanal selvedge denim, we're not kidding. So we went to pick him up there, at Kurabo and Kuroki, in Okayama prefecture in Japan.

We also have an ecological approach, with selvedge fabrics from Candiani, the cleanest spinning mill in the world, located in an Italian natural park.

And in terms of washing, everything is done with ozone, to respect the canvas as much as nature and the craftsman.