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Every piece in our Artist Distressed Collection is aged by hand in our shop on Sunset. Here is where the process started, what actually goes into it, and how many shirts I had to ruin before I got it right.
Well here we are again in a well awaited weekend. At this time of year our last new drops of the summer are finishing up their release through the end of August. While all of that is going on we are busy designing and starting production on our fall and winter collection. I know that seems strange to think about when it is literally hot in every city in the country right now.
During this time of year at Schaeffer's we are busy at the store, handling our online and wholesale accounts, and trying to enjoy as much of the wonderful California summer that we can. When I was thinking of a good topic to discuss this week, I figured it was a good time to go over what our Artist Distressed Collection actually is and how it came to be. It seems to be very popular during the summer, so here goes.
Artist Distressed was born out of a need and partial curiosity. I have always been drawn to heavy duty clothing that I can break in and wear out with style. That starts with the right garment in terms of fabric and fit, so that it breaks in and wears nicely over time instead of just disintegrating on you. Every piece we age starts as something we already stand behind brand new. That part matters more than people think. You cannot fake age on a garment that was not built to earn it.
I started with tee shirts, and once I got my process down I moved on to jeans, and then to just about any item we make. I encourage anyone to be creative and do it yourself, but know that I burned up or destroyed so many shirts and jeans before I finally got it figured out. It definitely was very frustrating at the time. Once I got it down though, it is a lot of fun every single time a customer orders a piece, or commissions us to do something we have not done before.
The general process I developed is hand sanding, then machine sanding, then lighting the garment on fire with a quick burn spray that only lights up for a brief second and then goes right back out. That part of the process can be dangerous, but it is necessary for the texture and the finish you get after all that sanding.
The next stage is washing the garment by hand and hang drying it. That takes care of any shrinkage before it ever gets to you. I will say not everything gets washed, but most of it does. Hats obviously do not get washed.
The best part of the whole process is applying our proprietary coating spray with tint shades to alter the final finish color of the item. From there we do very slight finishing with some paint and oil stains and let it all dry. Now, as with any creative process being explained, that is the general version. We do not give away our secrets completely.
The Process On French Terry
Denim is where most people find the collection, but the process works on nearly everything we make. French terry takes the treatment really well, because the loops in the fabric hold the tint and the oil the way years of real wear would. Tees get a lighter hand, since cotton jersey is thin and there is a fine line between aged and gone. Hats are their own thing entirely. They never get washed, so all of the character has to come out of the sanding and the coating, which means no two of them ever finish the same way.
Tees And Hats From The Collection
You can. If there is a style we make that you want aged, or you have an idea for a finish we have not done yet, we can take it on. Those commissions are some of my favorite pieces to work on, because it is the same process I have spent years dialing in but a completely blank slate every time. Come by the store on Sunset or reach out and tell us what you are after.
When you buy any piece from our Artist Distressed Collection, or commission us to do a specific piece for you, you are going to get an item that is fashionable and looks real in how it has aged. Some people do not like vintage pieces with someone else's sweat and stains on them, and some people do not care one bit. We are not here to judge. That is exactly why the Artist Distressed Collection is for everyone.
Enjoy your weekend everyone.
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