We all know proper care makes up half the lifespan of our clobber. Even with the Ultimate Jeans – tough as old boots among the tough – this bit matters.

Today, we're sharing a few handy tips to keep your trusty companion in fighting shape and make it a friend for life.

If you've gone for the raw denim option (that's unwashed fabric to the uninitiated), you might find it a bit stiff and cardboardy at first. No need to panic – that's perfectly normal.

After a few days, it'll loosen up and become soft as butter. Like magic, it'll even mould to your shape in just a week.

This is exactly why we don't recommend sizing up if they feel a tad snug during the first fitting (unless you're genuinely struggling to breathe, of course).

PS: the dye might bleed slightly during the first few wears. While some denim purists absolutely love this, we'd suggest avoiding light-coloured clothes and shoes for a while, unless you fancy some artistic indigo stains on your shirt hems.

Ready-to-wear means we aim for a one-length-fits-most approach with our trousers. We do our best to make them work for as many of you as possible, but you might need to nip them a bit to get that perfect fit.

For this, you've got two options:

• You can turn them up and wear them with a cuff, channelling your inner modern-day Lucky Luke.
• Or you can pop them to a tailor who'll sort the hem to your preferred length. This'll set you back about fifteen quid and half a day's patience.

Let's be honest, there are two distinct schools of thought here. Even within our team, the debate rages on – so we'll present both without taking sides.

The traditional method

Born in an era before washing machines and detergent were commonplace, this first technique is dead simple and wonderfully low-maintenance. The idea? Don't wash your denim. At all.

Devotees of this approach reckon that airing your jeans between wears is enough to freshen them up and zap any smells, letting Mother Nature work her magic.

More importantly, this age-old recipe encourages the development of unique fading patterns over time, unlike machine washing, which tends to even everything out.

As you've probably guessed, it's the denim aficionados who still swear by this cowboy method, and the impressive evolution of some well-worn pairs seems to back them up.

The contemporary approach

Less romantic but more in line with modern hygiene standards, the modern technique simply involves bunging your Ultimate Jeans in the washing machine inside-out whenever you fancy. Max 30°C on a gentle cycle, moderate spin at 600 or 800 rpm, hang to dry away from direct sunlight, and Bob's your uncle.

A middle ground?

If you want the best of both worlds, nothing stops you from ditching the machine wash without completely abandoning cleanliness. Every 2-3 months, you might soak them in soapy water for 15 minutes, rinse with clean water, and leave them to dry naturally. Because sometimes, balance is the way forward.

Wondering about ironing? We've got you covered. You can absolutely iron your jeans with a cool iron, 110°C max.

We designed the Ultimate Jeans to last a lifetime. From the fabric to the construction to the finishing touches, we've put everything in place to ensure they'll be with you for the long haul.

If by some miracle you manage to tear them or catch them on a door handle, rest assured that absolutely everything on jeans can be fixed.

Don't chuck them out at the first sign of damage – any decent repair shop can help you mend them, darn them, patch them, or whatever else needs doing. Not only will your faithful friend be ready for another innings, but they'll also be a bit more unique, and therefore a bit more handsome.

Since 1 January 2024, the New French environmental legislation known as The AGEC Law stipulates transparency from our lot in the fashion industry so that you can make an informed purchase. As you can imagine, this is something that we fully support at Asphalte. So here's some additional information about our Ultimate Jeans:

• They're 100% recyclable after dismantling, which means that the day their services are no longer required every component can be fully recycled. If you stop wearing yours for whatever reason, you might want to consider making someone else happy by passing yours on to a friend, family member or donating them to a charity. The best way of reducing an item of clothing’s impact is by keeping it in circulation, and only recycling it when there really is no life or use left in it.
• Unlike many garments that release microplastics during washing, our Ultimate Jeans have been designed not to do so. Plastic microfibres are tiny particles of plastic that have a negative impact on aquatic and land ecosystems.
• They do not contain any hazardous materials. They’re manufactured in compliance with strict standards aimed at eliminating the use of harmful substances and other chemical nasties.
• They don't contain recycled materials. We try our best to use recycled content to limit the impact of our clothes, but unfortunately that's not the case with our Ultimate Jeans.

We hope these tips will help you look after your Ultimate Jeans, and that they'll make your legs look fabulous for decades to come.

We'll be back in touch in a couple of weeks to see how you're getting on.

Until then, if we've missed something or you have any questions hit us up here support@asphalte.com or on our IG profile.

The Asphalte Team