Inspired by the rock and metal era of the late 1980s, ripped jeans have been a staple to outfits for almost 35 years now. Ripped jeans for men make any outfit have more of a statement to be made, are always trendy, and seem to be a piece of clothing that can be seen in just about any type of fashion: from the street, all the way to the runway. In this article, we are going to talk about where and when this trend first originated, all the way up to how you can wear ripped jeans with style and confidence. We will also go over a great boutique where you can find great ripped or distressed jeans for men (at a great quality and price of course!).
It is best that you now channel your inner rock star or “grungy” side because you are now about to possibly learn more about ripped jeans that you might not have known before. Anyone can tell you about a trend and what looks cool, but very few people will tell you the story to a trend – as that story is often the most important part about how an outfit speaks. It wasn’t all too long ago that jeans were never ripped or distressed and just sold normally. So, let’s now take a trip back to the 80s:
When Did Ripped Jeans Become a Trend?
As mentioned before, ripped jeans became a dominant trend back in the late 1980s when being a rock star or in a metal band was becoming more popular. However, it was a bumpy road before anyone saw jeans ripped on purpose in factories during manufacturing. Now, jeans are a garment, and like any garment, they go through wear and tear. Jeans are normally made of a fabric called denim and denim when it has gone through movement or work stress over time will rip naturally. This was a process that saw the development of ripped jeans back before it was a trend, but it normally meant that it was time for a new pair of jeans, not: “hey this is cool, I’m going to keep wearing these”.
Ripped and “distressed” jeans, as they are more commonly called were at one point a sign of being less fortunate and this was prior to the 1970s. Families who could not afford to purchase new jeans or any new clothing for that matter would just wear them to their breaking point. Interestingly, during the punk era of the 80s, it was much more common that people would buy a pair of jeans, intentionally manipulate them to look worn and torn, and wear them as a fashion statement. Ultimately, I told you all of this so that now you see where ripped jeans came from, and perhaps how you can speak their history through your outfits.
Common Objections to Ripped Jeans:
There are many objections to wearing ripped jeans, none of which carry much validity or are seeded in old world bias. Mens distressed jeans were never specifically made for men or women, as the punk scene was more about rebellion from the status quo than conforming to it. Parents would rebuttal that ripping your jeans is a sign of being poor, which represents them poorly. Perhaps those same parents might state that wearing ripped jeans was a sign of being rebellious and they did not like their children to be (viewed or representing as) a member of that crowd. With less technology back then brought upon more instances of communal outings – what you wore really meant a lot to those types of events (it still does today, but nowhere near as serious).
The reason none of these objections that you may hear from your parents now or what was stated back then carry no validity is because fashion should be about expressing yourself holistically. Wearing distressed jeans like this should be an outlet for you to further express your own personal creativity. You might not think something as simple as mens destroyed jeans as having a good many benefits to it – but prepare to be surprised with the true function and individuality of ripped jeans.
Benefit to Ripped Jeans ( Yes, They Exist):
Two benefits to mens destroyed jeans that we will cover are both expressive and, well, pretty obvious. The first one being the ultimate ability to be uniquely expressive. When you purchase your own pair of jeans before they are ripped and rip them yourself, you probably have a one of a kind pair of jeans on your hands. The same goes for buying pre-ripped jeans from retailers as no two jeans are ultimately the same especially after you start wearing them and allowing the natural process of wear and tear to take place.
Much like the jeans back in the day, ripping to the process of work, the already mens ripped jeans you buy now can start to tell a story… and fashion that tells a story is fashion done right.
Secondly, this benefit might be more obvious to you or maybe you didn’t think of it: air flow. Sometimes you want to wear jeans and you know it’s too hot for them outside, but who are you kidding, you do it anyways. Now, the benefit of wearing destroyed jeans is that you have an added entry for that nice summer breeze to come in and keep you cool. It’s always good to keep it real – sometimes you gotta wear something that isn’t in total agreeance with the weather – but at least distressed and destroyed jeans make it a little bit easier.
Where to Find Ripped Jeans:
In this article, I wanted to give you a great plug for good looking distress jeans for men. Look no further than Differio.com, they offer a beautiful selection of distressed and destroyed jeans that you KNOW will last. From acid washed jeans to even a newsprint style pair by Kingz jeans, Jack Jones, Staff Jeans, Cath Jeans, Cipo and Baxx, Deus Ex Machina, and more. Differio is sure to have what you need.
Differio.com has a great selection for jeans because not only do they have a plethora of ripped jeans that look dope, but they sport jeans with texture prints, faded styles, leather additives, alternate stitching styles, studded bedazzled patterns, different color jeans, and even some with very intricate patch designs… the point is Differio is a great place to start your search for the next distressed jeans outfit in your collection.
After you have picked out a pair you like – this next section will be sure to make sure you build and rock your outfit perfectly.
How You Can Rock Mens Ripped Jeans:
Your brand new ripped or distressed jeans are sure to add some texture to the lower region of your outfit, but you might ask how you can now complement the look with other accessories or clothes? Simple really, think back to the history of why jeans got destroyed – it’s seeded with punk, which can either be casually distressed or blacked out. A white t-shirt is sure to go with almost any color of jeans and whatever different additives the jeans may have. You can even have this be more personalized with a black design on the white t-shirt, something you like which will bring out your personality even more. If it’s warm outside, cut it there – if its cold – perhaps a studded or basic leather jacket will add crazy amounts of flair to your look. As for shoes, just about anything black or white will work. You could likely even wear boots and it will make your new look stand tall and look great.
Lastly, throw on some leather bracelets or a flashy watch, some dark sunglasses or flashy aviators, and slick that hair back or up because boy, you’re going to look fly.
This style of look will work with just about any pair of jeans you come across and will really pull off that old-school grunge 80s vibes these jeans were meant for.
Conclusion:
To conclude, distressed jeans will work for almost anybody nowadays – and in a world where a lot of people wear their jeans with basically nothing to let them stand out, you’re sure to look unique. Also, because fashion is subjective you don’t have to wear them like any of what I suggested – go with whatever you think makes you happy. If you just wanted some cool looking ripped jeans to go with a basic t-shirt, go for it! If ripped is not your thing, you can always go for the distressed bleached look, maybe throw on some patches, and some bedazzle here and there, or just splatter some paint on it – there’s so much creativity you can do with your jeans.
Just know that ripped and distressed jeans for men are completely in style and chances are, you will look absolutely great pulling it off the next time you hit the town or shop the stores. Don’t forget to check out Differio to help start out your collection, and stay fly!
