For this week’s Fade Friday we’ve got a pair of perfectly faded sample Iron Heart 21/23 oz. jeans. Adam from New Mexico sent these fades in, his first pair of raw denim, putting 5+ years of wear of proper wear on these.

Maybe it’s beginner’s luck, maybe it’s taking special care to live in the jeans as thoroughly as possible, as Adam has — studying, cycling, camping, working, and making art. Adam’s commitment to preserving these Iron Hearts while actually wearing them (that is, doing them justice in the fade department) is obvious as these have only had to be repaired once by Self Edge NY, and it looks like they’ve got some life left in them yet.

There’s a high contrast fades throughout the jeans, with heavy-duty whiskers, honeycombs, and even stacks. Beautiful white slubby texture from the weft side is coming through on the faded areas. Overall, the jeans are faded as hell, but they’ve had a long lease on life — like most of Iron Heart’s denim.

You can follow Adam on Instagram.