Process
The process that goes into to creating each pair of RE/DONE jeans is deliberate, detailed, and distinctly one of a kind - just like the finished product. Learn how each piece is created from the search to find the perfect raw vintage Levi’s to the finishing touches that go into each reconstructed jean. Our jeans are handmade in the USA at our downtown Los Angeles factory.
Iconic. Sustainable. Individual.
RE/DONE sources its vintage Levi’s from rag houses across the US. These rag houses are stocked floor to ceiling with pallets of discarded jeans. We personally sort through thousands of jeans, one-by-one, to find the most beautiful and interesting pairs to redo. RE/DONE has strict grading rules for selecting which jeans to redo. Our standards call for quality indigo shades, jeans with colors that contrast heavily, whiskers, tiger stripes, paint splatters, pocket fades that come from cigarette or chewing tobacco packages, frayed button flies and pocket linings and other signs of wear.
RE/DONE has strict grading rules for selecting which jeans to redo. Our standards call for quality indigo shades, jeans with colors that contrast heavily, whiskers, tiger stripes, paint splatters, pocket fades that come from cigarette or chewing tobacco packages, frayed button flies and pocket linings and other signs of wear.
Our production process calls for washing the jeans twice. The first wash comes before we take apart the raw vintage Levi’s, the second occurs after the reconstructed jeans have been sewn up, but before the rivets and other finishings are put on the jeans. The production of a RE/DONE jean consumes the same amount of water as if you were washing your jean at home or roughly 50 gallons. This stands in stark contrast to the average 2,500 gallons of water it takes to produce a brand new pair of jeans.
After the initial wash, the jeans are brought to our factory. They are taken apart at the seams, laid to our pattern, cut, sewn and reconstructed into one of our modern styles. Throughout each stage of the process, the jeans are measured to make sure that they match each size and style’s specifications. Once the jeans have been sewn and washed for the second time, they return to the factory to receive their trim, including rivets and of course, the RE/DONE label.
RE/DONE jeans are made from repurposed vintage Levi’s, and thus, each jean has its own story and wear-history. Our finished jeans all have their own subtle quirks. One jean might be more wore in one place, while another jean might be more worn or stretched in another. The result: two jeans may measure the same, but flatter the wearer differently.
Once completed, the jeans are taken next door to our inventory room. Each jean is checked in by its unique sku and then photographed for our website. RE/DONE is proud to offer our customers the opportunity to self-curate their purchase. The jean that you select on our website is the exact jean that arrives at your doorstep – no other websites offer this self-selection. The jeans are then packaged and shipped out from our office to you. Only once you receive your repurposed, one-of-a-kind, vintage RE/DONE | Levi’s jean, can it begin the next chapter in its story.
