askchapo

where do you get them? any example brands that might actually have larger/oddly proportioned sizes?

Online - I don't buy these kinds of items too frequently since they're expensive, but where I shop depends on what I want to get. I've purchased from retailers that specialize in this kind of stuff or direct from the manufacturers. The places that sell these kinds of things often ship international (often from Japan, I've bought from China, too) and are difficult to return, so they're really good with providing measurements for the waist/thigh/inseam/etc so you can easily compare to garments that you own at home.

What do you mean by larger/oddly proportioned? Do you have a larger waist? If you have a pair of jeans at home that fit you well, I'd recommend starting with measuring those (different places can use different measurements, but here's an example https://www.denimio.com/en_US/sizing-guide.html).

And how do you wear them in/shrink them to fit or whatever its called? Is it just the fit that's better, or do you feel like the quality is also better/longer lasting vs regular off the shelf jeans?

So most denim is sanforized, treated to reduce shrinking, and that includes most raw/selvedge denim. You have to go out of your way (and often pay more lol) to get something unsanforized. Even then, you'll find unsanforized denim that's been rinsed once to be preshrunk - I have a jacket that I bought unsanforized and rinsed, but I haven't jumped into the unsanforized rabbit hole yet. For those garments you have to add a bit of wiggle room on the sizing and hope for the best.

The appeal to me is that it's just a much more interesting and enjoyable garment than a pair you buy at the mall (the quality is better, but some of the mall brands make some decent stuff, too). You can get some really pretty fabrics with the fancy brands, and they're built the same as classic work wear so they'll hold up pretty well. When you buy a raw denim garment, you'll see it age and change over time as you wear it.

Is that the same as raw denim?

Normal person answer: Yeah, more or less. I've heard good things about those ones, so I hope you enjoy them!

There's a lot of fuss about washing jeans, but what I do is: turn inside out, machine wash cold with low spin. Promptly remove and hang dry.

Annoying person answer: "raw denim" and "selvedge denim" refer to two different things that often overlap.

Selvedge denim refers to the self-finished edges on the fabric. It's a more expensive process, but weird nerds get excited about it. If you cuff the pants, you'll see the white finished ends of the fabric.

Raw denim refers to the material being untreated and unwashed. They make non-selvedge raw denim (like this) but it's uncommon. Usually people who are into fancy denim enough to care about raw denim will want it to be selvedge.