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| By: Kim Baker · Raleigh Denim | ||||
Good morning. The Fade Court results from Issue 002 are in. And very few people had opinions. Weddings must not be that controversial. I probably hid the question, understanding it's a lot to have to scroll all the way to the bottom. Fair enough. We moved it up. You're welcome. New question below. Ten seconds. One click. Don't make me move it again.
This week: the mill that built the world's largest denim operation, right in Greensboro, and the day in 2017 the last loom went silent. Also: week one on the farm with a brand new pair of raw denim and a wearer who had no idea what he was signing up for. The Fader is breaking him in, too. Two cups minimum for this one.
THE BIG THREAD
The Last Loom at White Oak. The mill that built Greensboro, and what it left behind.
In 1895, two brothers from Baltimore showed up in Greensboro with a plan. Moses and Ceasar Cone had been selling dry goods across the South and noticed something: the region grew the cotton, but the fabric got made somewhere else. They bought land, built a mill, and called it White Oak.
What followed wasn't just a factory. At its peak, Cone Mills' White Oak plant produced more denim than anywhere else on earth. Levi's ran on it. Wrangler ran on it. The plant had its own post office, its own hospital, its own churches. If you lived nearby in 1950, your entire world existed because of denim.
One in three pairs of American jeans wore White Oak fabric. The plant had its own post office, its own hospital, its own churches. Your whole world, if you lived nearby, was denim.
The selvedge woven at White Oak was the gold standard, made on shuttle looms that produced fabric with a natural edge that doesn't fray and fades in a way that tells your story back to you. When American mills started closing in the 1980s, most manufacturers moved on. Japan didn't. Japanese manufacturers spent those decades buying up old Cone patterns and reverse-engineering exactly what made White Oak different. By the time the American raw denim revival hit in the early 2000s, Japan had mastered what America had walked away from. White Oak was one of the last mills still doing it right on this side of the ocean.
On December 31, 2017, the last loom at Cone Mills went silent. About 200 workers lost their jobs. The denim world genuinely grieved.
The looms didn't disappear entirely, though. Mount Vernon Mills in Trion, Georgia acquired the original White Oak Draper X3 shuttle looms and is working to bring American selvedge back to life. We're watching that closely. In the meantime, Japan produces some of the finest selvedge denim in the world. We source from them now. The craft didn't die. It just crossed an ocean for a while.
Why does this matter for Raleigh Denim? Because White Oak produced our proprietary fabric, spec'd specifically for us, built to our weight and weave. When the mill closed, that fabric disappeared with it. We still have a small reserve from the last run. Enough for a handful of pieces, no more. Those last bolts didn't sit on a shelf. A pair was cut from them recently. They're on a farm right now. That's not a bad way for a legend to go out.
DENIM MYTHBUSTERS
We settle one denim myth. Every week. No exceptions.
“Freeze your raw denim to kill the bacteria and kill the smell”
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False. Someone decided that putting jeans in the freezer was a legitimate care strategy. It spread. People believed it. (Not everyone. There is currently at least one person I know who would love to put his jeans in, well, anything right now, but is being told he cannot. That’s a different story.)
A University of Alberta study found that bacteria survived fifteen months in a freezer in the same numbers as before they went in. Cold slows bacteria. It does not kill it. If odor is the issue, hang them outside. Inside out. Let fresh air do the work. The freezer is for ice cream. We shouldn’t have to say that.
THE RAW 365.
The Fader hits week one. Meet The Rookie.
We're calling him The Rookie. One year. The Fader. A farm. No washing. He thought we were joking. We were not. He asked on day three if sweating counts as washing. It does not. He has since checked the weather forecast more than once in a way that did not appear casual. On day six, something spilled. Spot-cleaning was applied with the energy of someone who would later claim it barely counted. Here's the dispatch.
| Raw 365 — The Dispatch: Week 1 | |
| Wears | 7/8 · today is Day 8 |
| Notable | The pockets are still winning. Stiff fabric, wrong angle, everything jabbing where it shouldn't. On the upside — getting in and out of the tractor is marginally less of a production than day one. Small victories. |
| Visible Change | Still dark indigo. But look close behind the knees — the faintest whisper of honeycombing is beginning. The fabric is learning where he bends. It's barely there. It counts. |
| First Reader Vote | August. |
Follow The Fader in action on Instagram and Facebook. Week one photos are up! We want to hear what you think. Comments are open.
#TheRaw365
FADE COURT - One denim opinion. Every issue. Court is in session.
| Fade Court — Issue 002 Results | ||||
| Raw denim to a wedding: | ||||
| The verdict is in. Court has reviewed the evidence. | ||||
| Depends. Open bar? Yes. Black tie? Read the room. |
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67% | ||
| Obviously. A great fade is always dressed up. |
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0% | ||
| Never. Some things are sacred. |
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33% | ||
| The court has ruled: it depends. Barn wedding in June with a bluegrass band? Apparently yes. Black tie at a hotel ballroom? The 33% have a point. What kind of wedding makes the cut for you? Tell us in the comments. | ||||
Ten seconds. One click. Court is waiting.
You spilled something on your raw denim. You...
Strong opinions? Comments are open. The Rookie did not need time to think about this one.
THE FADE REPORT - QUICK BITES
Four things worth knowing this week.
HISTORY For nearly a century, Erwin, NC had one job: make denim. Erwin Mills was one of the largest producers in the country. But they kept dropping the ball on supply. Part of the reason Cone Mills was born. Competitor becomes legend. Erwin Mills closed in 2000, but Erwin still calls itself the Denim Capital of the World. The title never left North Carolina.
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TIP Never fold raw denim on a hard crease. Hang them instead. Folding the same line repeatedly creates a permanent press mark that fights your natural fade and never fully disappears. A simple hook on the back of a door is all you need. Your fades will thank you.
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FIND Here's your one denim care product. Otter Wax Fabric Soap. Bar form, cold water, soft brush. Cleans without stripping the indigo. Doesn't cost much. Doesn't need to. The Rookie could have used one on day six. He knows why.
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NC Moses Cone — the man behind this week's Big Thread — built his summer estate in Blowing Rock, NC. Flat Top Manor sits on 3,500 acres in the Blue Ridge and is now run by the National Park Service. There's a craft center inside. Most people have no idea the Cone family connection is there. Worth a visit.
NEXT WEEK
Issue 004
I went to Saxapahaw. The mill that built the town is now apartments, restaurants and a music venue. And the Haw River runs behind it. Clear water, no dye. Issue 001 made a promise. Issue 004 pays it off. First on-location report. Photos included.
Plus: The Rookie hits day 15. The Fade Court spill verdict. A new myth.
See you Tuesday.
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Raw Cut Raleigh Denim · Raleigh, NC Kim Baker spent 25 years practicing medicine. In January 2026, she traded the exam room for the fitting room and bought one of America's few remaining handmade denim workshops. She writes Raw Cut from Raleigh, NC, where she is building out Raleigh Denim's women's line, raising three daughters, and searching for her perfect pair of jeans. She's making them herself. |