How to Rip Jeans for a Trendy, Edgy Look

Distressed denim is a popular style, but buying jeans that are already ripped can be expensive (and they don’t always look very natural). Luckily, it’s easy to rip your own jeans with simple household items like scissors or a seam ripper! Keep reading for a step-by-step tutorial on ripping jeans , plus 2 easy ways to distress denim as lightly or heavily as you like (with tips from professional tailor Shaelynn Haning).

Making Ripped Jeans: Quick Steps

Mark the places you want to rip with chalk.
Place a wooden block in the jeans behind the area to rip.
Use the point of scissors to tug at and loosen the denim fibers.
Pinch the jeans and cut small holes in the fabric.
Tease the horizontal white threads out around the holes.
Pluck and remove the vertical blue threads.
Wash, air-dry, and wear your ripped jeans.

Section 1 of 3:

How to Rip Jeans Yourself

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Choose a pair of jeans that fit you well. You can rip any pair of jeans and get the same results, but don’t feel obligated to rip a pair of jeans you already own, as you can thrift for comfortable, cheap jeans at local secondhand and consignment shops. If you bought new jeans to rip, wear them around for at least 2 weeks to break them in and see where they naturally show wear (AKA, where you’ll tear them later).
- Using jeans that are already worn a bit usually gives you better results than using brand-new jeans.
- Light to medium wash jeans typically look the best when ripped, as their color lends them a more distressed look . Dark-washed jeans look too freshly dyed to be ripped, and might not look as “realistic.”
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Put on the jeans and outline the spot you want to rip with chalk. You don’t have to be exact—a rough outline of the area you want to rip is fine. ^{[1]
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Research source} Haning recommends using a pencil or fabric chalk to mark your jeans. Use a ruler to mark an exact length if you want, and keep the ultimate shape, length, and width of your holes in mind.
- While you can use a pencil, pen, or chalk to mark the lines, chalk is the safest for the material and least likely to result in mistakes. If you accidentally mess up your lines in chalk, you can easily wash them out with a little water!
- Generally, most people only rip around the knees of jeans, though you can rip anywhere around the leg of the pants.
- Try to aim a little higher than your knee, so the tear won't get super-big as you walk around. Every time your knee bends, it might catch the hole and rip it more.
- Don't rip too high, or your underwear might show.
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Spread out the jeans on a flat surface and insert a block of wood. Slip a small block of wood (or a rolled-up magazine in a pinch) into the pant legs while you do the distressing so that you don’t alter both the front and the back of the pants by mistake. ^{[2]
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Research source} This helps protect your work surface, too.
- Alternatively, use a cutting board, an old book, thick cardboard, or anything you wouldn't mind cutting into.
4
Loosen the fibers with the point of a knife or scissors to create holes. If you want frayed areas and stringy patches in your jeans, Haning says to use your scissors or knife to tug at the area you want the rip to cover to weaken the fabric. This will loosen fibers in the area, allowing for a little skin to show through when worn. Pull at the white threads that stick out from the jeans to encourage this look.
- You can also use a razor or a sharp knife to rip your jeans. X-acto knives or box cutters will work as well. ^{[3]
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- Tip: If you want the rip and the denim around it to seem more frayed, rub the area with medium-grit sandpaper first to distress it.
5
Pinch the distressed areas and make small slits with scissors. Pinch the jeans, raising a vertical section at the center of the line you drew in chalk, to make them easier to cut. Take your scissors and cut a small horizontal line inside the distressed area. Make it as small as possible. You can always make it bigger, but you risk ruining the jeans and making them unwearable if you make it too big. Aim for a tear no bigger than 1 in (2.5 cm) or so to start. ^{[4]
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- Make the rip across your body, not up and down. This looks more natural.
- Avoid cutting the hole too sharply, as this will give a very clean, unnatural edge to the fabric.
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Use your hands to tug and expose the white threads. Tug at the threads to pull them out a bit, as they would with natural rips. These white threads being exposed make your ripped jeans look more authentic. ^{[5]
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Research source} Pull downward to bring out the white threads, since they run horizontally across the jeans (blue threads run vertically).
- If needed, use a seam ripper , safety pin, or other fine-tipped object to expose and separate the white threads around the slits you cut.
- Alternatively, you can also just cut a small hole and let it grow as you wear the jeans. It'll look more natural this way.
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Tweeze out the vertical blue threads for a stringy look. After you tease out enough white threads, you’ll notice that the edges of your slits are now fringed with vertical blue threads. Use tweezers to pull out these short threads between slits. This leaves only the horizontal white threads spanning the hole. ^{[6]
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Wash, dry, and wear your ripped jeans. Once you’re happy with how your ripped jeans look, throw them in the washing machine to increase the worn look of the exposed threads. Let them air-dry by hanging them. Once dry, put them on and rock them!
- Know that your rips and holes may expand and look more frayed as you wear and wash the jeans over time.

Section 2 of 3:

Distressing Your Jeans

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Use sandpaper for light distressing. According to Haning, “The easiest way to [distress jeans] is to get a medium-grit sandpaper , cut a small section off of that, and use that to essentially sand the pants in different areas, such as the knees, thighs, or hemline. This gives [the denim] that distressed look.”
- For the best and most natural-looking results, lay the jeans on a flat surface and sand over areas that already show natural wear.
- Sanding over the seams can also make the denim look more naturally worn.
- If you don’t have sandpaper handy, a cheese grater, steel wool, or a pumice stone will also work. ^{[7]
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Or, use a Dremel tool for heavy distressing. Outline the areas you want to distress with chalk. Then, insert a cylindrical sander bit with an edge to it into your Dremel tool. ^{[8]
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Research source} With a very light touch, starting sanding away the denim with the bit. Start by outlining the area you want to distress by grinding over the lines you drew, then grind over the area inside. Always keep the edge of the bit horizontal, or parallel with the hem or waistband. This ensures you’re only cutting vertical threads and preserving the horizontal white threads. ^{[9]
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- Once you’ve sanded over the area, grab a seam ripper and start scraping inward from the top and bottom edges of the distressed area to separate the horizontal threads from the vertical ones. ^{[10]
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- To finish, scrape the area horizontally to remove the vertical threads from the distressing.
- Warning: Don’t press too hard with the Dremel, or you’ll cut right through the denim (which is OK if you plan to rip a full hole or remove a portion of the fabric, but not if you just want heavy distressing).

Section 3 of 3:

Frequently Asked Questions: Ripped Jeans

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What’s the difference between ripped and distressed jeans? Ripped jeans and distressed jeans are very similar, and both show intentional signs of wear and tear. The real difference is in the extent of the damage. Ripped jeans usually feature big holes around the knees (or sometimes the thigh or calf). Distressed jeans feature smaller holes, fraying, and fading.
- Ripped jeans are also considered more casual than distressed jeans. ^{[11]
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Are ripped jeans still in style? Ripped and distressed jeans have been in style since the ‘70s (and still are!), but certain trends have come and gone. Many people still think of the low-rise, heavily distressed skinny jeans trend from the 2000s when they hear “ripped jeans,” but this niche look has faded from the mainstream. Today, ripped and distressed jeans look more polished and refined, with greater thought being put into where the rips are and how natural or artistic they look. ^{[12]
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- Don’t be afraid to try distressed jeans in a variety of washes and silhouettes that match current trends.
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How do you style ripped jeans? For a balanced look, pair wide-legged or relaxed distressed denim with tailored and sleek tops and/or footwear, like a structured blazer or pointy-toed shoes. This adds a slightly vintage, messy look to a polished outfit. Or, lean into the casual vibe and pair your ripped jeans with sneakers and slouchy knits for an oversized, relaxed look. ^{[13]
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- If you need to look more polished and put-together for an event, consider wearing dark denim that’s only lightly distressed (maybe with a raw hem, too) to give your look a little edge.

Community Q&A

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Question

How do you make a knee cut?

Community Answer

Put on your pants; mark with a pencil where your knees are and how long you want the cut; take them off; cut along the line you made.

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I have black jeans and I want to make thin, diagonal rips on the knees. What is the best way to do this?

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Draw a diagonal line, sandpaper or file this line until it gets frayed, then follow the same steps on this article, but do not cut holes. Instead, cut long lines. This will look really trendy.

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Is there an alternative to using sand paper?

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Use a nail file. Rub it against the material rapidly with pressure, basically the same way you would do it with sandpaper, but it may take longer.

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Washing the jeans right after ripping them causes the fibers to loosen more and create a more distressed look.

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For exact rips, use a sewing needle to pull out individual stitches from the fabric.

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For a super worn look, you can add splatters of bleach. Use care when handling bleach so you don’t get it on your skin or any surfaces.

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Make sure your scissors are very sharp or you will have a hard time cutting the fabric. Using fabric scissors is best.
Practice on an old pair of jeans before your new pair just to make sure you know what you're doing!

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Warnings

Don't make the rip too big at first. Washing the fabric will increase the size and fraying of the hole. You can always enlarge the hole later.

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Never attempt to rip or fray your jeans while you're wearing them. You could cut yourself.

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Use caution with sharp tools.

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How to Rip Jeans for a Trendy, Edgy Look

Making Ripped Jeans: Quick Steps

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How to Rip Jeans Yourself

Distressing Your Jeans

Frequently Asked Questions: Ripped Jeans

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