I love my jeans, and let’s face it, who doesn’t? The one item of clothing almost guaranteed to be found in any wardrobe is denim jeans. The world simply wouldn’t be the same without them.

The pair I have come to love the most has been part of my wardrobe for the past two years. They have become my best friend. We have partied, moved house, been to the pub, travelled, and even slept together.

These jeans are by an Australian brand called Imperial. I did a lot of research before buying them. I had discovered, through a wardrobe creaking with denim, that the best quality and fit is actually not related to how much money you are prepared to throw at them, nor which designer label is attached.

So I logged on, and found whole threads out there (pun intended) on the subject. This community of denim aficionados was bursting at the double-stitched seams with views on the best brands, the correct wear, washing, history and all sorts of denim-related trivia.

Within these communities it is widely thought that Japanese denim is better quality than most. This is because much of it is still manufactured using the old shuttle looms the US manufacturers like Levi’s and Lee sold to Japan when they started mass producing denim in the 50s. The shuttle looms produce a tighter, heavier weave and also finish the jeans off with something called a selvedge, which is the uncut edge of the denim, found inside the outer seam.

The only downside to this is that the shuttle looms were phased out in the US because they were less economical, so Japanese denim always costs more.

But it isn’t all about the pedigree of the denim. To earn my true denim aficionado stripes I would have to buy my jeans raw, or dry. This means buying them before they have been put through any fancy distressing or ageing. And I would have to wear them the way they were as they came off the production line.

This is, of course, how generations would have aged their jeans in years past – only at the time it wasn’t a fashion statement.

The idea is to do the ageing in a DIY manner. Through everyday wear the jeans would become an extension of my soul, my very being, a chapter in the colourful history of my life. See that piece of dried up chewing gum? I sat in that at the back row of the cinema when I was watching Spiderman 3 in 2006. That kind of thing.

I also wouldn’t be allowed to wash them. At least not until they could almost walk on their own, and even then only on a cold wash. Each wash sucks a little more of the blue blood out of the poor things, I was told, taking me one step back from achieving the perfect pair – jeans with flawless wearing. If I wanted to get the faded creases round the crotch (whiskers) and behind the knees (honeycombing) I would have to give the washing machine a swerve.

This was the stuff of dreams, and two years down the line I can testify it was worth the perseverance. So much so that I’ve just invested in a new pair, this time Visvim Fluxus Unwash 01, to give them their correct title. However, this means that just as my Imperials look exactly the way I imagined them to be, I’ve stopped wearing them.

Still, they don't need me anymore. They can walk round on their own now.

HOW TO BUY RAW DENIM

* Always look for a selvedge – two white lines of material on the inside of the outer leg seam, often finished with a coloured stitch, which denotes the jeans were made on a shuttle loom.

* Japanese brands such as Samurai, Studio Dartisan, Sugarcane, PRPS, and Visvim add kudos, although these days many high street brands are producing selvedge denim and Levi’s is has also re-released selvedge lines.

* Go for indigo. This is the original colour denim was produced in and will always wear in a more satisfying way to other dyes.

* Because you will barely wash them, buy to your correct size, some even say one size size down, because the denim will stretch a good few inches with the first few wears. This will be dependent on the fit you want.

* Leave six months minimum before the first wash, or if you can bare it, leave it a year. To freshen them up, just hang them out to air and give them a squirt with fabric freshener now and then.

* Wear them as often as possible and subject them to considerable punishment. They will look all the better for it.