Vancouver denim designer Jason Trotzuk can’t believe the things people do with jeans.

“Putting your jeans in the freezer, that’s kind of like, brrugh . . . it’s absolutely . . . I have no idea,” the owner of Fidelity Denim finally said, sputtering, throwing up his hands and laughing.

The care and feeding of high-end jeans at $200 or more a pair has reached comic proportions.

Popular prescriptions for obtaining the ideal look include never wearing jeans for more than four hours at a time so they won’t need washing; never washing them so body oils will help the fabric develop a patina; and wearing them into the ocean then drying them in the sun to create the best finish.

“They are all myths,” Vancouver’s own denim king said in a recent interview. Simply wash jeans inside out, tumble dry low and iron lightly to relax the fibres, said the man who can rhapsodize over denim the way others swoon over wine.

All exotic care instructions are nonsense, he said. As for walking in the ocean, “the only thing that has relevance to is the salt, which is a fixative to keep the dye from running,” Trotzuk said. “Just throw a quarter cup of salt in the washer. Don’t be walking into English Bay.”

Trotzuk’s Fidelity Denim is a privately held boutique brand now sold in Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Harry Rosen and about countries as far flung as Japan, Germany, France, U.K. and Spain. Ninety per cent of its business is evenly split between the U.S. and Canada.

“There is a store in Toronto selling about 300 pairs a month. That’s 10 pair a day. That’s an unbelievable number,” said Trotzuk, who first got into the business painting jeans in his parent’s Surrey basement, and started and later sold the Dish clothing line before founding Fidelity in 2005. He has 10 employees in his Burnaby studio. Sewing is contracted out in Los Angeles. This year, his production has doubled to 200,000 pairs, and he’s now taking a running leap at the U.S. market with full page advertising spreads slated for Elle magazine’s September and October issues.

“Our American business is our prime concern right now.” he said. “Our Canadian customer knows us and loves us and we have no problem opening a door. The American customer is still asking ‘Who is Fidelity?’ It’s a gamble costing “easily six figures” or a house down payment, Trotzuk said, but he figures the time is right.

Trotzuk uses only one or two high-end Italian or Japanese denims, but achieves 20 or more distinct looks through specialty wash processes.

What is so special about expensive denim? “It’s really the quality of the yarns and the way it’s woven,” Trotzuk said. “Ringspun cotton. Egyptian. The quality of the cotton is softer. There is no ‘dead’ cotton in it — sometimes they will put filler in. Better elasticity and therefore it will hold you longer. Cotton over time breaks down, so a cheap cotton after a while doesn’t go back and that’s where you get baggy jeans. Premium denim, you can wear four or five days and it will still have its hold and its shape.”

Denim shouldn’t be a struggle when you put it on, Trotzuk said. When you put jeans on, they shouldn’t bind or feel excessively loose anywhere. “Make sure it fits you on your backside. Make sure it’s a comfortable fit.”

The most common mistake is buying jeans too small either because you plan to lose weight or because the sales people tell you to.

“The reason they are telling you to buy them tight is because the jeans are poor quality denim that will bag out on you,” Trotzuk said.

Buy for your body type. If you are short-waisted, try a lower rise. If you’re shorter, avoid flares and go for straighter legs. Pear-shaped people look great in a fuller leg. If you’re apple-shaped, try a boy cut or a flare.

And buy the right wash. A darker denim is always safe and versatile, Trotzuk said.

What are the denim trends for summer? For women, flares and bootcuts are making a resurgence going into July and August, Trotzuk said.

“We are getting back into clean for women,” he said. “There was a boyfriend trend for a while where you’d wear beat-up jeans; now we’re into something darker and cleaner.”

For men, straight and slim-leg jeans are in fashion.

“We have a jean called 5011 which pays homage to the Levi’s 501,” Trotzuk said. “It’s just a straight jean.”

Trotzuk recommends men’s jeans with a little stretch for comfort. “That’s what women have known for years,” he said. “Men haven’t had a lot of options. They think jeans need to be firm.”

Fidelity jeans are sold in Aritzia, Harry Rosen and boutique stores across the country.

jennylee@vancouversun.com