User story Brian Szabo

Every denim community has its storytellers—the people who don’t just wear jeans but build something bigger around them. For raw denim, one of those people is Bryan Szabo, the founder of the Indigo Invitational. What started with a stiff pair of Average Joes has grown into the world’s largest fading competition, now pulling in thousands of denim lovers from across the globe each year.

We caught up with Bryan to hear how it all began, what drives the competition, and why a pair of jeans can be so much more than just a piece of clothing.

Bryan’s denim journey began in 2010, when a friend casually suggested that raw denim might be “his thing.” She was right.

“I had been wearing brands like 7 for All Mankind and True Religion,” he says. “When I started researching raw denim, I liked what I saw and purchased my first pair later that week.”

That first pair was Nudie Jeans' Average Joe. “I remember being struck by how stiff and heavy they were compared to the Italian denim I’d been wearing. After a few months, I could see fades starting to emerge. It was that first taste of electric blue that hooked me for life.”

As for many others before (and after) him, a pair of dry Nudie Jeans' became his entry pair into the world of raw denim.

“What stood out about Nudie was their slower approach to consumption. It takes guts for a brand to tell consumers to buy less of their product. Nudie has always seemed interested in helping customers build life-long relationships with their pairs, highlighting stories of individuals and their much-loved jeans. It comes from a good place.”

Soon after, he was buying his second pair, diving deeper into selvage and Japanese denim. What started as curiosity quickly became passion.

The idea for the Indigo Invitational started, as many things do, with a simple question on Facebook: show me your fades.

“I was seeing a lot of pictures of brand-new pairs, but I’ve never been impressed with new jeans,” Bryan explains. “Many members admitted they were buying more pairs than they could ever fade. One even had more than 100 unworn pairs sitting in storage.”

Bryan suggested a competition to encourage people to stick with one pair. He set up a Facebook page, and the rest is denim history.

“At first, it was just honour and glory. Then brands and retailers got wind of it and started offering prizes. But the heart of it has always been community. We turned fading from something solitary into something we did together.”

That spirit proved powerful. From just over 100 competitors in Year One, the Indigo Invitational has grown to more than 1,500 participants today, with Year Five set to cross the 2,000 mark. And now even with a big following on Instagram.

So, what is the Indigo Invitational in one line?

“The world’s largest natural raw denim fading competition.”

But Bryan insists it’s not really about winning. “If people were only in it to win it, we’d likely only have around 100 competitors. It’s about the community, and about the push we give each other to produce our best-ever fades.”

The stories that emerge each year are what keep him going: Thai farmers, blacksmiths, brewers, musicians—even whole families fading together. “Last year, Ella took home bronze with her self-made pair, the first female fader on the podium. She’s such an inspiring member of this community. Every year, something surprises me.”

As for the next five years? “I’ve promised myself and the community to keep this thing going as long as it keeps growing. We may experiment with more collaboration pairs, but the most important thing is keeping the community safe, welcoming, and focused on fades—not brands. If it ever stops being that, it’ll be a personal failure.”

And his advice to anyone entering for the first time? “Enjoy the journey. Don’t measure yourself against the best in the world. Focus on your own pair, run your own race, and be patient. Finishing the year is a victory in itself. That’s the Indigo Spirit.”