As the founder of the Jeans Museum in Zurich, Ruedi Karrer is not only the curator of more than 14,000 pairs of jeans, the raw denim purist considers himself as the caretaker of the stories and histories that each pair of naturally faded jeans tell.

He shares many of those stories—from jeans that have snow crust fades, to the shopping bag from the store where he bought his first pair of Levi’s in 1977—on his popular Instagram account @Swissjeansfreak.

Karrer’s love for indigo resonates with players in denim supply chain as well. He’s partnered with Bluezone in Munich to showcase important archival pieces from his collection.

In 2019, Karrer also teamed with Candiani Denim to release his own signature jean in honor of his 60th birthday. The jean, a 15.5 oz. 3×1 left hand twill, featured a green cast and a back pocket inspired by the Piz Beverin mountains Karrer grew up near.