That sounds awfully familiar... (Have recently bought 4 pairs, and culled the worst of the fade-to-grey stonewashed ones.)
The ones to be replaced were formerly blue, and probably genuine 90s
I wish my jeans lasted that long. I'm strongly left-kneed, and tend to destroy them there, if the crotch seam doesn't fall to bits first.
I was an awful lot skinnier in the 90s, of course...