People are freaking out over Levi's CEO Chip Bergh's recent admission that he hasn't washed his favourite jeans in a year. Titillating as this is - slash worrying that this is what causes collective distress - Chip isn't actually a Grossy Josie. He's pretty bang on when it comes to making your denim last. Which, let's be honest, you're gonna wanna do if you've bought a pair of premium jeans at £200 a pop.
'[These jeans] have yet to see a washing machine,' he told host Andy Sewer, when speaking at Fortune's 'Brainstorm Green' conference which gathered together a slew of CEOs to discuss sustainability. 'I know that sounds totally disgusting but believe me, it can be done.... If you talk to real denim afficionados, they’ll tell you, don’t wash your blue jeans.'
Chip isn't the only big dog wearing dog-dirty trousers, either. The cleanest-looking man in fashion, designer Tommy Hilfiger, also doesn't wash his jeans because he likes the 'broken in' feel. TBH we know what he means. There's nothing like trying to get your legs into a stiff pair of jeans, freshly washed and with the denim equivalent of rigor mortis.
So, newsflash time: if you're washing your jeans, say, every couple of weeks, you're doing the WRONG THING. Swedish brand Acne's cult jeans come with the warning not to wash them more than twice a year. Levi's agree: 'Never wash your jeans,' they told The Debrief. 'It’s better to leave them in the open air to freshen them up, use a damp cloth to remove any stains and spray with vinegar to get rid of any odors. If you wash your jeans, they’ll naturally shrink each time losing their best shape so it’s best to refrain from washing them so that their shape and feel will be more bespoke to you and your lifestyle.' (And get this: 'If you’re buying raw denim the best thing to do is climb into the bathtub with them on, and then let them mold to your body by moving around while wet. If you can try to keep them on for a while as they dry naturally and then you’ll have the most perfect fitting jean.)
Urban Outfitters, on the other hand, subscribes to the 'freezer method' (you pop your jeans in the freezer and it kills all the bacteria, whilst still retaining their shape). That said, they do encourage you to wash your skinny jeans, as they can stretch from wear and a wash will 'pull the fabric back into a tighter fit.'
Denim guru Donna Ida Thornton also agrees that you can wash your jeans, but she told The Debrief are several rules you should follow in order to preserve the denim:
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Wash your jeans inside out (preserves seams and rivets, etc.)
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Do not soak them.
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Never use bleach (unless you're going for the stonewash approach and then more power to you.)
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Wash them on their own, particularly on the first time.
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Always wash jeans on a cold wash. A 'cold wash' that doesn't mean 30 degrees; it means an actually cold wash!
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Don't put them in the dryer, or over the radiator, or in direct sunlight. Lie them flat and dry them naturally (like on a sideboard, on top of a towel) and they will last longer.
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Think about indigo; indigo isn't a colour fast dye and it is designer to fade and run a bit. So do not sit on white sofas with brand new jeans on! The jeans will bleed - they are designed too.
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Picture: Ada Hamza
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.