And in parts, Levi Strauss CEO Charles Bergh may be to blame for that.
“I never said don’t wash your jeans,” he clarified in conversation with CNBC’s Christine Tan as part of the “Managing Asia” show broadcast last month.
Bergh still doesn’t use a washing machine to clean his denim. “True denim heads, people that really love their denim, will tell you to never put your denim into a washing machine. So that’s what I do.”
Denim lovers often say washing jeans will impact their shape and color, while keeping them unwashed will improve their appearance through creases and exposure to the elements. Not washing them is also said to make them last longer as it will prevent the denim’s fibers from wearing down — which could lead to holes or rips.
But Bergh also doesn’t just leave his jeans to get messy and covered in dirt.
“If I drop some curry on my jeans, I’m gonna clean it. But I’ll spot clean it. And if they get really gross you know, if I’ve been out sweating or something and they get really gross, I’ll wash them in the shower,” he said.
This means keeping jeans on in the shower and covering them in soap as you would your body, Bergh explained.
The debate about how often we should really be washing our clothes has expanded from jeans in recent years. Controversy about how often people wash their pajamas and bedding for example has broken out several times on social media recently, prompting discussions about what is and isn’t hygienic. Hygiene is however not the only argument — as Bergh points out, washing machines use a lot of water. Washing clothes less could therefore be good for the environment, some sustainability experts suggest, especially as our, often synthetic, clothes also release microplastics when washed, which contribute to plastic pollution.
Read the original article on cnbc.com
