It’s obvious that most clothing items should be laundered after wearing them a couple of times. Jeans can cause more controversy, and some people even say that they should never be washed.
Charles Bergh is partly to blame. He didn’t intend that this was the major takeaway when he gave a speech in 2014.
In a recent interview with CNBC’s Christine Tan for the “Managing Asia” show, he said: “I have never suggested that you don’t clean your jeans.”
Bergh doesn’t wash his jeans in a machine. True denim heads and people who love denim will never wash their jeans in a machine. That’s how I wash my denim.
Washing jeans can affect their color and shape, but keeping them unwashed improves their look through the use of creases and the exposure to 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.
Bergh doesn’t let his jeans get dirty and dirty.
“If there’s curry in my pants, I clean it. “I’ll clean the spot.” He said that if the socks get gross (like if you’ve sweated a lot or whatever) I will wash them.
Bergh said that this means wearing jeans in the shower, and washing them as you would wash your own body.
Bergh noted that the washing of jeans contributes a significant amount to clothing carbon emissions. He noted that the denim production process uses a large amount of water, but also the number of times the consumer washes their jeans.
He pointed out that people in the U.S. wash jeans each time after wearing them. In other countries, clothes are washed after only a couple of wears.
Recently, the discussion about how frequently we should wash our clothing has expanded beyond just jeans. Recent social media debates have erupted over how frequently people should wash pajamas, bedding and other items.
Hygiene is however not the only argument — as Bergh points out, washing machines use a lot of water. Some sustainability experts believe that washing clothes less is good for the planet, particularly since our clothes, many of which are synthetic, release microplastics during wash, contributing to plastic pollution.
So while not everyone may be satisfied with keeping their jeans out of the washing machine — putting them, and other clothes, in it less frequently may be something to at least consider.