Levi's CEO has warned people you should never wash your jeans
The CEO of Levi's is once again at it with the whole 'never wash your jeans' thing.
Charles 'Chip' Bergh is the boss of the popular jeans brand and he's been banging this particular drum for quite a while.
The Levi's CEO has regularly said that you shouldn't be putting your jeans in a washing machine because apparently 'true denim heads' know not to do that.
Advert
Bergh recently spoke out on the topic of jeans washing yet again to clarify his position, telling CNBC he was more opposed to washing machines than washing in general.
"I never said don’t wash your jeans," the Levi's CEO explained, before going on to reveal what he thought true appreciators of denim ought to do.
"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.
"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."
As for what washing your jeans in the shower entails, that means you wear them in there and scrub them down with soap while they're still on you.
I don't want to disagree with the CEO of Levi's on the topic of jeans - since he will know much more than I on the subject - but I don't think I'd want to wear jeans into the shower.
This isn't all some conspiracy from 'big jeans', Bergh reckons that sticking the clothes in a washing machine is a big part of each garment's carbon footprint as the denim industry consumes a lot of water in production, but people washing them takes plenty too.
Whether you're sticking your jeans in the wash after wearing them once or you're the type to only introduce them to a washing machine after a few wears or if they've been stained, you will be racking up a bit of an environmental bill.
According to Oxfam making a pair of jeans costs 33.4kg of carbon dioxide, with the carbon cost of the UK's jeans being equivalent to a plane flying round the world 2,372 times.
While the Levi's CEO says don't put your jeans in the washing machine, the co-founder of an eco-friendly cleaning brand has suggested an alternative method.
Kelly Love of Branch Basics recommends sticking your jeans out in the sun for a few days as the heat, light and air will apparently break down microbes and clean them up a bit.
Unfortunately, it's just gone November so good luck finding a few days of hot sun in the UK for the next few months.
Topics: Fashion, Weird, Business, Hacks, Environment
Joe Harker