Levi’s chief executive Charles “Chip” Bergh has a habit that surprises most people: he hardly ever puts his jeans in a washing machine. In a 2014 interview with Fortune, he explained that a good pair of denim does not really need machine washing — and one of his favourite pairs is said to have gone unwashed for ten years.
But Bergh himself drew a line under the idea: “I never said don’t wash your jeans,” he said. What he actually does, the article says, is follow the advice of denim lovers — keep jeans out of the washing machine — and deal with spills by spot-cleaning, or, for a bad stain, washing them in the shower.
The reasons, as the article presents them, are practical: the water in a washing machine can change a jean’s shape and wear the fabric down, while cotton-based denim with little stretch becomes more comfortable the longer it is worn. Washing less, the article says, can make jeans last longer by keeping the fibres from wearing thin and tearing — and machine washing can also alter their size and colour.
Levi’s own guide backs the “less is more” approach, suggesting washing at most once every ten wears to keep jeans fitting well, and cleaning small stains between washes with a damp cloth or an old toothbrush and mild soap. And if jeans do go in the machine, the guide says turn them inside out, close the zip, use cold water and a gentle wash — especially for dark blue or black denim.
