Embed from Getty Images
Today in “rich people are gross” news, Levi’s CEO Charles Bergh claims that he never puts his jeans in the washing machine. He first made this claim about ten years ago and people interpreted it to mean that you should never wash your jeans at all. Now Charles is clarifying to CNBC that he does actually wash his jeans. How? He will wear them into the shower and soap them up that way. I can’t do this, you guys. I can’t take this man seriously. The thought of wearing jeans in the shower is so unpleasant. Have you ever tried to get out of a soaking wet pair of jeans? I have. It’s not fun. Washing your jeans on your body in the shower…it feels like something Elon Musk or Zuck would do just to be contrarian and annoying. It’s peak “I live a sheltered, wealthy life so I have to manufacture experiences of struggle and discomfort” behavior. People who are obsessed with denim will say to never wash jeans, but I have some informed thoughts about this–I used to sell raw selvedge denim many years ago when I worked at a men’s clothing store.
For most pieces of clothing, it’s clear they should be washed after a few wears. But jeans can be more divisive, with some even saying to never wash them.
And in parts, Levi Strauss CEO Charles Bergh may be to blame for that. Even though he didn’t quite mean for that to be the main takeaway from an event he spoke at in 2014.
“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.
If you don’t sweat continuously like I do, you can wear jeans a few times without issues, just like bras. (Bras hold their shape better and last longer if you space out the washes a bit.) But after three or so wears, jeans will start to smell just like anything else that makes direct contact with your skin. Now, I will say that I refuse to put my jeans in the dryer because it does wear out the fibers faster. I lay them flat to dry instead. But if you wash them inside out, in cold water, on the gentle cycle with a gentle detergent, it is fine.
Raw selvedge denim is the untreated fabric that Levi Strauss chose for its rugged durability back in the 1850s. You can still get it now, but it is much stiffer than regular jeans, which are treated with enzymes for softness. We used to tell people that the easiest way to break in raw selvedge jeans was to put them on and get into a tub of cold water. This works but it’s an awful sensory experience, and it also won’t clean your jeans. Marilyn Monroe supposedly used to do this with men’s jeans from the Army surplus store. She liked to wear jeans for running and weight training, and she would wear them into the ocean and they would mold to her body. Anyway, I think it’s nonsense that jeans can go months or years without being washed. Why do rich people have to invent new ways to be stinky when the rest of us are out here showering every day and doing four loads of laundry a week?
Yuuck🤢
🤨 makes you think twice about dating a man who wears Levi’s, that’s all I have to say🤷🏻♀️
Especially if that man wears them sans underwear. Think twice for sure.
Double 🤮 yuck!
Studied tailor/fashion/textile person here (Sorry i can for the life of me remember the title of my studies in english haha).
You absolutely can go longlonglong times without washing your jeans, and its better the less you do it. If you notice that they smell, or you have been sweating a lot, just put hem ina really cold freezer atleast overnight and that kills the smell. If you get any stains those you can just vipe away with a wet tissue or similar.
Obviously everybody should do what they prefer/ feel more comfortable with , put just a tip for those who wish their fave jeans to last longer because they might be out of stock these days or just expensive to replace.
👍👍👍
I have a collection of quality jeans dating back 35+ years that I STILL wear & I’ve RARELY washed them…Those jeans cost a GRIP so I handle with care…❤️
It depends on the material. In the usa we have A LOT of “fashion” jeans. Which is cheap material or dyes. Stains get embedded. In other countries you find less processed material. I can go a long time without washing my heavy jeans. I cannot with my “fashion” jeans.
I just don’t get it. For me jeans are either fashion/ makes my ass look good – or for wearing out into the field.
Maybe it’s cuz I’m in Colorado but if you want the most comfortable and durable jeans ever – you ask a person on a horse who just came back in from a ten day hitch – meaning backpacking – who had to go extra light on their pack so only wore those jeans day and night – what brand of jeans they are wearing and you are set for life.
Ain’t nothing as comfortable or as flattering as a pair of jeans that someone will willingly pack out of all their clothes to wear day and night for a solid almost two weeks.
Also. Since when are jeans so flipping fragile?!? The whole point is that they hold UP. (Besides fast fashion)
Wash when dirty. That’s it.
It’s peak “I live a sheltered, wealthy life so I have to manufacture experiences of struggle and discomfort” behavior
💯💯💯
I told my ten year old about this and he said, “Why would he tell anyone that? It’s so gross!”. YES IT IS.
Well that’s disgusting. I was always told you shouldn’t wash jeans after every wear- my Madewell jeans say wash after every 10 wears. Which I think its a bit dodgy. I like to wash mine after every 3-4 wears.
Yeah I have some madewell denim and it had those instructions as well. I’m 41 so I have been wearing jeans for a while and I’ve always only washed them every few wears, before I ever even heard it from anyone just because it’s seemed like a waste, especially if I only wore them for a few hours or something. I also only wash them inside out on cold gentle cycle and hang dry. The other thing though is that I literally have Abercrombie jeans from high school, so decades, that I know have been washed 100’s of times and they still haven’t worn out? So these aren’t high end top of the line jeans and they are still fine. So the idea that you need to wash sparingly because your jeans will wear out? Are we talking just people that wear them for working like manual labor or something? I can’t see how a regular person who maybe spends $100 on a pair of nice jeans is wearing them out anytime soon with washing them. Like how is it even a concern.
And if a woman CEO said this, she’d be getting A LOT more flack, maybe even get fired. A male CEO can be “eccentric,” it’s even desirable, but a woman CEO must be a straight arrow in all ways. That’s why Martha Stewart went to jail for 2 years for insider trading, but all the other business people who did this and FAR WORSE will never go to jail (d.t., for one).
Running into the Mediterranean with your new jeans on, so that they would meld to your body, was definitely a thing in Spain in the 70s and 80s!
I’m confused. Where did he say he wears his jeans in the shower? I only see that he washes them in the shower.
That’s how I read it too. Like he lays them in the shower floor and sprays them with a handheld nozzle. I took the “not washing” to reflect more on the agitation and detergent you use in a machine breaking down the fabric, whereas if the jeans are just lying there getting showered it won’t have that negative effect. Sort of like any other piece of clothing you would hand wash.
But also, my guess is like any other weird way of doing things that men get in their heads, probably in the background is a spouse or partner, or maybe in his case, a maid of housekeeper, who indulges them and then secretly throws the damn jeans in the washer and dryer when he is not looking.
He lies. The laundress hand washes them in the shower.
I believe it was Levi Strauss, who created Levi’s, who said that cowboys only washed their jeans when they bathed (which was probably once a month..BACK THEN). I was 16 when I heard that I shouldn’t wash my jeans, later I heard wash them, but don’t put them in the dryer. I’m 54 now–and since my teens the only jeans I’ve ever worn are Levis. I wash them once a month (unless something gets spilled on them), and I only ever air dry them. As grossed out as some people are by this–since I don’t announce it–no one will ever know…..
I saw this headline and was like A NEVER NUDE?! God bless Arrested Development.
Me too!!
Anderson Cooper said the same thing a decade(!!) ago:
“So the times I’ve washed my jeans, maybe twice in six months,” he said. “The times I’ve done it, I’ve worn them and walked into my shower with them and put some soap on them and then air-dried them. Isn’t that how you’re supposed to do it?” Source: https://www.today.com/news/anderson-cooper-i-never-wash-my-jeans-1c7473156
The article I found on it doesn’t say he got the advice from his mother, but that’s how I remember it.
Just because he said it, it doesn’t mean it’s actually true.
Does that mean he’s a never-nude? There are dozens of them–DOZENS! (See also Tobias Funke)
Yeah, more made up hardships. I never want to find myself wearing a soaking wet pair of jeans, ugh. Assuming they’re not visibly dirty or smelly I definitely go a few wears between washes but then they absolutely go in the machine on a cool/cold delicate cycle. Clean and no (to my eye) visible difference.
I am confused, he isn’t actually wearing them in the shower, right? Just…rinsing them? I guess my question is, is he washing his body?
I wash my jeans on the delicate cycle with tide free and clear (or something similar) and hang them to dry. I’d rather buy a new pair of jeans every few years anyway when the styles change, than have to resort to this.
Who are these dainty assed people who can wear clothes multiple times without washing? I can wear wool sweaters next to my skin, but wearing clothes without washing again? Sensory nightmare.
“Never wash your jeans. The fabric will break down and they might get rips and tears,” says person wearing bleached, distressed, pre-washed, stone-washed, artfully ripped, raw hem jeans.
I wear my jeans several times before washing, but I need to wash them because they stretch out. I need the washing and drying to shrink them back to shape so they don’t fall down around my knees. I don’t totally dry them. Just enough to get the drips out, and then I hang dry.
If they stretch that much everytime youve been using them, you are´most likely buying bad quality jeans. Also constantly washing them because of that, the stretching will just get worse and worse over time.
Obviously almost everyone dies this with some pair of jeans ( myself included), but trying to make sure the quality is good while buying the next pair , will save so much money in the long run.
Happy weekend!
Yeah, honestly the usual reason that I wash my jeans after 3 to 5 wears is that they start to stretch out and not fit as well. Some pairs hold up better than others.
I do like the idea of not washing clothing so much. I think of all the detergent we dump into the environment. I live in Floriduh, so in the hot summers my items have to be washed frequently. In the cooler months, I try to wear some things multiple times before washing, and I use half the amount of laundry detergent because my things aren’t nearly as sweaty and grimy.
Dude same life.
I buy new high quality $$$ jeans and I don’t know if it’s just the way I move or what – I won’t buy them if they don’t pass the squat test – but I was them to get them back to tight.
But that said I do squat a lot in my daily life. Climb under things. On top of things. Over things. Go outside a lot. And if my clothes can’t do that then they are decoration clothes and those are a whole other thing. Like not meant to be lived in. Meant only for occasions where you will be standing and sitting. So currently zero of my life situations.
I think many of our current attitudes towards odour and cleanliness will become less important as our world dies around us. (I’m just as much to blame – not pointing fingers). Just saying – I admire his stance in the face of public ridicule.
I see it now. I’m also experiencing this. That “not caring” attitude. It’s freeing but scary.
I read ages ago you can put them in the freezer to deodorize and freshen them up between washes.
This reminds me of Tobias on Arrested Development. He was a “never nude” and wore his cutoff jean shorts at all times, even in the shower.
Okay, I know that this will be unpopular but I wash my sheets and towels weekly, and I wash and dry my jeans every 4-5 wears.
If you don’t get sweaty in them and don’t pee standing, you can wear a pair of pants a few times. More than one dude has told me that standing to pee, there is rebound that comes back at you.
Lol — you don’t get rebound pee when you stand unless you have, like, serious issues aiming, maybe?
I can’t see myself ever doing that. I don’t dry them but they do go into the wash maybe every 5th wear. I would think washing them inside out would be helpful too.
Are we going to ignore that he’s turned his hairline into the Levi’s logo?
lolzz