If you’ve invested in a great pair of our raw jeans, you might need to know how to look after them.

An important point to note and one we believe equivocally, the longer you can go without washing them, the more beautiful your pair of jeans will become.

But, let's assume for this piece, that you have abstained from washing them for long enough, finally you have reached the point where your jeans are ready to be introduced to a new substance like water.

Urban Myth - Soaking in the bathtub with your jeans on, this does not improve the fit and can stretch the jeans it is also uncomfortable. We speak from experience!

"My point at the conference, which by the way was all about sustainability, was to challenge the mindset that we need to throw everything into the washing machine after one or two wears. I made this provocative statement because I believe strongly in what our brands stand for: quality, durability and lasting products made sustainably. I also said it because I believe we don’t need to wash jeans as often as most people think we do"

Chip Bergh CEO Levi Strauss.

Turn inside out - This will help to prevent bleeding and crazing. It also allow’s the water and detergent to get to the dirtiest part of the jeans., which are those closest to the skin.

Wash alone - Somethings in life you have to do alone, washing jeans is one of those things. This is only for the denim, our chino’s can of course be washed with similar colours. Denim though will bleed blue blood and will ruin anything that is lighter in colour that you wash it with. This can be an expensive oversight, and one you will only want to make once, but is best avoided if possible.

Old School - fill your bath with cold or lukewarm water. It is best to hand wash your jeans. This will help to cut back on wear and tear as it’s a much gentler experience for the fibres. Also, hands are good thermometers, they won’t allow you to have the water too hot.

Add a mild detergent (avoid standard laundry products as most contain bleaching agents). Wait for it to dissolve before putting jeans in. Don’t overuse detergent too much does not = cleaner, too much can lead to a build-up of detergent that will weirdly make your jeans dirtier.

Why? When all that detergent meets body oils and sweat, it doesn’t end well as it can produce an odour which follows you around the room. You want to ensure you can rinse the detergent away. Alternatively, you can also just use 1 cup of vinegar and 1 tablespoon of salt, this method is also believed by enthusiasts to help the indigo stay in the fabric better.

45 minutes should do it, submerge the jeans fully. If the jeans float, use something heavy to hold them down. Allow them to soak in the water. Nothing to see here. Move along. Go and make yourself a cup of tea.

Triple rinse - If you refill and drain the bath three times with clean water, this will give you the best result. The first one will get rid of the dirt. The second will get rid of the grime. And the third one is just to make double sure.

Don’t wring ‘em - There is always a temptation to take your wet jeans and wring them. Don’t. It will twist and break down the fibres. Just roll them up and press firmly on them to release water.

Drying ‘em - There are a few ways to achieve this. Lay them flat. Lay them on a towel so it absorbs the water. Or hang them up in the shower and let them drip dry. Or even better, put them outside. Let the wind do the work. Avoid direct sunlight.

Put them back on when 90% dry - Don’t let them dry out 100%. A little dampness supplies a little give. That will allow you to stretch them back to as they were before washing. This is all part of the ebb and flow of a washing a pair of jeans.

Always iron damp jeans inside out - Nearly there. For a selvedge denim that is 100% cotton, then set your iron to a high heat (cotton) setting using steam. If your selvedge has any stretch in it, you will need a cooler iron setting. To protect your jeans (from iron marks) use a tea towel cloth between the iron and the jeans.

First iron the pocket bags and the waistband, then lay the selvedge seams flat and do the inside of the leg. Then swap to the outer seam. Then repeat this process for the second leg. Then lay one leg at a time flat on the ironing board matching your seams (side to side) ironing the tops first then the rest of leg.

If you haven’t ordered from us before and would like to please look at our “How to measure your jeans?” guide this shows you how to measure your current favourite, we include detailed measurements on each product page for you to compare these too.