Levi boss Chip Bergh, 56, says he would never let his favourite pair - now a year-old - go anywhere near water even though he admitted it was "disgusting".
He told a business conference in California: “These are one of my favorite jeans—[they] are maybe a year old, and they have yet to see a washing machine.
"I know that sounds totally disgusting… but believe me, it can be done.
"I have yet to get a skin disease or anything else."
Bergh was then asked how often people should wash their jeans and he replied: “Not very often.
"If you talk to real denim aficionados, they’ll tell you, don’t wash your blue jeans.”
Instead he recommends dabbing stains with a sponge or using a toothbrush for more stubborn marks.
His comments have sparked a fashion debate across the world; hygiene or dry jeans?
Tags on Levi Strauss jeans urge customers to wash less and use only cold water and for years people have sat in cold baths to get the denim to shrink to their body shape.
Last year, Tommy Hilfiger revealed he 'never' washes his jeans - also Levis.
The 63-year-old told a reporter: "I never wash my Levi's. They'll fall apart. I love them broken in."
Others in agreement include Hells Angels who famously never wash their 'threads' after being initiated into a chapter by other members who urinate on their fully-clothed bodies.
Amazingly, health experts believe it makes little difference whether or not you wash your jeans. Tests at the University of Alberta showed levels of bacteria were roughly about the same either way.
Others in agreement include Hells Angels who famously never wash their 'threads' after being initiated into a chapter by other members who urinate on their fully-clothed bodies.
Amazingly, health experts believe it makes little difference whether or not you wash your jeans. Tests at the University of Alberta showed levels of bacteria were roughly about the same either way.o
I used to wash my jeans every single time I wore them, but over the last year or so I've been washing them way less frequently to try this whole thing out. It's really true... the fit becomes so amazing.
I used to wash my jeans every single time I wore them, but over the last year or so I've been washing them way less frequently to try this whole thing out. It's really true... the fit becomes so amazing.
I used to wash my jeans every single time I wore them, but over the last year or so I've been washing them way less frequently to try this whole thing out. It's really true... the fit becomes so amazing.
Wait. I should do this. My jeans are so tight right now in the buttock area and I wash them all the time.
I didn't know that was a thing.