i have to admit that in the past i haven't been so good at looking after my clothes. partly because of ignorance, partly through laziness and partly because I haven't had the space or tools to do so. but over the years i've picked up lots of tips and tricks to keep my wardrobe in check and make sure that i get the best out of my clothes for as long as possible.
i've decided to focus on all things denim for the first of my clothing care themed posts. this may seem like a curious choice because denim is renowned for it's hardwearing qualities but even this so called 'indestructible' fabric deserves a bit of tender loving care.
denim has a long history in fashion. it was born from weaving cotton together in a unique way, where the weft passes under two or more warp threads, which resulted in a reinforced fabric. the outer warped threads were dyed indigo and the inner weft threads were left natural. this technique creates denim's iconic ageing process. in the 1870's, levi strauss & co. utilised this material for workwear and produced their first jeans. since then jeans have been brought into everyday fashion and become globally popular by both men and women.
there's a lot of debate these days over how often or if ever at all you should wash your jeans. true denim heads have all sorts of rules to look after their pride and joy. i like to avoid washing my jeans too often to preserve their indigo colour and avoid using my washing machine too frequently.
when your jeans have got to the point though where they really smell and have gone a bit saggy or marked, then it's time to wash. it's best to wash your denim at a low temperature or even by hand. turning them inside out will look after their colour and avoid unnecessary abrasion. keep them inside out when you're naturally drying them and avoid using pegs which can unintentionally mark them. you also want to be careful not to damage any leather patches that your jeans may have. don't use a tumble dryer as it might shrink and fade your jeans as well as being bad for the environment.
i use NATURAL NORFOLK LIVING denim wash on my favourite jeans that i wear on heavy rotation. it's specially formulated to be as kind as possible to your denim using 100% non-toxic, natural, hypoallergenic ingredients. there's no need to use any fabric softener with it as this would only coat the fibres with chemicals and affect the texture and longevity of your clothing.
to maximise the time in between washes, i swear by NATURAL NORFOLK LIVING's denim refresher. it's the easiest way to keep your denim healthy through wears and is perfect on those pairs that have just been stuck at the bottom of my drawers for a bit too long.
the bottom line is, taking care of your denim shouldn't be a chore! and it is also great if it can be kind on the environment too! NATURAL NORFOLK LIVING make sure that they use completely recyclable materials in their packaging. that includes the bottles and jars that their lovely products are housed in which can in turn be washed out and re-used or recycled after use.