As I go around town showing off my E&P jeans, a lot of questions turn to denim care. Here are a few answers to the most common jeans care questions:
How should I wash my jeans? And how often?
We rinse our Eva & Paul jeans before sale, so they're not "raw" like many other premium jeans on the market these days. Because of this, feel free to wash them. But, according to our resident denim expert, Christine Rucci, make sure you wash them inside out so there's no abrasion to the denim - this will keep them looking dark and clean.
Won't washing the jeans make them fade?
Our jeans do fade with wash, but not a ton - after wearing my jeans for 33 days straight during Kickstarter and washing them four times, they still look really dark, just slightly more worn.
Can I put the jeans in the dryer?
You can put them in the dryer, but they will shrink a bit, so it's better if you let them mostly drip dry. To get that nice cozy dryer feel, though, feel free to stick them into the dry cycle for the last 5 minutes or so.
What's this about putting your jeans in the freezer?
Some denim brands, especially "raw" denim that hasn't been washed in the manufacturing process, recommend not washing your jeans at all. Instead of washing the, you put them in the freezer between wears to keep odor-causing bacteria from growing in the meantime. Then they spot-clean the jeans over time. As a resident of Greenpoint Brooklyn with a tiny freezer already full of food, there's no way I could do this. And to tell you the truth, I don't want to. I'd rather wash my clothes every few weeks, merci.
Do you wash your jeans in the bathtub?
I don't think my roommate would approve of my washing my jeans lying flat in the bathtub, as apparently die-hard denim heads do. I also don't think it's necessary given that we've tumble-washed our jeans in the manufacturing process. But if you want to give it a try, feel free! Let me know if it works!
Would dry cleaning be better?
One of my best friends from college sent all her jeans to the dry cleaner. They came back stiff with a crease down the front. This isn't really my style, but I don't think it does the jeans any harm.
Why is it easier to care for Eva & Paul jeans than jeggings?
Great question! We use heavier-weight fabric for our jeans than many of our competitors that allows our jeans to stand the test of time. Also, using too much polyester and Lycra sometimes causes "jegging" style jeans to stretch out over the course of the day, so you have to wash them more frequently to get them back to the original size, causing the fibers to come out in the wash and the jeans to quickly disintegrate. Our jeans keep their shape, so you don't have to wash them as often!