How Levi's CEO washes his jeans? Hint: In the showers

The debate over how often should you wash your jeans still rages on. Some denim lovers say never wash them because washing jeans will impact their shape and color. Those who want to wash jeans, here is how Levi Strauss CEO Charles Bergh does it. He however does not use a washing machine.

"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,” he told CNBC recently.

Then how does Levi's CEO wash his denims? “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. This means keeping jeans on in the shower and covering them in soap as you would your body, Bergh explained.


Chip Bergh has been CEO of the iconic brand since 2011. He is also on the company’s board of directors and is credited to have led a remarkable turnaround in the fortunes of the company. It returned to the public markets with a successful IPO in March 2019.

Levi Strauss is one of the world's largest brand-name apparel companies and a global leader in jeanswear. Its products are sold in more than 110 countries worldwide. The company had reported net revenues of $6.2 billion in 2022.

Prior to joining Levi Strauss in September 2011, Chip Bergh had spent 28 years at Procter & Gamble (P&G) in different roles. He had led the integration and then ran the Gillette Blades & Razors business along with all of P&G’s male grooming brands (Gillette, Old Spice and The Art of Shaving). Prior to that, Chip led all of P&G’s business in India, Southeast Asia and Australasia.