Blood, sweat, & jeans
According to the BBC, Stella McCartney has come out against the use of washing machines. Or has she?
"Basically, in life, rule of thumb: if you don't absolutely have to clean anything, don't clean it." Fashion designer Stella McCartney said this in an interview with the Observer this weekend, adding that she picked up the tip while working for bespoke tailors on London's prestigious Savile Row. Instead, she says, the "rule" is to "let the dirt dry and you brush it off". It may have been a throwaway comment at the end of the interview, but something about this line stuck with readers - many of whom have been doing several loads of laundry a week. So does she have a point? Is it better to avoid washing your clothes?
Ashitha Nagesh, BBC News
Nagesh has played a little fast-and-loose with McCartney's original response to a question on her opinion of dry cleaning, and whether it's needed today:
“…the rule on a bespoke suit is you do not clean it. You do not touch it. You let the dirt dry and you brush it off. Basically, in life, rule of thumb: if you don’t absolutely have to clean anything, don’t clean it. I wouldn’t change my bra every day and I don’t just chuck stuff into a washing machine because it’s been worn. I am incredibly hygienic myself, but I’m not a fan of dry cleaning or any cleaning, really.”
Sophie Heawood, The Observer Fashion
Bespoke suits are not cleaned in standard domestic washing machines, Ms Nagesh. Even I know that, and I can't afford one.
McCartney isn't the only person in the fashion business who's eschewing cleaning. The CEO of Levi's, Chip Bergh, has a pair of jeans that haven't been washed once since he first got them, ten years ago. Obviously, the job can't pay that well.
But I'm pretty sure that neither McCartney nor Bergh sweat like a fat boy. As a fat boy myself, if I didn't wash my clothes regularly, the resulting stench would be a health hazard to me and anyone around me. So, for the sake of the public at large, I will continue to use the washing machine regularly, and live with the slow fading of my clothes.
At least it keeps the flies at bay.