Levi's CEO Hasn't Washed His Jeans in a Year
Posted on May 21, 2014
Levi's CEO Chip Bergh was on a panel at Fortune's Brainstorm Green conference. Bergh talked about how this is the 141st birthday of the 501 jean.
He talks about the company's commitment to sustainability, which is great. At the 8:53 mark he talks about a new line of jeans that takes less water to produce.
Then it gets weird. Bergh reveals that the jeans he is wearing are one year old and they have never seen the inside of a washing machine.
The interviewer, Fortune's Andy Sewer, looked appalled and Bergh said "I know that sounds disgusting" as the audience laughed. Um, yes, it does. He says he spot cleans and air dries the jeans. He says he's never even gotten a skin disease from wearing them. He is absolutely bonkers. And we wouldn't want to be within ten miles of his musty, bacteria-laden jeans.
He spent 28 years at Proctor and Gamble (which makes Tide among many other things), yet he still knows nothing about basic hygiene. Not washing clothing and thinking spot cleaning does the job for years shows a total lack of knowledge about how bacteria lives and grows, especially inside the jeans. Clearly he also has zero sense of smell because anyone with a good olfactory sense can smell dirty jeans from several feet away. This is one trend that needs to die, immediately. Take a look: