There's no feeling like stepping into your favorite pair of jeans. The ones that glide on with ease, settling familiarly into place like a trusted, ultra-flattering friend.
But, as is true with all things in life, the passing of time, compounded by the lack of a proper care regimen, can start to take a toll on the wear, wash, and overall fit of your denim, turning that once-pristine pair into a forlorn foe. Talk about the blues...
Because no one likes parting with a long-loved pair, and since so much discarded textile waste ends up meeting an untimely end in landfills, we put our team of in-house jeaniuses to the task of devising the best denim care routine around.
Here, read our tried-and-true-blue tips for preserving the life and longevity of your favorite pairs.
Denim Care 101
Green tips for keeping your blue jeans pristine.
Do skip a wash cycle (or five). You read that right. The less often you toss your denim in the wash, the more likely you are to maintain its original color, character, and charm. Not to mention – you'll help save water and reduce unnecessary energy emissions.
Don't wash with hot water. When you do (inevitably) opt for a laundry day, wash your denim in cold water with a mild, eco-friendly detergent. Avoid harsh chemicals and bleach, and turn jeans inside out, removing any objects from pockets to mitigate potential wear-and-tear during the wash cycle.
Do hang your denim out to dry. Preserve the quality of your jeans and prevent possible shrinkage by hanging in a well-ventilated area, or better yet: on an outdoor clothesline under the sun. If denim begins to feel wrinkled, starchy, or stiff, simply toss in the dryer on low heat for a quick refresh.
Don't sweat the small stuff! Mild wear-and-tear is natural and should be expected during the life-cycle of your jeans. Holes in the knees, distress on the pockets, and fraying at the hem add character and charm to your go-to pair, making it a one-of-a-kind work of art that can't be replicated or replaced. Now that's the true beauty of denim.
Behind the Design: More Sustainably Made Pilcro
Hear from the Senior Designer of our exclusive, planet-friendlier pairs.
The humble blue jean is a storyteller.
Examine a sturdy cotton pair from the early 20th century, and you may find the vestiges of a workman's long day: match strokes against the thigh, holes in the knees, grit in the weave. Check out a pair from your own wardrobe, and you'll too find signatures of a jean well worn.
It's denim's uncanny ability to hold onto history that made Anthropologie's Senior Designer Nick Hathaway fall in love with his trade, but it's what lies ahead that has him – and us – most excited: planet-friendlier pairs.
This season, the new only-at-Anthro collection from Pilcro features premium-quality denim crafted using more sustainable practices and materials, and we couldn't be more thrilled to turn this cleaner, greener page.
"While there's no such thing as perfection, our philosophy is to try to let sustainable principles inform each little decision throughout the day," explains Nick. "The key for us is to try everything and always be open."
Here, he kindly shares an excerpt from Pilcro's latest chapter.
The humble blue jean is a storyteller.
Examine a sturdy cotton pair from the early 20th century, and you may find the vestiges of a workman's long day: match strokes against the thigh, holes in the knees, grit in the weave. Check out a pair from your own wardrobe, and you'll too find signatures of a jean well worn.
It's denim's uncanny ability to hold onto history that made Anthropologie's Senior Designer Nick Hathaway fall in love with his trade, but it's what lies ahead that has him – and us – most excited: planet-friendlier pairs.
This season, the new only-at-Anthro collection from Pilcro features premium-quality denim crafted using more sustainable practices and materials, and we couldn't be more thrilled to turn this cleaner, greener page.
"While there's no such thing as perfection, our philosophy is to try to let sustainable principles inform each little decision throughout the day," explains Nick. "The key for us is to try everything and always be open."
Here, he kindly shares an excerpt from Pilcro's latest chapter.
Q: Can you take us through a typical Pilcro design process?
"We strive to approach denim in its traditional manner, so it's rooted in authentic, historical indigo. We start most of the design processes looking around the world for garments from the last 200 years. (Nick holds up an old tattered and torn pair of jeans.) We translate beautiful vintage garments like this one – one that's wildly beat up from the 1950s – into something that still has the soul of this, but with Pilcro's hallmarks of femininity.
We do start it the old fashioned way, and it's truly from the ground up. All of our washes are our own; we're not picking off the line from factories. We create our own canvas, and with our favorite factories, we develop something that's truly unique and ours."
We do start it the old fashioned way, and it's truly from the ground up. All of our washes are our own; we're not picking off the line from factories. We create our own canvas, and with our favorite factories, we develop something that's truly unique and ours."
Q: What factory are you most excited to partner with?
"I think the most special one we're working with this season is the Los Angeles-based Factory One Studio. They have a rich 25-year history of working with some of the greenest laundries in the Americas. I'm really proud to work with them because they're one of the only factories left in Los Angeles that pays a living wage for its employees.
It's a joy to be making jeans back in the US – very few brands are doing it. And it's cool: The denim industry was born in California! It's the only place in America where that still lives on today. We can lean on a skillset that's been cultivated over the last couple hundred years, and I think that yields a special product."
It's a joy to be making jeans back in the US – very few brands are doing it. And it's cool: The denim industry was born in California! It's the only place in America where that still lives on today. We can lean on a skillset that's been cultivated over the last couple hundred years, and I think that yields a special product."
Q: How about our denim mills – where did we source some of Pilcro's more sustainable fabrics?
"We work closely with a few great mills, but one in particular, Candiani, is known as 'the greenest mill in the blue world.'
It's an Italian mill that's been supplying denim for a very long time. They created a lot of the sustainable innovation in the denim world; they were one of the first to adopt sustainability as a philosophy, and they continue to push that forward every year.
We also use fabrics from a mill called Orta Anadolu in Turkey. They're also known as sustainability experts in the denim world. They offer a range of fibers like hemp and vegetable-dyed colors, both of which we're experimenting with."
It's an Italian mill that's been supplying denim for a very long time. They created a lot of the sustainable innovation in the denim world; they were one of the first to adopt sustainability as a philosophy, and they continue to push that forward every year.
We also use fabrics from a mill called Orta Anadolu in Turkey. They're also known as sustainability experts in the denim world. They offer a range of fibers like hemp and vegetable-dyed colors, both of which we're experimenting with."
Q: Aside from better factories and mills, what are some of the other sustainable elements we'll find in the new Pilcro collection?
"The first thing that comes to mind is the metal hardware on the garments. Due to a process called electroplating, hardware is typically a highly caustic and hugely detrimental process to the environment.
Electroplating is when you apply a metallic-colored finish to a metal, like making it copper, gunmetal, or silver. It uses a lot of water, and it's highly chemical-laden, so the runoff or the excess of that water can enter local ecosystems. Our metal finishes are either water-free or use no electroplating whatsoever, and the bases of our metals are either recycled or recyclable.
For some of our fits, we approached the denim itself from a range of avenues: organic cotton, recycled fibers, or recycled cotton blends. We also use a pocket fabric that's partially recycled. Plus, we've significantly cut down our polyester usage.
We've also implemented indigo-dying technology that is either non-toxic or engineered to require less water."
Head here to shop the full Pilcro collection.
Electroplating is when you apply a metallic-colored finish to a metal, like making it copper, gunmetal, or silver. It uses a lot of water, and it's highly chemical-laden, so the runoff or the excess of that water can enter local ecosystems. Our metal finishes are either water-free or use no electroplating whatsoever, and the bases of our metals are either recycled or recyclable.
For some of our fits, we approached the denim itself from a range of avenues: organic cotton, recycled fibers, or recycled cotton blends. We also use a pocket fabric that's partially recycled. Plus, we've significantly cut down our polyester usage.
We've also implemented indigo-dying technology that is either non-toxic or engineered to require less water."
Head here to shop the full Pilcro collection.