Have you ever considered what the outcome would be if you wore the same jeans every day for five days a week over a three-month period without washing them?
Through her Master of Philosophy thesis, she aims to question our society’s obsession with “extreme clean.”
With stains and messes from tuna, avocado, motor oil, and chocolate, Ms. Jack believes that the assumption of smelly jeans is significantly exaggerated.
“Wearing jeans without washing them isn’t as unpleasant as it seems,” the RMIT fashion lecturer and Melbourne University student explains.
“You actually don’t need to launder your clothing nearly as frequently as you might think. Stains fade with time.”
As she buries her nose in the pile of well-worn denim on her desk, she notes scents ranging from eggshells to caramel.
“The jeans aren’t socially unacceptable in terms of smell. They simply carry the scent of people,” she remarks.
Among the 30 participants in the experiment, only one found it challenging to adhere to the task, which required wearing a pair of jeans donated by the local denim brand Nobody for at least five days a week during March, April, and May.
Many opted to extend the experiment by refraining from washing other items in their wardrobe, such as T-shirts, shirts, and sweaters, according to Ms. Jack.
The advocate for sustainable fashion stated that participants collectively conserved thousands of liters of water and also saved on electricity and laundry detergent.
She aspires for her exhibition titled ‘Nobody was Dirty,’ where visitors will be welcome to smell the used jeans in the NGV Studio this March, to inspire even more Victorians to reduce washing their clothes.
Recruitment of participants occurred through social media, with ages ranging from 18 to 56, featuring an equal mix of men and women, including a librarian, high school teacher, festival producer, and graphic designer.
The “great unwashed” maintained Facebook diaries and were frequently interviewed to record their feelings and experiences related to the smell.
Approximately half of the participants encountered difficulties between the three to six-week mark, expressing reluctance to continue wearing the jeans, Ms. Jack noted.
However, by the end of the experiment, about half expressed a desire to keep wearing – and refraining from washing – their dirty jeans.
Ms. Jack’s research indicated that men tended to wash their inner layers more often and were more aware of their body odor.
“I anticipated that the boys would emit more odors, but they didn’t,” she commented.
One participant remarked that the jeans experiment had simplified his daily routine.
“I no longer had to decide what to wear each day,” he shared.
by Robbo Green
