New denim trend puts the freeze on fashion

Is putting your wax jeans in the fridge going to help keep them clean? The old hack is making a comeback and bamboozling a new era of denim lovers

05 February 2025 - 16:40
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Kanye West in a pair of wax jeans.
Kanye West in a pair of wax jeans.
Image: Valerie Macon/Getty Images

The micro trends of the 2020s have left many people baffled and overwhelmed. Every week there's a new core and aesthetic that begets a new subculture faster than the 10-year cycle trends before.

Adding to this confusion is the return of wax jeans. The trend was more practical than fashionable as a go-to for workwear. In the 1960s wax denim, worn by a lot of young people, started to trickle into streetwear.

Apart from the look resembling a high-quality faux leather, the trousers are revered for being waterproof, a big pull for those who have been buying into the trend. However, the water-safe aspect has left many under the impression that they should preserve their pair by not washing them but freezing them instead.

Like many high-end garments, wax denim needs a lot of attention and careful maintenance. While many might lay the blame on TikTok's never ending hacks, the trend goes back to the 2000s when people would put jeans into the freezer to retain moisture. Who can blame them when former Levi's CEO Chip Bergh swore by it? The head of the brand suggested denim wearers could save water by limiting the number of washes. This was backed by a Business Insider piece detailing how a soap washed and frozen pair over 15 months had identical amounts of bacteria. However, the trend has its pitfalls.

Levi's has come forward denouncing the method as it “only heard of it from designers” with no scientific evidence to back it up. “That's an old wives tale,” Bergh said in an interview. Vox reporters were also quick to notice the suggestion came at a time when Levi's was focused on its image as a sustainable brand.

A Huffington Post piece warned against this, as the bacteria on the jeans before freezing can easily repopulate. This can result in some of the issues experienced by those who have tried the trend (or their friends and family) catching a stinky whiff of the frozen jeans once defrosted.

With wax denim back in the market, those falling for the frozen hack need to reconsider how to keep them fresh and clean:

  • Spot clean any new stain immediately with a soft detergent and water. You can use a white towel; wet it with lukewarm water and dab the stain away.
  • You can also use a popular trick for designer garments by giving them a cold wash or a series of soaks in soap and carefully rinsing them before letting them dry. Turn them inside out to preserve the wax.
  • The Zeva Denim group that supplies wax denims encourages machine washing but only with cold water, as hot water can melt the wax and shrink the denim. Use light pH-neutral detergents made for gentle garments. This comes with the caveat of perhaps having to re-wax the denim after it's been through the machine, as it will most likely experience a loss of wax.
  • If you're too lazy, skip the labour and take them to a dry cleaner. An article by Fashionista suggests you ask for a low heat wash to avoid any damage.

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