Non-fading skinny black jeans - the holy grail?

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I once had one pair from New Look that didn’t fade, but could never find the same ones again and they’ve finally ripped. I’m an infant teacher and find it really practical to wear black jeans to work, but as soon as they fade they’re no use. I’ve tried dying them but they fade again after one or two washes.

So, anyone found the holy grail recently?

Part of the problem might be your washing powder.
Surf Perfect Black
I haven't used that particular liquid but I have used one specifically for black clothes and found it made a difference.

YEp, it is probably more to do with how you wash them rather than the dye technique itself.

Cold water wash and gentle cycle.
Wash inside out.
Only wash with other darks.
Use a specific dark wash detergent.
You can also add a tsp of salt to the wash to help fix the dye and reduce runs.

Also, you can revive faded jeans with Dylon washing machine dye. Just give your machine a good (empty) run afterwards (maintenance wash) to flush out any dye that might be hanging around, so that it doesn’t affect your next wash.

Fat face jeggings! They are really stretchy, but still thick fabric & they do up with a button and zip. Come in a range of colours and the black ones last really well. I have 2 blue and 2 black and I live in them!

I work in a school and wear the black ones every day. So far nobody has commented that they're not suitable and it's been 3 years. They have faded very slightly, but nowhere near as much as others. they still look smart and like the dark grey is intentional as opposed to faded

Use a liquid rather than powder - one of the AMA threads recently was a person who develops laundry detergent and said the powders contain bleach.

Just be cautious, washing liquids and gels gum up washing machines something terrible. I wouldn’t use them exclusively.

My sister found that Dorothy Perkins skinny black jeans don't fade.

Yes fading is predominately caused by how you wash the jeans - so many people just throw things in a washing cycle without checking labels and choosing the correct cycle/temperature/clothing load etc. You can’t be surprised if they fade if you do that. Also it sounds like you wear them very frequently ie everyday or multiple days per week, which will obviously contribute to a shorter ‘life cycle’ of the jeans. I have jeans that I have had for years that still look new, but that’s because I look after them and don’t wear them super frequently.

I like topshop jeans

You need some polyester content! If the jeans are 100% cotton (or near enough) then they will fade, whatever you do. People think polyester is the devil's work, but one of the selling points of artificial fabrics is that they hold dye for ever.

That's why the jeggings-type often don't fade as much because they are often a cotton/poly blend.

See here - tierraJ mentioned above that Dorothy Perkins skinny black jeans don't fade - they are 25% polyester, that's why!

Topshop Jamie don't fade. Mine are three years old. But I do wash them at 20 degrees!

I think I had the same jeans as you! Watching with interest

Levi's mile high ones. I used to buy cheap ones but constantly buying new pairs due to fading or wearing thin in patches, but it was getting costly and also wasteful. So I just invested in one expensive pair and they're fab.

Dylon do a black refresh dye you can use in your washing machine.
Just re-dye them.

I second dying them. It’s such a shame to throw jeans away just because they’ve faded. I chuck a lot of black things in a black dye wash to refresh them every now and then and they all look brand new when they come out

If they are at least 95%cotton you can top up the black with washing machine dye.

(Oops!)

Just use Dylon in a wash every few months. Easy.

Dying wont fix the rips! I can never be bothered to separate washing so it all goes on a low temp.

I have an amazing pair from H&M which have never faded, probably a high synthetic blend, but the sizing is way off. If you're straight up and down they may be worth a try. Also washing things inside out tends to help a bit.

Totally agree with cointreau. The more synthetic, the better they hold dye. Washing has not much to do with it ime.

My M&S black skinny jeans have not faded. I always wash jeans inside out.

This sounds like a bit of a faff but it's not really, my washing machines last me years and so does my clothes except when I get too fat/ lose weight and I need to update the supply. I was a delivery van girl for a dry cleaning business one summer.

I have 2 pairs of black jeans atm, I wash them in a wash on their own, as another pp said cold water wash and gentle cycle, Wash inside out. I use my normal washing tablets but just one, I also brew up of very strong cup of black coffee (i keep a jar just for this as its literally the cheapest one), let it go cold and add it in the drawer for fabric conditioner. Unless an obvious stain on jeans I do this process roughly monthly and they get chucked in with other dark wash otherwise.

When their cycle is done, I do a maintenance wash to clean the machine (1 cup of each poured into the drawer of lemon juice, white vinegar and bleach) run it on the hottest wash and it comes out fine,

When it's done I clean out the seal in the door with hot soapy water and a small bit of window cleaner and take out the drawer and also wash in the hot soapy water and dry and replace, then I leave the door of the machine open for a couple of hours to air it,

M&S black jeans are amazing!! I used to spend £40 on top shop ones every time I needed a new pair as they are also great at not fading. But honestly, M&S ones are like a cheaper dupe of top shop ones, they are the best won't shop anywhere else for them now I think they are only 19.50

Thanks everyone.
My plan is to buy new ones from M&S and use special darks washing liquid.