FADE AWAY
BLACK jeans from Next and H&M don't fade as quickly as £85 designer ones from Levi's, an investigation has found.
Five pairs of black jeans ranging from £7 Primark ones to £85 Levi's were washed 10 times to see how much they faded on Channel 5's Shop Smart Save Money.
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Next jeans costing £22 and H&M ones priced at £17.99 kept their colour better after washing than jeans three times their price, the show will claim tonight at 8pm.
The jeans were also put through a "rub fastness" test - where fabric is rubbed several times in lab conditions - to see how much colour they lost through wear.
H&M's £17.99 Skinny High Waist and Next's £22 Skinny Mid Rise jeans did better in both tests than Levi's £85 Skinny Mid Rise jeans, which lost 13 per cent of their colour after 10 washes.
Topshop's £40 Skinny Mid-Rise Ankle Grazer jeans lost the most colour through wear, and came fourth for colour lost in the wash, according to the investigation.
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Meanwhile Primark's £7 Skinny Mid Rise lost 40 per cent of their colour after 10 washes, and came fourth in the "rub fastness" test, the Channel 5 show claims.
A Primark spokesman said the durability of its jeans depends on a number of factors, including how customers care for their clothes.
Next came top in both tests, losing just 3 per cent of their colour after repeated washes.
Meanwhile H&M came second, with 8 per cent colour lost in the wash.
All of the jeans, which were washed under the same conditions, contained labels warning customers that colour may transfer.
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The tests took place under the supervision of expert Dr Richard Blackburn, of the School of Design at the University of Leeds.
Some retailers have changed the names of these jeans since the investigation was carried out by Shop Smart, Save Money earlier this year, but they are still available to buy.
A Primark spokesman said the chain does extensive tests on its clothes to make sure it meets its high quality standards, which includes tests for how a product looks after multiple washes.
They added: "We want our clothing to be a good fit for our customers, to wash and wear well, and be worn time and time again.
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"Through our rigorous testing process, we continually aim to improve the overall quality of our products for our customers and take on board customer feedback."
Topshop, Levi's and H&M declined to comment.
Next has been contacted for comment, but has not responded.
Shop Smart Save Money For Christmas airs on Channel 5 every Thursday at 8pm.
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It is presented by Gaby Roslin and Fiona Philips with Andy Webb giving financial advice and Alexis Conran reporting on big brands.
Meanwhile, best-selling slime toys contain dangerous levels of a chemical that could cause vomiting and diarrhoea, according to research.
And a previous Shop Smart, Save Money investigation found that Christmas gift sets aimed at men can cost up to double what shoppers would pay to buy the products separately.
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