Could anti-viral jeans protect us from coronavirus?

We’re already protecting ourselves from coronavirus with masks, visors and hand sanitiser. Now it seems the latest must-have in our Covid-fighting arsenal is anti-viral clothing.

Italian brand Diesel has launched a new line of denim that promises virus protection for the lifetime of your jeans - no matter how often you wash them.

Developed in partnership with Swedish firm Polygiene, the denim is treated with an application called ViralOff in the final stages of production, which “works by interacting with key proteins, inhibiting the virus from attaching to textile fibres,” according to a press release.

Diesel and Polygiene - which has been working on anti-viral garment technology since the SARS epidemic in 2003 - claim that ViralOff can kill over 99 percent of viral activity within two hours of contact between pathogens and fabric.

"We have tested the active ingredient against Influenza A, BirdFlu, Norovirus and Corona (SARS) over the years, and in all cases, we have achieved 99% levels of reduction," Polygiene says. "It is a durable and always-on treatment. For best performance and sustainability, wash less and only when needed."

Diesel will be the only denim company in the world to benefit from the ViralOff treatment, confirms its CEO Massimo Piombini, who joined the company from Balmain in January. "We've been working with Polygiene for two months," he says. "Obviously, this has been accelerated by the Covid situation. We agreed on an exclusive arrangement a couple of weeks ago, so that would be the only denim company using the technology."

The jeans, which will be available to buy from next spring and won't be more expensive than a standard pair, will likely prove popular among those most anxious about the lingering threat of coronavirus and the risk of a second wave, though experts question whether the ViralOff jeans could really provide much protection.

“I'm not convinced,” says Dr Bharat Pankhania, Senior Clinical Lecturer at the University of Exeter Medical School, who would like to see more evidence of experiments and data supporting the technology's efficacy. “I find it incredible that there is something that can be applied to a fabric, which then retains virucidal properties for the lifetime of the fabric.”

Of course, if ViralOff is proven to be an effective treatment for textiles, its greatest potential will be in the manufacturing of PPE for medical professionals and other frontline workers. 

Whether its use on jeans will really be useful to the wearer is another matter, as Covid-19 germs are spread via droplets most commonly ingested via the nose and mouth. “On what basis do your legs need protection?” asks Dr Pankhania.

Diesel, which plans to give the ViralOff treatment to a greater range of its products throughout 2021 and beyond, says the new technology will also make its jeans more sustainable, too. “The treatment lasts for the lifetime of the garment," says Piombini. "So you do not need to wash the product as frequently, increasing its lifespan and reducing the amount of water and energy normally used to wash jeans."

For more news, analysis and advice from The Telegraph's fashion desk, click here to sign up to get our weekly newsletter, straight to your inbox every Friday. Follow our Instagram @Telegraphfashion