IMHO it does. By brushing away any dust particles, food scraps and other debris, you are removing elements that could grind against and eventually abrade the cloth fibers. Any garment worn when infused with yesterday's dirt and grime is destined to meet an untimely end!

 

I cannot give you a quantitative comparison as I've always used a brush, however, my habit is to brush before and after wear.

I do this will other wool/cashmere garments as well.

 

Dust/dirt working its way into to fabric causes excessive wear (according to what I've read here) and brushing helps get rid of surface dirt before it works its way into the fabric and thus prolongs the life of the garment.

I've never done a comparison test to find out. That said, I've always brushed my wool garments before and after wearing them. They look better to my eye without dust and dirt.

 

It makes no sense that brushing prolongs the life of a suit. My suit jackets have worn out by rubbing at the elbows and the suit trousers at the seat. Unless you work in a sandpaper factory where significant quantities of abrasive particles have permeated into the cloth, it's difficult to imagine how odd bits of lint that would otherwise have been brushed away would have any significant effect on abrasion. In fact, if anything, the abrasion caused by regular brushing would far outweigh the abrasion caused by the non-removal of odd lint particles. However, raising the nap to reduce shine once abrasion has taken place is the only thing that can be done at that stage whether by using a brush or other abrasive surface.

In the same way I would also expect that regular shoe leather conditioning using the finest creams and wax polishes won't make the blindest difference to the lifetime of the leather before it cracks. Conditioning of leather can only affect the very top surface of the leather which is a tiny proportion of it's depth. Quality leather is your best defence against cracking not quality care or quality polishes.

 

^^
Just use a Kent Brush and you will be OK! :thumbs-up:

 

Whether or not brushing extends the 'life' of a garment matters not one jot to me. Conversely, that brushing contributes toward an acceptable appearance makes the minor chore a worthwhile task.

 

I am contemplating initiating a 10-year double blind study, but until it's complete, I will content myself with it just keeping them looking better!

 

Wear patterns are wear patterns and I don't believe the suggestion has been made that brushing will prevent or deter these.

As for debridement and keeping the fabric from flattening, one must ask how brushing does NOT contribute to the health of the fabric.

 

FWIW, you'd be surprised at the number of biological riders clothing picks up; a good brushing helps prevent holes.

DH

 

Can anyone recommend a good brush? This is new to me and I'm intrigued. I started to watch a video from Gentleman's Gazette but the dude's hair compelled me to move on.

 

I bought this one from Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/Home-Super-C...e/dp/B00QQW1TEC/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1496888178&sr=8-4&keywords=clothes+brush

 

Can anyone recommend a good brush? This is new to me and I'm intrigued. I started to watch a video from Gentleman's Gazette but the dude's hair compelled me to move on.

I will second Eagle on this. Use a Kent brush. I am very pleased with mine and they are considered among the best (if not the best).

 

I use this on both tweed and cashmere, and everything in between -

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Kent-CP6-Hand-crafted-Mahogany-Clothes-Brush/146349500