You need to add 1/2 cup of vinegar to the bucket of water and soak it. I do this with my jeans before the first wash so they stay dark.

Actually you can stabilize the color. If a dye runs, soak the garment for an hour in 1/2 gallon of water to which you've added 1/2 cup vinegar and 1/2 cup salt. If rinse water shows color, repeat. This is good for a single-colored fabric or madras. If the item is multicolored, dry-clean it. (American-made fabrics are unlikely to run, but fabrics from abroad are sometimes risky.)

"Actually you can stabilize the color. If a dye runs, soak the garment for an hour in 1/2 gallon of water to which you've added 1/2 cup vinegar and 1/2 cup salt. If rinse water shows color, repeat."

Does this also apply to items that explicitly state that the dye is "designed" to fade/bleed? It seems that some casual shirts of mine had that tag.

Yet here I read fading isn't desirable while faded shirts & pants are desirable & fashionable?!