Actually, I do SOAK my fabrics now - in hot water - for a couple of hours now - I had one piece recently that turned the water blood red (it had red in the print, but red was not the dominant color) the moment it got wet!
I think it is the agitation of being washed in the washer and drying in a dryer that makes fabric look 'used/worn' as much as being subjected to hot water and soaking.