Does the smell of new latex ever actually go away?

My first proper piece arrived last week and I was not prepared for the smell. It is not unpleasant exactly, it is just very present, and it has filled the drawer I put it in.

I have read people describing it fondly, which I am hoping is something that develops rather than something you either have or you do not. Right now my flatmate has asked twice what that smell is.

Does it fade with wear and washing, or is this simply what the material is like forever? And is there anything sensible you can do to speed it up, or does washing it repeatedly just wear the piece out for nothing?