Reco Jeans was recently interviewed by FAT Wardrobe about our signature line of upcycled denim. Fashion Blogger and FATW co-founder Nazya Ayaz talks with Mark James about the process of collecting production scraps to be made into new jeans made out of recycled denim. In the styling segment, Melissa Santos and Jeffrey Feliz-Ybes show how uncycled denim can be dressed up or down for any occasion, with other wardrobe provided by Cecilia Motwani and Norma Ishak.
Sustainable Fashion
Reco Jeans Named one of the “10 Hottest Sustainable Denim Companies for Men’s and Women’s Jeans”
Discovery’s TreeHugger.com is a great place for advice on how to live a little bit more eco-friendly existence without having to sacrifice modern comforts. This week they wrote an article about how even though organic cotton “isn’t the up-and-coming fabric for denim that it once seemed to be”, that there are still many stylish fashion choices for sustainable denim.
The article showcases 10 brands different techniques for making denim production more of a sustainable industry. It has only been a few short years since the terms sustainable and fashion seemed to be polar opposites. Sustainable fashion was “green” fashion, a realm of rough materials, bland earth tones and hemp fabric.. and blue jeans, a staple of everyone’s wardrobe, were among the most environmentally detrimental garments to produce.
From its beginnings, Reco Jeans has focused on making them one and the same. Our signature Upcycled denim jeans are as eco friendly as they are in fashion. They look good, they feel good, and it’s easy to feel good wearing them knowing that each step you take is a step toward making a whole industry more sustainable.
onearth.com: How Green Are Your Jeans?
onearth.com is a site that touts itself as “A Survival Guide for the Planet”, and they recently published an in depth article on how destructive denim production is for the environment.
The article breaks down how each stage is detrimental, from the water and pesticides used to grow the cotton, to the chemicals and energy required for production, to the dyeing and distressing techniques used to give jeans their distinctive look.
onearth also goes on to ask the question that a growing number of enviromental agencies are asking: is organic cotton is actually better for the environment.
If you were hoping to save the world by the seat of your pants, think again. Organic cotton jeans are a good first step, but few are processed in a planet-lite manner. The evolution of jeans from durable work wear to fashion statement came at a heavy cost: each new shade of blue, each stone wash and slick finish, requires yet another rinse cycle-and more energy and water.
onearth points out that organic cotton yields can be up to 50% lower than traditionally produced cotton, which makes it impossible to supply the worlds demand for cotton goods. Reco Jeans Upcycles manufacturing scraps to make the denim we use in our jeans. Over 60% of the cotton we use comes from pre-consumer fabric scraps, reducing the need for fresh cotton by 40%. That means each pair of jeans requires 800 gallons less fresh water to produce.
It also goes on to say how little things are often overlooked, like the production of zippers and rivets. Reco Jeans is proud to say that all the metal in our jeans is completely non-toxic and we dont use any chemicals or finishing agents.
onearth goes on to recommend that you check the maunfactures website for more information before you decide what jeans to buy, and we couldn’t agree more.
Check out the new Reco Jeans Website and current Collection.
Heineken’s upcycled bottle doubles as a building block
At Reco Jeans, we’re big on upcycling(if you’re asking, “whats upcycling?”, click here for our explanation of the difference between recycling and upcycling). We’re trying to make the fashion industry more environmentally responsible through our upcycled denim process. We can hardly claim credit for the idea of upcycling, and even though the term has become more widely used in recent months, it’s been around since the mid 90′s. The concept however goes even farther back than that.
Case in point: In the mid 60′s, premium beer brewer Alfred Heineken had Dutch architect John Habraken design a “brick that holds beer” after a trip to the Caribbean, where he saw an excess of trash on the beach and a deficiency in building supplies. Dubbed the “WOBO”, which was short for world bottle, it was designed with flat sides to be stackable with recessed bottoms so as to be interlocking.
100,000 bottles were produced, but the idea was unfortunately ahead of its time and never went into full production. A wall at the Heineken museum and one small shed are all that is known to currently exist, but with an exploding global population and limited amount of resources, this brilliant idea from the past will hopefully be revisited in the future.
For more, read the full article on inhabitat.com and check our their write up on Reco Jeans.
Puma to Create Compostable, Recyclable Shoes and Clothes
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You might have heard of Puma’s Clever Little Bag. It turns this innovative and sustainable packaging will be one of many eco-friendly projects from this clothing giant. The next step? Recyclable and even compostable shoes.
CEO Franz Koch announced that he is “confident that in the near future we will be able to bring the first shoes, T-shirts and bags, that are either compostable or recyclable, to the market.” He claims that he envisions Puma making products that can either be entirely recyclable or able to be shredded and disposed of in your own backyard.
Puma has made great strides in sustainability in the past. Their Clever Little Bag uses 65% less paper and thus allowed them to reduce their water, energy and diesel consumption by 60% in the past year.
Source: Guardian
Japanese Company Turns Old Bras into Sustainable Fuel
Japanese women feel uneasy throwing out their old bras because they fear that they will be stolen by those with less-than-pure intentions. Triumph International Ltd. is giving Japanese women the opportunity to not only dispose of their bras, but to turn them into pure and sustainable RPF fuel.
Refuse Paper and Plastic fuel (RPF for short) is derived from paper and plastic waste, and is slowly becoming an strong alternative to fossil fuels. It has a similar combustion power as coal, though it releases much less carbon dioxide. It also releases much less dioxin and other impurities into the water during the conversion process. Bras are also normally difficult to recycle because of their construction.
Triumph International provides women with plastic bags to discretely dispose for their bras at the company’s stores. Several other stores have begun to imitate Triumph and even began offering coupons as an incentive.
Beginning in 2009, Triumph has collected around 200,000 bras, all of which has been turned into 14 tons of RPF fuel. Triumph International Ltd. prides itself in relieving the anxieties of consumers in more ways than one.
Source: Japan Times
Ringo Star Designs Eco-Friendly Timberland Boots for Charity
Timberland is creating a limited line of boots endorsed by the ex-Beatle Ringo Starr. These 75 pairs of boots, dubbed Earthkeepers, will bear an autograph from Ringo himself and will only be available in his shoe size (8).
These boots are made of Bionic Canvas, which is a type of yarn created from cotton-wrapped strands of recycled plastic from soda bottles. This combination makes the textile much more water-resistant, durable and environmentally friendly.
An auction for these shoes will begin on December 1st, 2011 at 9pm EST on eBay. The proceeds of the auction will be going to WaterAid, a charity dedicated to providing clean water to the poorest countries.
Source: Timberland and WaterAid
Threadless Sells $300,000 Shirt for Charity
Would you pay $300,000 for a Threadless t-shirt? Artists Justin and Christine Gignac think somebody will. No, it isn’t woven from worsted vicuna and dusted with moon rocks. Buying this particular Threadless “Good Shirt” will fund UNICEF a supply drop for children living in the Horn of Africa.
The artists, UNICEF, and BBH NY are collaborating together to produce a line of tees, that when purchased, will fund relief efforts in Africa. A cute, cartoon representation of what your donation will be spent on will be printed on the t-shirt that you buy.
http://media.threadless.com//imgs/products/3287/636x460shirt_girls_01.jpg A shirt that will be spent on measles vaccines.
This “Cargo Drop” shirt is currently competing for the spot of “most expensive t-shirt” in the Guinness Book of World Records.
Watch their video here.
Need more fashionable, morally-gratifying clothes?
Scientists Create Self-Repairing Textile
A team of European scientists at SINTEF has made the first step towards self-repairing rain wear. They thought of weaving microcapsules filled with liquid polyurethane into raincoats that if scratched, will leak out the repairing glue that will mend the wear. This breakthrough was intended to meet the demanding work lives of professional fishermen but has plenty of other applications, such as extending the life of plastic anti-corrosive coating around metal structures.
Unfortunately at their current stage, the microcapsules could only repair cuts that are around a millimeter long. The team is currently attempting to expand their effectiveness by experimenting with different mixtures.
Only time will tell when we will be able to have this technology in our raincoats.
Source: Alpha Galileo
Clothing Hacks
We at Reco Jeans believe in an intersection between fashion and eco-friendliness in our daily lives. While we make room for the new, we believe in finding new uses for the old. Here are some tips that we have gathered for you.
5. Fashion a laptop bag out of a hoodie
This diagram shows you how to turn a hoodie into a make-shift laptop bag. This is good if you don’t have or want a dedicated sleeve or if you get caught in the rain with some precious technology.
Source: Conceptual Devices
4. Turn a Necktie into a Camera Strap
With an old tie, some ribbon, key chain rings, a few well-placed snips you can convert it into a fairly fashionable camera strap. This isn’t recommended for expensive cameras with heavier high-quality lenses.
Source: Ecoterre
3. De-pill Sweaters with a Disposable Razor
Some fabrics like cashmere have a tendency to let out little clumps. You can straighten them out by running a disposable razor over and away from the fabric.
Source: Lifehacker
2. Make Re-washable Swiffer Pads out of Men’s Socks
All you need is a pair of men’s calf-height tube socks and a scissor. With a couple of cuts, you’re free from buying the expensive, dedicated cleaning pads. Toss them in the wash when you’re done.
Source: Instructables
1. Sharpen old razor blades with a pair of jeans
If you shave, chances are you use disposable razors made by companies such as Gillette. Because a four pack of razor blades can easily be used up in a month, shaving regularly can cost us around $170 per year.
You can easily extend a single razor’s life tenfold by running the razor up and down the length of an old pair of jeans. Doing so would straighten out the deformations that occur from regular shaving.
Check out the video instructions here. Go buy a pair of Reco Jeans with the money saved.