It’s no secret the denim industry is extremely resource intensive.

We’ve learned just how intensive in recent years, thanks to research by eco journalists and, notably, an article in WWD by Ross Tucker in which Levi Strauss & Co. publicly “shared results of its life cycle assessment on what went into making one pair of its iconic Levi’s 501 style.”

Levi’s being to jeans what Kleenex is to tissue, people were listening.

According to Tucker, Levi’s found that making one pair of 501’s requires almost 920 gallons of water and 400 megajoules of energy while expelling 32 kilograms of carbon dioxide.

“Levi’s said this was equivalent to running a garden hose for 106 minutes, driving 78 miles and powering a computer for 556 hours,” writes Tucker.

Ouch.

If you consider denim one of your wardrobe staples (and who doesn’t?) best to think sustainably designed. To help, we’ve put together a denim guide with plenty of suggestions from the fabulous Jaime Palmucci of Denim Debutante.

Here are 17 good eco bets for denim:

Loomstate: Probably the most well-known of the “green” denim lines, Loomstate is known for their basic cuts and mid-weight organic cotton denim. Like Edun, Loomstate has temporarily put their denim line on hiatus based on fit issues, but there are still pairs online waiting to be bought.

REUSE: A new brand out of the U.S., REUSE creates their jeans with 80% recycled denim. Standard styles for women (men’s jeans are reportedly on the way) and a wallet-friendly retail price of $75-95.

James Jeans: Eco-friendly washes for a dry aged denim look. Note: while this line doesn’t use organic cotton, James Jeans creator Seun Lim uses organic compounds and sun bleaching to create the washes of her jeans.

Serfontaine: Eco-friendly washes and abrasions. Like James Jeans, Serfontaine doesn’t use organic cotton. For their washes, they substitute organic fruit enzymes for chemical dyes and irritants.

reco jeans: Like REUSE, reco uses Recycled Denim in their process. They go so far as to create seeded, plantable tags on their products to eliminate unneeded waste. (Factoid: Alanis Morrisette and Woody Harrelson created the line.)

Levi’s Eco: Organic cotton, recycled rivets and buttons. Styles made with 100% organic cotton include the Red Tab Vintage Straight Jean for men, the women’s Skinny Jean and Skinny Knee Knocker Short. Other elements of the Levi’s® Capital Eâ„¢ lines include the use of recycled buttons, rivets and zippers and natural indigo to dye some styles ensuring minimized impact on the environment. Price range starts at $69.

Nudie Jeans: The Swedish brand known for their Selvedge also has some 100% organic pairs. They follow organic production procedures and use products like potato starch and pre-reduced indigo in lieu of chemicals.

7 For All Mankind: The eponymous brand and forefather of premium denim, 7 For All Mankind does carry some 100% organic pairs.

Rogan Denim: Products are Fair-Trade approved and sweat-shop free. Rogan (the namesake line of Loomstate’s Rogan Gregory) has teamed with Bono to ensure their products are sweat-shop free and fair trade. They also promote minimal washing and no machine washing.

Good Society: The Good Society “is a movement,” according to the website. “A belief that in all things we must love, will and do good. A forward thinking community blending the fashion conscious with the socially conscious.” Being organic fairly traded denim that is fully sustainable surely helps. Another denim line taking a hiatus until current inventory moves. Go forth and buy!

Joe’s Organic: Though the brand only offers a small selection, it does have an organic denim line consisting of some of their best sellers like the Provocateur, Stardust, Muse and Socialite.

Edun: Launched in Spring 2005 by Ali Hewson and U2’s Bono, the company’s mission is to help develop countries in Africa as viable sources of production for fashion by “investing in the development of a community-based value chain, beginning with organic cotton.”  Their denim line is temporarily on hold because of fit issues – stay tuned.

Linda Loudermilk: Linda Loudermilk trademarked the term “Luxury Eco” and researches products that are sustainable by meeting with and learning from scientists, and seeking out companies that create fibers without pesticides or other toxic processes. Her denim line has been made from lyocell and bamboo blends.

Kuyichi: Made from a hemp and organic cotton tencel blend with natural dyes. You’ll love this company! A European label slowly moving into the U.S.

Howie’s: Featuring organic cotton washed with an “eco-ball” for extra softness, this European denim line has been around since 1995 and is about to have a Renaissance, I’m predicting, thanks to some better-known American denim lines taking a break.

J Brand: J Brand’s Green label is coming out soon, we’re told. Made with 100% organic cotton and vegetable dyes, J Brand is widely recognized as a go-to eco denim line. Let’s hope they shrink the fit to something less than what a 6’8″ woman would wear. Normal gals, J, normal gals.

Denim Design Lab: This company transforms salvaged denim woven on vintage shuttle looms to create a “Modern Vintage” look. Sold through “only the most premium denim based retailers globally.” Well, you can’t win ’em all.

To get your daily denim fill, be sure to follow Jaime on Twitter @denimdebutante.

Image: littledan77

The post Sustainable Denim Round Up: 17 Brands We Love appeared first on EcoSalon.

WWD Market Editor Ross Tucker, whose expertise on denim, textiles and trade is considered biblical, has seen into the future.

What does it look like? Acid washed.

While some of you are contemplating jumping off a bridge rather than entertaining being seen in a pair, realize that as trends return, there’s always a new spin to them.

For instance, you’ll be wearing solid, dark colored shirts with the acid washed jeans (rather than neon) and a more subdued hair style than the big, crispy perm you once had.

But for expert advice and information on the trend, I turn this over to Ross.

All trends are cyclical, but in the case of acid-washed jeans, a trend of the ’80s, how are we going to give it a fresh spin?

While fashions do come around time and again, the technology and techniques used to create those looks is always moving forward. In the case of acid wash jeans it appears the wash houses achieving the looks have a much greater degree of control when it comes to removing color. From what I’ve seen it looks like they’re able to strip out less color, giving the jeans a sharper contrast between light areas and colored areas.

Should somebody get a whole bunch of acid-washed denim or just get a single pair to compliment their jean wardrobe?

I’m not really a fashion expert, but I don’t think women will be rushing out to replace all their dark jeans for acid-washed styles. Especially today, women like to have a number of different styles in their closet. They might have a boot cut for everyday wear, a trouser style when they want to dress up and a dark skinny pair for going out. Acid washes will probably be fashion pieces. Each brand will have one or two just so they can say they have it in their collection, but I’m guessing women may buy one or two pairs at most.

Women who research the process of getting a pair of acid-washed jeans might be a little horrified by the process. What’s a greener way to wear the trend? (Get old ones at consignment boutiques? eBay? Bash the crap out of them with rocks?)

I’m afraid I don’t know of a greener way to get the look. I mean, acid, it’s right there in the name of the trend. The link below suggests
hydrogen peroxide may work, but I don’t have any firsthand experience with how well, or if, it works:

http://greencottonblog.com/tag/bleach/

Some brands use ozone to achieve a faded look, so people could seek out brands that use this process rather than acid washing. That takes some research.

Acid-washing adds another step in a denim process that is already very water, chemical and energy-intensive. It’s an incremental increase in that process, so it’s not the worst thing in the world. And I do have to say that chemical companies that supply the industry are introducing more lower-impact products.

Many denim lovers do like to do their own styling and they’ll encourage you to use almost anything to get the look you want. Rocks, sandpaper, bleach, peroxide, tea to make stains, paint, grease and on and on. You could make a project out of doing your own styling using natural or lower-impact chemicals and methods.

Go buy a pair of raw or dark jeans and soak them in some warm water. If you wring them out a couple of times you’ll take out some of the color, which will definitely dye your hands as well. After they dry, hit ’em with the sandpaper and try the peroxide in spots or any other lower-impact bleaching agent you may have. It’s definitely a trial and error approach and you may want to start with a cheap pair before you dive in on your favorite jeans. Achieving a full acid-wash effect maybe pretty difficult this way, but it may be possible.

Even though we’re passing through a recession, denim sales are up. What makes denim so resilient in this economy?

People really see a lot of value in denim and it makes a lot of sense. Jeans have probably one of the longest shelf-lives of any apparel item. They last for years and over time, they sort of meld themselves to the person wearing them. Those creases, faded areas, a small hole on your back pocket – those things are like a fingerprint reflecting a little bit about you; it wouldn’t look the same on anyone else.

When the economy starting going south people looked for places to cut back. They determined they didn’t need those shoes or that perfume, but they had no problem justifying buying jeans even if they cost more than $200. And many lower-priced brands are able to achieve a great look these days, so people shopping at all price levels have a lot of options. There are a lot more choices than just Lee, Wrangler and Levi’s these days. It’s also a lot more acceptable to wear jeans in a range of social settings and situations these days.

It is interesting to me that jean sales have risen along with sales of so-called fast fashion from places like H&M, Forever 21 and Topshop. Those items don’t last as long and aren’t meant to, but people still buy. Obviously people expect their jeans to last a long time, so why can’t we convince them that a t-shirt should hold up at least a little better than it does?

What are some other potential denim trends you’ve seen at shows? Anything fresh and new?

Overall, jeans are going back to being more faded and washed out. You’ll hear it described as the vintage look. It will be the dominating trend this fall and the major brands and retailers will be betting big on denim. They’ve already started.

The post WWD Denim Expert Gives Advice on Acid appeared first on EcoSalon.