Illustration by Imogen Clarke
FASHION
Text Imogen Clarke
22nd April 2023
Investing in brands that focus on sustainability and eco-friendly alternative to approach denim, could help reinvent your wardrobe.Jeans are a key stable in everyone’s wardrobes, however it is damaging to the environment. With it taking 10,000 litres of water to make a new pair of jeans, whilst also using harmful chemicals in the dyeing and treatment of the denim.
London based brand E.L.V. Denim meaning East London Vintage Denim, uses a unique approach to their production of denim pieces. Founder and Creative Director Anna Foster wanted to create a brand that ‘brings their own style and personality which is the essence of our brand.’ Sourcing unwanted denim from landfills and vintage warehouses based in the UK, turning these into new pieces. E.L.V. Denim uses a distinctive way of making a pair of jeans, using 7 litres of water to transform preloved jeans, ensuring all jeans have the lowest carbon footprint possible. E.L.V Denim offer a bespoke service, to encourage consumers to buy better and buy less, to avoid over consumption. This process involves a made to measure and order service, turning your old jeans into a new pair designed to fit perfectly, made to be adapted to your body for years.
Original images E.L.V Denim
Swedish brand Nudie Jeans has the vision of becoming the most sustainable denim brand, every pair of jeans bought started out as a dry pair of jeans. Offering a holistic approach to the branding and designing which places the consumer at the centre of the brand. Nudie Jeans is conscious of the high quality of the jeans, having a unique passion for dry denim which started the innovative approach the brands take through believing in the worth or reusing and repair of denim. Taking as much care in the production of the denim as they do once the product is sold by suggesting the jeans should not be washed for the first 6 months of wearing. The brand offers a reuse service giving their customers 20% off their next pair of jeans when handing in an old pair, selling 3984 pairs of Reuse jeans in 2022. Nudie Jeans has the goal of opening 50 repair spots globally by 2030, in the hopes of spreading the eco-cycle message, whilst educating consumers to encourage them to adopt more circular behaviours.
Original image Nudie Jeans
Original image Nudie Jeans
Original image Nudie Jeans
Reformation an LA based originally sold vintage clothing but expanded the brand to focus on production of their own clothing line and sustainability. With the brand unveiling its ‘circular denim’ in the efforts of designing denim to last longer through ‘making new re out of old ref.’ The brand is passionate on the traceability can clean chemistry of the denim, ensuring they reduce the environmental impact of the products. Giving consumers an insight into the denim’s whole life through FibreTrace®scanning the fibre at every stage of production building a lifetime tracking history. Reformation has the goal of sourcing 100% of all fabrics from recycled and renewable materials by 2025. Whilst also putting out a limited-edition collection weekly, producing small quantities, to reduce waste and giving the brand a sense of exclusivity.
