Jeans are my go-to outfit. But unfortunately cotton is one of the ‘thirstiest’ crops out there. It takes about 20,000 liters of water to make one kilo of cotton or a pair of jeans as per the World Wildlife Fund. Up until now it was a challenge to find organic cotton jeans that fit me well. To my own surprise I discovered the perfect fit in Eileen Fisher’s Organic Skinny Jeans. The Soft Stretch Organic Denims are made of 84% Organic Cotton and 2% Spandex. This makes them extremely comfortable with a youthful and modern silhouette. They come in black or indigo and the finished fabric meets Oeko-Tex Standard 100.
Eileen Fisher’s 2012 fall catalogue (printed on FSC certified recycled fiber of course) features an interview with their fabric designer about the supply chain of the green jeans. The indigo jeans are yarn dyed, cut and sewn in New York City, then washed in New Jersey using biodegradable enzymes. Whereas the garment-dyed colored jeans are made in Portugal. The company’s plan is to bring the entire jeans production to the United States. In terms of finish no sandblasting is used which involves silica sand and is blasted under high pressure. This creates dust and affects worker’s health. Instead a lived-in look is achieved through light hand sanding.
The day of my visit Eileen Fisher had a special fall promotion where $25 came off my purchase and 10% were donated to Brooklyn based Red Hook Initiative. The community center explores body image, conflict resolution and empowerment in young girls to support leadership in women. To close the loop Eileen Fisher has a recycling program in place under the name Green Eileen. Customers can return their used clothes to the company where they are cleaned and resold. Again, all the proceeds go to a cause that supports women and girls. Used clothes are kept out of landfills and make a difference in somebody’s life. Pretty eco-smart.