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New Eco-Fashion Line Helps Endangered Species

by Organic Spa Magazine

What would the world be like without monarch butterflies, African elephants, hawksbill turtles and Amur leopards? These, along with countless other species, are endangered, and, unless we do something, could disappear forever.

Threads 4 Thought, a sustainable lifestyle brand for men and women, has just launched its Endangered Species Collection, a line of oversized scarves—which also double as shawls or sarong—that feature an animal (one of the above and more) on the threat of extinction.

The Endangered Species scarves each come with a hangtag that offers information about the animal’s threat level, habitat, where it is found in the wild and a short note on why each animal’s survival is important. A percentage of the sales will go to Tusk.org, a wildlife conservation nonprofit. I chatted with Eric Fleet, Founder of Threads 4 Thought, to learn more.

OSM: What inspired this beautiful collection?

EF: The need to shine a spotlight on some beautiful animals that are endangered of leaving us forever. We really wanted to honor and highlight these amazing creatures and draw attention to their beauty and the need that we have for these animals.

Are you an animal-lover, vegetarian, vegan?

I am certainly an animal-lover...though I am not a vegetarian or vegan.

On what basis did you choose these animals to spotlight?

We chose them based on need and what resonated with our design teams. All of the species that we highlight are endangered in a significant way, and this is a series that we plan to continue, so we decided to start with these but we intend to highlight many more specifies in future collections as well.

What is Tusk, and how did you find them?

Tusk is an organization that is dedicated to initiating and funding conservation, community development and environmental education across Africa. The organization operates over 50 field projects across 18 countries within Africa that protect wildlife and work to alleviate poverty through sustainable development and education in communities that live with the wildlife.

I was introduced to Tusk through a friend who worked at the International Rescue Committee, another charitable partner of ours. When we were looking for an organization to support that advocated for and protected wildlife, it was an obvious choice.

Tell us about Lenzing Modal, and why you like to work with that fabric?

We really like this fabric because of how soft it is. The hand feel of it is really amazing. It is also incredibly eco-friendly. It is a CO2 neutral fiber that comes from beech tree pulp. The trees are never cut down, instead they are trimmed so that they can grow back and rejuvenate. The chemicals that are used to process that turn the beech tree into a finished yarn are also reused and not admitted into the atmosphere which is unique for processed yarns like these.

Threads4Thought has a history of giving back. Tell us about a few highlights for you.

One of our major partnerships is with the International Rescue Committee. We support a program of theirs called the New Roots program which is a community gardens and farming programs for resettled refugees.

The program gives refugees access to land, particularly in urban areas, to grow indigenous healthy food, start agriculture based businesses and learn about the nutrition and the food system that we have here in the USA. We have been able to raise of 200K for the New Roots program over the past year, and have committed to another 500K over the next 5 years.

Any suggestions on best ways to wear/style these scarves?

They are really versatile, which I think is the best thing about them. They are just incredibly soft & they have a really elegant finish to them that allows you to style them casually with a T-shirt and shorts or dress them up with under a blazer or with a dress. You can wear them over your shoulders, tied around your neck, or even around your waist!

Are you planning to roll out more Endangered Species?

Yes, we certainly plan to expand on this collection, and we actually have a special partnership that will expand this initiative that I am not yet able to announce. But that partnership will really help to shine an even brighter spotlight on this important issue.

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