Local retailers make sustainability fashionable

In an industry notorious for producing mass amounts of waste, using cheap labor in third-world countries, and generating a hefty pollution footprint, the past five years have seen fashion design take a mindful and creative eco-conscious leap. Inspired designers and individuals alike aren’t just thinking fashion forward these days but are looking at the process that a new shirt or pair of jeans goes through on its way to the sales rack. Some manufacturers, in rethinking waste, have taken creating waste-recycled fashion or “trashion” (trash+fashion), giving used things second chances. At Coco Boutique in the Spokane Valley Mall, new owner Janelle Skaw carries a line of jeans called Reuse Jeans, made from 80 percent recycled denim that she says have made some of her customers extra loyal. “They really love the line not only because it’s a reused item, but because the jeans are a great fit and they’re affordable,” she said. Angie Dierdorff, purchasing manager for Sun People Dry Goods in Spokane , says 98 percent of customers are thrilled when they see products like the Old Man’s Pants’ Hats—hats made from used men’s pants. “About 2 percent of the people have this mental block to wearing something someone else has worn but most love the idea that something old and out-of-style is now something new, fresh, hip and fun.” Sun People also carries recycled skeins of yarn, which a local woman “unknits” from old sweaters given to her by family and friends or that she has purchased from thrift stores. The yarn looks anything but old. “She is very selective…the yarn is mostly wool, some silk, it’s beautiful,” says Dierdorff. The store has an ‘eco-baby’ section that carries organic clothing from Under the Nile and Madrone Regenerated Clothing—unique, cute, comfortable women’s and kids’ wear made from Goodwill castoffs which can’t be sold due to stains, wear, etc. Jenny Allen, the owner/designer of the Port Townsend-based clothing line, says she feels her work is in the spirit of her grandmother. “A hundred years ago, nothing got thrown away. Everything was repurposed,” said Allen, in an article on ptleader.com. On her website, Allen talks about the added environmental benefits of repurposing used items, saying that buying organic cotton is a step in the right direction, but asks her customers if they’ve considered the impact that even their organic t-shirt has had on the world—water used, plastic packaging used for secure shipping, fossil fuels expended to haul the product, etc. On the other side of the issue is an industry that has increasingly demanded man-made fibers as well, especially polyester, nearly doubling production in the last 15 years, according to the publication, Technical Textile Markets. The energy-intensive process of manufacturing polyester and other synthetic fabrics requires large amounts of crude oil and releases emissions including volatile organic compounds, particulate matter, and acid gases like hydrogen chloride. This is why the EPA, under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, considers many textile manufacturing facilities to be hazardous waste generators. What’s someone who’s eco-conscious and wants to look stylish to do? “We do the best we can with what we are given – and that is the biggest problem. The only way to change what we are given is to demand (with dollars) what we want,” said Allen. Even though up-scale vintage store owners Grace and Ryan Johnson didn’t necessarily think about the positive environmental aspect when they opened Fringe and Fray in downtown Spokane a year ago, the store has created a loyal following due in part to customers appreciating that their purchase will be a recycled item. “I love finding great items that still have a lot of life in them. Although my intention in opening the store wasn’t an outright environmental stance, it’s definitely a benefit,” says Grace. Another eco-benefit of Johnson’s store is that it provides an added boost to the local economy, as the majority of her purchases are local—from other vintage stores, garage sales or customers wanting to sell gently used clothing and accessories. She also sells a line of locally-made Eco Chic Jewelry, home décor and furniture, and headbands made from old scarves, by Grace herself. With more than 10 of these types of boutique-style, gently-used clothing and accessories stores scattered throughout Spokane and Coeur d’Alene, the notion of buying “resale” rather than “retail” has certainly taken on a new life. Once Upon a Child, the nation’s largest children’s resale franchise, opened shop in Spokane Valley in January 2007, and has been keeping busy since. In the slower months, they’ll process approximately 26-30 different “buys” daily—that is, parents selling gently-used children’s items to the store. During busy months, that number shoots to 60 or more. “Historically, stores like ours tend to do better during rough economic times…I think the majority of the customers come in for the good buys, but there is definitely a prominent group who see it as a resource to be a little more green in their purchasing,” said Amy Prado, store manager. “There’s definitely the feel-good factor, which is a bonus with this type of store.”