Eco friendly yet snazzy all in one denim

You will hardly find anyone's cupboard without a piece of denim in it. Denim is basically a style that never outdates. Every year as many as 450 million pairs of Denim(Jeans) are sold. Before you think that 450 million is way too many for a pair of blue jeans, then it must be noted that the aforementioned number is for the United States of America alone! Denim is everyone's best friend, it understands you and matches up with your mood. It is an item of quick and lazy clothing, where you don't have to think a lot to find a match. You can wear a basic shirt with it, and you are good to go to the office, put a casual blouse on it, and are ready for that casual outing with your friend.

You would also agree that even with that versatility of denim, it is a mind juggling game to find that right piece of clothing that just fits your size. We all have seen even with slightly wrong measurements, things could go disastrously bad. The wrong size obviously looks weird, but it is even more irritating how wrong sizes make us feel and puts in an uncomfortable situation. We all have ridden that bus.

But what if I tell you that you no more have to go through that horrendous experience. What if you can actually make denim to dance to your body rhythm.

We feel happy that we can do that for you, with our new collection, "Eco-Free Denim'. This is our effort to make denim comfortable on your skin again. And the brownie point is that we have made this fabric in a way that doesn't harm our nature and is convenient for our motherland. Do you want to know how? But, before we get there, here is a small throwback to 1873 when denim was first introduced to the fashion community and how are they originally produced.

Origin of Denim

Although the history of denim may seem inconspicuous to many, for Fashionistas- it is a perpetual debate that always concludes with many contradictions. However, all agree to the fact that the origin of denim is tied to the fashion capital of the world, France.

At its infancy, the fabric was called "serge de Nimes". Despite the introduction in the early 1870s, the fabric didn't take off until the time of Gold Rush when two of the familiar faces in the fashion industry used denim fabric to stitch robust and durable pants for gold miners. The two, Levi Strauss, and Jacob David would then go on to catapult this fabric into mainstream stardom.

Rise of Denim

Even though the duo was successful enough to penetrate the fabric into the market, denim was yet to attract people(other than miners). In the late 1930s, with the upsurge in Hollywood cowboy movies, movie fanatics began mimicking their favourite cowboys by wearing their denim attire. To add to this demand, shortly after World War 2, denim became clothing preferred by American Soldiers when they were on leave.

By that time, companies like Lee and Wrangler had started their operations. Fast forward to 1953, the Marlon Brando classic "The Wild One", made denim a "cult" - a symbol of rebellion. This indirectly resulted in an increase in demand and hence the sales. Finally, the shift from counterculture to fashion took place in the 1960s when companies started experimenting with the fabric to make different styles of Jeans.

But how is denim made?

You will be intrigued to know that it is made through the process of weaving and is obtained as a type of cotton twill textile. Ideally, the fabric is made by passing the weft under two or more warp threads. For starters, warp and weft are the two of the basic components for turning the thread into fabric. The warp thread is dyed and the weft thread is kept white. That is why one side of the denim is coloured(warp threads) while the other is white(weft).

Traditionally, denim was made of pure cotton and the choice of colour was limited to blue because of the use of Organic Indigo Dye. However, due to the textile industry's unprecedented advancements, now the fabric is usually made of cotton-polyester blend, and there is a limitless choice for colours!

How denim is becoming a forfeit? - A potential threat to the environment

With a boon comes a bane. The foretold advancements in the manufacturing processes have wreaked havoc on our mother nature.

Let us start from the very beginning of the manufacturing process, the cultivation. If you don't know, cotton is a very thirsty crop. According to the World Wildlife Fund or WWF, one kilo of cotton requires 20,000 litres of water. Just so you know, one kilo of cotton can only produce one T-shirt and one pair of jeans.

For the manufacturing of denim, there's a requirement of another 15 litres. While companies should be limiting water consumption, many greedy manufacturers cultivate surplus cotton and blend them with synthetic fibres. In addition to that, Thermal pollution and harmful chemical effluent discharge to water bodies are persistent.

For instance, the denim capital of the world, Xintang in China, produces one in every three pairs of jeans sold in the world. At the same time, they also produce a massive chemical pollutant discharge into water bodies - creating an oversize impact on the environment. During the treatment process, the effluents originate wherein the denim is washed repeatedly with bleach for softening and texturing. The impact is observed by the people living near Xintang. Many have reported rashes, lesions, and even infertility: the cause - consumption of the chemically contaminated water.

How we at Fabriclore make It?

To not have a situation like in Xintang in our Motherland, we strive to manufacture denim more sustainably. Realising the environmental impacts of denim, we follow an eco-friendly manufacturing practice. Some of the highlights of our practice include:

1. 100% Recycled Water

Like said before, average denim would need 15 litres of water altogether. To limit the water expenditure, our state of the art manufacturing facility will use 100% recycled water. This will not only reduce water consumption but will also make sure the extent of chemical effluents discharged is close to zero.

2. Zero Thermal Power

You should know that in India, some of the key players in denim clothing rely on thermal power stations for manufacturing the fabric. But, at Fabriclore, we use renewable energy to ensure zero reliance on thermal power.

3. Zero Effluent Discharge

100% of recycled water ensures a Zero effluent discharge. Therefore, the surrounding water bodies are safe from thermal pollution. We care for the aquatic life and hence the mitigation of thermal pollution will keep the dissolved oxygen of the surrounding water body intact.

4. Low Indigo Consumption

We are following the method used by indigenous weavers - by reducing the indigo consumption. Synthetic Indigo is often bound using a chemical reagent called mordant. This reagent is made up of heavy metals and hence the higher concentrations of toxic impurities. When washed away from the surface, the poisonous contaminants can pollute water or soil. Limited Indigo Consumption will reduce, or at times eradicate this issue altogether!

5. Renewable Energy

The energy for our fabric is fueled by renewable sources(around 95% of total energy). This is a definitive statement from our side to encourage other key players in the textile industry to use green energy. A statement that clarifies that thermal power is not the only way for manufacturing the fabric!

6. A sustainable blend of cotton

Our fabric is a unique blend of Cotton, Tencel, and EcoVero. It is proven that the Tencel-cotton blend is biodegradable and sustainable. Unlike Cotton, Tencel only requires limited water.

In addition to Tencel, the inclusion of EcoVero will avoid the irreversible damage caused to the environment during the manufacturing of rayon. While this "tri-blend" adheres to our eco-friendly motto, it also gives our fabric a wrinkle-free and lustrous feel.