Gluten Free Organic Vegan Selvedge Denim by Naked & Famous
Sometimes I often feel I’m stuck in the middle. I love the often-wasteful denim industry, but I also love sustainable, ethical apparel. Fortunately the gap between the two has been shrinking over the years, as denim brands are taking note to rising consumer demand due to increasing awareness and education. Brands such as Level 99, Levi’s, Parker Smith, and now Joe’s Jeans have made huge efforts in their use of eco-friendly fibers, cutting water waste or chemical use. Such an awesome thing to see happening within such an already-dynamic and innovative industry!
The Canadian brand Naked & Famous, well known for their super high quality raw selvedge denim, is next up to bat, with probably the most marketable earth-friendly claim yet: gluten free, organic, AND vegan. If that doesn’t catch your attention, I’m not sure what will. There are two jeans currently available, the Super Skinny Guy and Weird Guy (again, love their marketing), and both are made from 12oz Japanese Selvedge Denim dyed with natural indigo and unbleached cotton. Natural Indigo dye can be recycled and is extracted from the highly sustainable Indigofera plant. After the dye is extracted, the plant makes for a marvelous fertilizer and composts easily. The water used for extraction can be then reused for crop irrigation to produce more of these valuable plants! The vegan part might seem unimportant to us, but for many it’s everything…the back logo patch, usually made out of leather, is instead made from a heavy cardboard which mimics the feel and look of the real thing. Using natural dyes and cotton also has another aesthetic benefit, producing one of a kind variations in the fabric. Raw denim is so exciting in this manner, because every piece doesn’t only come with unique characteristics, but the rigid denim is made to break in with wear and give you a custom look based on your lifestyle and how you wear them!
Oh, yeah the gluten free part…and here’s the kicker…no flour was used in the production of these (or any) jeans. *wink* But that still means they are the entire package deal, right?!
Both jeans are available online at Tate + Yoko. Shop the Super Skinny Guy here, and the Weird Guy here.
See Naked & Famous’s news release here.