The Wear on Tierra

Del Forte Denim will be available starting in August at select boutiques across the country, and of course our online retailers can ship anywhere. You can find a list of store locations and online retailers at delforte.com. I think you'll love our fit, it's the one thing I hear over and over when women try on Del Forte jeans -- that and how soft the denim is. I encourage everyone to tell their favorite boutiques about Del Forte Denim. It's important that retailers understand how great the demand for eco-friendly fashion is.

I applaud your desire to buy eco-friendly products, and I understand your concern regarding cost. Part of the reason why eco-friendly products are more expensive is because they reflect the true cost of production. Much of the cost of producing cotton using nonorganic methods is externalized, meaning that taxpayers end up footing the bill for environmental cleanup. As the eco-fashion market grows, more brands will enter the market at all price points, and I hope all women will be able to find clothing they love at a comfortable price.

This is an important issue. I've decided to pick my battles, living with the fact that most North Americans are heavy consumers, and trying to channel dollars -- that will inevitably be spent on something -- toward a positive investment in society. I believe that the key to having a healthy planet as well as a healthy economy is to create environmentally friendly products that contribute to keeping our planet healthy. I try to reduce my footprint by buying goods that are sustainably produced, rather than buying fewer goods. There are eco-friendly options for most consumer goods, from food and beauty products, to office supplies and electronics, to cars and homes -- the challenge is finding them. I read labels, I do the research, and I feel good about the purchases I make.

For spring 2007, I am experimenting with a gorgeous hemp and recycle-poly blend. Of course, I love that this fabric is sustainable, but I'm also using it because it is soft and rich-looking and has the perfect amount of drape for our new high-waisted trousers. I'm pleased to see hemp fabrics with the quality and look that will appeal to our high-fashion customers.

There is no evidence at this point that the chemicals used in nonorganic cotton farming affect the wearer, but it most definitely affects the farmers who work on the fields and the surrounding communities. There are approximately 20,000 deaths a year due to pesticide poisoning, with many more people becoming ill and debilitated. These dangerous chemicals don't stop at the farm; they can leach into the ground and waterways, contaminating our own drinking water. At Del Forte, we have partnered with the Sustainable Cotton Project, which provides farmers with information on sustainable growing techniques and supports those farmers who wish to make/have already made the switch to organic. A portion of our proceeds goes toward the SCP.

Thanks for your well wishes. Del Forte Denim is currently designed for the young customer demographic, but I know that the desire for eco-fashion extends across age boundaries. We are offering an assortment of rises for spring 2007. Higher rises are making a comeback, and many fashionable young women are wearing mid- and high-rise jeans now. Our Eugenia Retro fit is a slim-leg jean with a mid-rise and our Ivy High-Rise has a super skinny leg and sits at the true waist.

I'm really proud of the soft, comfortable feel of Del Forte denim. Our denim is made from premium quality, long-staple fibers, and we take care during the washing process to enhance the feel of the denim. In addition, our jeans are cut with curved seams that mimic the curves of a woman's body, resulting in a perfectly flattering fit. I notice you are writing from New York City; you can drop by Gomi NYC or The Denim Hub and feel the fabric for yourself. I bet you'll be pleasantly surprised!

I think it's great! When a company the size of Levi's converts even a small percentage of their business to organic cotton, they can make an appreciable difference in the organic cotton market. It's also encouraging because it means the mainstream economy is recognizing the demand for organic-cotton products. How incredibly rewarding to see a global market leader follow in my footsteps -- I hope to see more and more companies introducing organic and/or sustainable products in the near future.

The cotton used in our denim is grown in California and Texas. The California cotton is certified by Quality Assurance International, and the Texas cotton is certified by the Texas Department of Agriculture.

Know your customer, and know what is important to him/her. For too long, eco-conscious customers have been lumped together into one stereotype. I think it's really important for those of us in the eco-fashion industry to recognize the huge range of people who want to buy sustainably produced fashion. If you can identify your target customer and his/her priorities, you can more effectively communicate the value of your products to him/her.

I try to use the finishing processes with the least environmental impact. For example, Del Forte jeans are hand-sanded rather than sandblasted. It is more expensive, but it releases less particulate matter into the air -- and it also looks more natural. For holiday 2006, I introduced the low-impact Cielo wash, created using chemicals no harsher than laundry detergent. Having said that, the denim finishing process as a whole is far from environmentally friendly. One of the goals of Del Forte Denim is to research and develop eco-friendly finishing methods.

I'm always interested in the newest fashion trends, but for inspiration, I look outside of the mainstream fashion world to art, nature, costumes, and women I see on the street.

In California, you have to have a manufacturer's license in order to operate an apparel company. In order to get the license, you have to take a test about legal working conditions, pay rates, benefits, etc. Having this body of knowledge was really helpful when I was deciding where to do my production, because I knew how to spot the signs of a sweatshop. The licensers also gave me some great tips, like showing up unexpectedly at the factory so that you can see how it operates when they think no one is watching. I work very closely with the factory I use and spend a lot of time there. I feel good about the production choices I've made, because I get to see how they operate firsthand. I think it's really important to have a presence in the factory. "I didn't know" is not an acceptable excuse.

Many of the companies from which I buy supplies -- such as Tulip Graphics and sustainablewebsite.com -- do carbon offsetting. At this stage of our new company, Del Forte isn't partnered with a carbon-offset program, but it's something we're definitely interested in. As a small company we have limited resources, and we have chosen keep our focus on the farmers by partnering with the Sustainable Cotton Project because their goals match our own so well.

Our hangtags clearly state our environmental values and the important fact that Del Forte uses only organic cotton. We've gone the extra mile to make sure we lead with this message in all of our marketing, right down to the first moment when the customer touches our jeans on the rack in the store.

I went to the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in San Francisco. It's rewarding to know that more and more design schools are including or considering sustainability as they develop their curricula. For example, Lynda Grose, a professor of fashion design and a consultant on ecological product development teaches a sustainable fiber course at California College of the Arts.

We just received our first orders from the U.K., which will ship in September. We are working to expand our overseas business and hope to be available in Australia soon. I know that our online retailer ships overseas.

I too love making old clothes new again; that's what Project Rejeaneration is all about. Fashionistas who are constantly in pursuit of the latest styles are invited to send last season's Del Forte jeans back to the company. In return, they will receive a discount on their next purchase of new or Rejeaneration Denim, or they may donate the equivalent amount to the Del Forte Denim Outreach Program. Project Rejeaneration is a chance for women to feel twice as good about a premium denim purchase.

I'm glad you asked that question. I will definitely consider sourcing fabric from overseas sources. The U.S. organic cotton market is very small, and as we grow (and as the eco-fashion industry grows), we will not be able to source enough fabric here -- it's already tough! What is most important to me is that everyone involved in the production process is treated fairly and paid a living wage, and, of course, that the denim looks and feels fantastic. I do not think it will be a challenge for us to market non-U.S. cotton denim; it's the fit and style that sell our jeans.

We have an organic cotton FAQ section on the website that provides background and statistics on the cotton industry. When we participate in fashion events (eco and mainstream), we make sure to disperse information about organic cotton. We are also able get the message out through interviews like this one and an upcoming eco-fashion segment on The Contemporary Green Lifestyle Network. As a side note, the terminology generally used to differentiate between organic and nonorganic cotton is conventional vs. organic.