In Da Strauss

Levi Strauss will debut organic-cotton jeans

Good old-fashioned Levi's jeans will become new-fashioned in November, when the company debuts Eco jeans. The denim dungarees will be organic cotton, naturally dyed, and U.S.-made -- and, like all too many eco-products, woefully expensive, with a hefty $250 price tag (printed on recycled paper with soy ink). Spent all your dough on, you know, food and stuff? Never fear! Levi Strauss is planning two follow-up lines: a $65 to $80 version will hit department stores in early 2007, and a $40 to $60 line will roll out next fall. These plain-jane jeans will, of course, be made with impure cotton and manufactured "all over the world," according to a Levi's spokesperson. The USDA has not set an organic standard for cotton or clothing, but the trend is getting hot -- according to nonprofit advocacy group Organic Exchange, clothing-maker demand for organic cotton is increasing at an annual rate of 93 percent.