California-cool aesthetic, the pieces are made
with recycled cotton and plastic bottles, and
come in compostable packaging.
New York-based AYR (shorthand for All Year
Round and pronounced “air”) eschew trends in
favour of classic designs with longevity. In 2017
they expanded this approach to include a
sustainable-only denim line – made at
environmentally-friendly denim mills, where 90
per cent of water used is recycled.
Closer to home we have
circular jeans brand Outland
Denim, made famous by
Meghan Markle and offering
training to women rescued
from human trafficking. Then
there’s Melbourne-based,
Lara Worthington-favourite
Nobody Denim, which
donates spare fabric to local
fashion students or upcycles
it for capsule collections. Did
someone say “win win”? EGREEN
JEAN
BA BY
IN FOCUSTHE FUTURE OF DENIM
IS LOOKING BRIGHT:
ZERO-WASTE BRANDS
THAT DON’T SKIMP ON
THE COOL-FAC TORUNTIL RECENTLY, we’ve tended to view
sustainable shopping as an either/or conundrum- shop ethically and forgo style, or look good
and bury your head in the sand about the
environmental implications. In 2019? No more.
And nowhere is it more evident than in the
wonderful world of denim. The current crop of
emerging denim designers is taking a hardline
approach to reducing their environmental
impact, with many now boasting a zero-waste
design ethos.
Fashion stylist Anna Foster parlayed her years
of industry experience and well-honed eye
into her new label, E.L.V. Denim (Net-a-Porter
was an early stockist). Each pair is made from
vintage jeans in her East London studio, using
just nine litres of water per
pair, compared to the usual
4,000-10,000.
The former denim director
of Reformation, Jordan
Nodarse, had a similar idea
when he launched Boyish
jeans in April. Aside from their
F
IRS
T LOOK
“The CURRENT
crop of DENIM
DESIGNERS
is TAKING a
HARDLINE
APPROACH”E.L.V. DenimNobody Denim AYRBoyishJeans, top to bottom: $528,
E.L.V. DENIM, elvdenim.com;
$528, E.L.V. DENIM,
elvdenim.com; $279,
NOBODY DENIM,
nobodydenim.com; $200,
BOYISH, theiconic.com.auWords: Grace O’Neill. Photography: Sevak Babakhani (still-life)