The Pure Rootz fashion label brings organic cotton to the Lacoste customer.
Whereas organic food has been a relatively easy sell to high-end customers, organic clothing has been a little tougher to get going. Organic goat cheese or cherry tomato confit sound delicious to just about anybody, but organic clothing might call to mind tie-dyed hemp drawstring pants or loose beige tank tops. It doesn’t have to be so. An increasing number of young designers see the environmental and personal comfort value of using organic cotton, and so lots of trendy clothes are starting to be made with sustainable fibers. Organic clothing lines are popping up everywhere, including large superstores such as H&M, bringing the trend to the mainstream.
One fashion area that organic clothing is beginning to approach is the high-end market, and Dutch company Pure Rootz is doing its part: one organic polo shirt at a time.
Based in the Netherlands (but with an online shop that opens shopping possibilities to the Middle East), Pure Rootz describes itself as “passionate people with a mission.” The company states that:
“We love stylish and quality clothing, but at the same time we feel responsible for our planet and the trace we leave behind. Everything you do in life has an effect on nature and the people around you. That is why we came up with a full organic & fair-trade casual clothing brand: PURE ROOTZ. In this way we make it possible for you to wear cool and stylish clothing while taking care of nature and the people making it.”
The company’s line of polo shirts and high quality long sleeved shirts appeal to a preppier demographic not usually courted by organic fashionistas.
They’re still plenty of appeal left for staunch hemp-wearing environmentalists, though, as Pure Rootz donates 10 percent of its profits – 5% of its profits towards Serengeti Watch (which protects lions) and another 5% towards nature conservation projects.
::Pure Rootz
::Pure Rootz on Facebook
Read more about other organic clothing lines::
Pick Organic from Under the Nile’s Cotton Clothes and Toys for Babies
Cotton’s Organic Clothes Are Soft on the Environment
No Sweat Apparel’s Organic Ts Help Bring Peace to the Middle East
Author: Karen Chernick
Much to the disappointment of her Moroccan grandmother, Karen became a vegetarian at the age of seven because of a heartfelt respect for other forms of life. She also began her journey to understand her surroundings and her impact on the environment. She even starting an elementary school Ecology Club and an environmental newsletter in the 3rd grade. (The proceeds of the newsletter went to non-profit environmental organizations, of course.) She now studies in New York. Karen can be reached at karen (at) greenprophet (dot) com.
It’s great to see mainstream and designer clothing starting to take note and use organic cotton. We built the website for muddandwater, an ethical clothing, (or perhaps organic clothing?) company making as much as possible with organic cotton. Crazy stats on fertilizer usage for non-organic cotton – it’s important to get the message out there, and get more companies and consumers aware. Keep up the good work!