I was in the mall yesterday – which was somewhat unusual for me. I wandered through the stores and looked at their gleaming displays packed with fresh autumn style, and I felt it. In a split second, I was overcome with lust, that strong pull to buy things. It’s so tempting when you walk through stores with their immaculately styled mannequins, polished floors and stacks upon stacks of gorgeous clothing. It all feels abundant and effortless – all you have to do is pull out the credit card and scratch that itch!
That feeling is precisely why I typically avoid malls and shopping altogether. It’s so intoxicating that it overwhelms everything else – even my knowledge about the horrific conditions involved in most clothing manufacture.
You see, the cost of clothing goes far beyond what’s written on the $29.99 price tag. Human rights violations and environment polluting practices mean that our insatiable desire to look good is wreaking havoc on the natural world, and those who are tasked with producing these goods in deplorable conditions. Every so often something will shoot this issue to the front page – like the recent factory collapse in Bangladesh – but after a few weeks the news fades and the shopping malls fill again.
For years, my solution to this conundrum has been to buy clothing secondhand. By doing this, I save textiles from the waste stream, save money that I can put toward pricier environmental practices like buying organic food, and I also take a step back from endorsing practices I don’t agree with.
Recently, companies with shared values have been emerging. These are clothing companies which want to produce gorgeous, well-made, lust-worthy duds without an accompanying blow to the conscience. Profit is a motivator – everyone wants to make money, right? – but they draw the line at profiting at the expense of others, whether it’s foreign workers, inhabitants of the towns close to factories, or those who must live in this world in decades to come.
One of the freshest faces in this new world of eco-fashion is D’Lord Denim. This company has a small mission, but a noble one: well-made men’s jeans that not only look good, they do good, too.
D’Lord Denim is Daniel Lord’s passion project. He wanted to create a line of men’s wear that had minimal environmental impact, ethical manufacturing practices, and not only tried not to damage the natural world but attempted to actually better it.
I have to say that so far, D’lord jeans check out. Press photos show a pair of dark wash denim that hang off a man’s hips just right. They’re made from certified organic fabrics, made in America, and each purchase supports causes like Charity:Water, and Project Earth. Not only that, but each pair of jeans landing in your closet means a tree planted in your name.
Companies like this are essential. They’re turning the profit model on its head and demonstrating that there’s no room for excuses – we can have it all. We can look good while feeling good about doing good. Everyone wins.
D’Lord Denim has everything in place to make a successful run at gobbling up a piece of the Eco-fashion market – and you can claim a bite for yourself by checking out their Kickstarter page!