The denim industry is notoriously wasteful. A pair of classic cotton jeans uses around 2900 gallons of water in production, while stretch denim is filled with non-recyclable microplastics. Not to mention toxic indigo dyes, bleach and the pesticides and chemicals used when growing cotton.
LA-based denim brand Triarchy has a simple mission; “To conserve our planet’s most important resource by reducing the massive water consumption of our planet’s most beloved piece of clothing, jeans.”
Triarchy was established in 2012, however, they didn’t make sustainability the main focus of their business until 2017 when co-founder and designer Adam Taubenfligel realized the social and environmental impact of fast fashion.
Even when using recycled polyester, microplastics can still be released when washing and if the elastane content is higher than two percent, it is impossible to separate the cotton and polyester fibres for them to be reused. This means most jeans end up in landfills and the average pair will take between 20-200 years to completely biodegrade.
For Fall 2020, Triarchy will launch their first collection using bio-stretch denim, a plastic-free alternative which achieves the same fit and elasticity that customers look for in traditional stretch jeans. Whilst many brands use recycled polyester to create more sustainable denim, using bio-stretch takes this to the next level.
Bio-stretch is made from organic cotton and natural rubber, which means a pair of bio-stretch jeans is fully compostable in less than a year. The new designs will join the brand’s other sustainable styles which are made from TENCEL lyocell, organic cotton and feature 100% recycled metal hardware. In the future, this method of denim production could completely replace polyester in jeans, creating a much more sustainable product without any negative impact on the environment.
“Consumers are looking for great fit and comfort,” says Taubenfligel. “Rigid denim, or non-stretch denim, is classic and timeless, where stretch denim has always been the best way to have your cake and eat it too. You get the look of denim, with the comfort of sweatpants. Now we can have our cake, eat it too and watch it bio-degrade when we’re done with it.”
With many brands concentrating on preventing water waste or energy usage when making denim, bio-stretch is providing a solution to a problem that previously couldn’t be solved. All the benefits of your favourite jeans with none of the plastic. After all, your jeans shouldn’t live longer than you.
Triarchy’s denim starts at $250 and bio-stretch styles will be available from Fall 2020.
All images in this article are courtesy of Triarchy.
