Tierra Del Forte may not be a designer name you have heard of, but she is trying to change the jean industry into a more environmentally friendly place. She knows the female curves and understands how to design jeans to make women look their best. Tierra started out working with conventional denim, but then decided to make a switch to a more eco-friendly style when she started her own company – Del Forte Jeans.
She was inspired if you will after trips to China, where she said the environmental impact was much more visible because China doesn’t impose the same rules and regulations on companies there. She watched as indigo, the dye used in making denim, ran straight into rivers and realized she wanted to make a change.
How much more eco-friendly can you get than denim, you may be asking. Well, Tierra makes sure that all her denim is made with cotton grown here in the U.S. This supports farms in both Texas and California. This means two things – the farms are under strict regulations, so no worry of sweat shop workers and that the cotton is grown without any pesticides or fertilizers, making it 100% certified organic.
But, Tierra does something much more interesting than that. Del Forte Jeans has started the Project ReJEANeration. This project recycles old jeans. When customers are finished with their jeans, Del Forte asks them to give them back. The customer receives a 10% off coupon for their next pair of Del Forte jeans. The company takes the old jeans and uses them to make a new garment.
Tierra has thought about different, environmentally friendly ways to wash the jeans to make them look worn, including ozone washing, sand blasting, and using items such as coffee and tea to make the jeans look worn.
Tierra knows that the sustainable fashion industry is a new one that is growing. To help, she suggests that customers request clothing that is organic. In letting the retailers know that we are demanding something different, we too can make a change.