Organic Mania Spreads To Clothing

April 7, 2008

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Gen Y and Millennials, who represent about $520 billion in buying power, are including clothing in their organic purchases, MediaPost reports.

Iconoculture has turned up four distinct shopping types: the Living Green consumer, who has embraced the whole concept of the environmental lifestyle and is driven by dedication, purity and awareness; the Core Fashionista who is rethinking and redefining her sense of style and eco-chic; the Walking Green consumers, trend followers who want to belong to a greater community; and the Spending Green profile, the shopper who connotes buying green with luxury.

Eventually, Casasus says, as consumers become more educated about the complexities of the garment business, they will begin to demand the same level of transparency from clothing companies that they now expect from food.

It’s not just companies like Nau and Indigenous Designs that are going after these consumers. Perry Ellis has introduced a line of ecofriendly outdoor garments that will include pants and shirts of organic cotton and Gap recently introduced its Organic Cotton T-shirt for men.

“Even mainstream retailers are weaving green into their overall merchandise,” David Wigder, SVP of Digitas and author of Marketing Green, says. “Moreover, as their cost drops over time, more sustainable fabrics will naturally be included in mainstream clothing.”

But marketing organic clothing is new ground. the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority banned a campaign for Cotton USA for making misleading claims promoting the material as sustainable

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Reader Comments

Dear Sir/Madam:

I support organics, but not the monumental bureaucracy that impedes it. Your recent story on how the “Organic Mania Spreads To Clothing” begs more questions than it answers. Specifically, in a few of words, is it really organic?

Why not interview me for a story on the truth behind organic certification? The farmers are, for the most part, honest. But the way they’re certified means dishonest farmers can play along as well.

Click on my website to see what really going on in the fastest growing sector in the food business: http://www.isitorganic.ca/

Mischa Popoff | April 7th, 2008

The important thing to remember about organic/sustainable clothing is that the fakes out there won’t get away with it if we as consumers don’t support their business! We need to take action and be well versed in the ethics of sustainable clothing, and not take any green-washing lightly! I recently visited an eco-boutique (www.embodies.com) and was fortunate enough to be surrounded by clothing the owner had researched very well. It is her goal to only sell clothing that completely follows her practice as a green business owner. (even how she redecorated her new store was very green) So, it is up to the consumers to educate themselves!!!

Theresa | March 17th, 2009