Fashion With A Cause, 7 Brands That Make A Difference

The world of fashion has avoided getting involved in causes, activism, however, is "in" with superstars like Bono leading the charge. He says "We have got to find ways of making our activism sexy, and fashion is it."

1. Lee Jeans sponsors Lee National Denim Day, the largest single day fund raiser for the Women's Cancer Programs of the EFI.

2. Citizens of Humanity donates a portion of every jean sale to Conservation International to help preserve the earth's natural heritage.

3. Levi's will jump into the cause in November 2006 with a new organic line of jeans call Levi's Eco. It will feature recycled buttons, zippers, and natural colored stitching.

4. Edun Jeans, started by Rock Star Bono and his wife, are made of organic cotton and assembled in fair trade factories.

5. Loomstate was one of the first denim brands to use only organic cotton. They support organic farming and a sustainable future.

6. (Project) Red, a new eco clothing line includes styles form several top brands, including gap jeans. Profits go to the fight against diseases in third world countries.

7. Del Forte Denim, new to the premium denim scene, is just getting recognized for their use of organic cotton and supporting sustainable farming practices.

Here is a little bit about each of these causes and why they are so important:

Organic Cotton: Why is Organic Cotton important? If you are like me, socially aware, but slightly cheap, you may not readily recognize the value of organic clothing. Organic food makes sense, we eat that stuff and we don't want those chemicals in our bodies. But Cotton? That's something we wear not ingest. What I didn't realize was that the value of organic cotton is not about direct contact, like food, but is about the direct impact on the environment, (which is direct contact, but ....uh, indirectly). Organic cotton does not use pesticides and the land is renewed by rotating crops, leaving a much smaller environmental footprint. Some interesting facts:

* 10% of all pesticides in the U.S. are sold for use on cotton crops

* 7 of the top 15 pesticides used on cotton are classified by the EPA as "possible", "likely", "probable", or "known" human carcinogens

* It takes 2/3 a pound of pesticides to make one pair of jeans