Ms. Green Jeans

I still haven’t gotten over the fact that, earlier this year, The Gap revised its jean styles (though I can find no official confirmation of this fact beyond what the sales clerks told me and what I’d read in this San Jose-Mercury News article based on a Consumerist blog entry). Confirmation of information or not, suddenly, my beloved Original Boot Cut Stretch became the so-called Classic jean and, in my mind, became synonymous with Mom Jeans.

And so it goes that it was “good-bye, Gap,” and “Hello, Levis” (515s to be exact).

I’m just getting used to the new fit of these 515s–and the new places I can find them (Kohls, JC Penney, and for a lot cheaper than any Gap jeans ever were)–when I hear the news that my jeans might be bad for me.

I’d heard this news once before, in high school, when girls like me practically painted our jeans on–and then suffered the UTI consequences a few days later. No, this jeans-could-be-bad-for-you message isn’t about how you wear them; it’s about how the jeans are made.

Denim is mostly cotton, and most of the jeans in American stores contain cotton that, like so many other crops, are loaded with pesticides. Some folks are arguing that because you wear jeans on your body’s largest organ, your skin, that jeans (or anything else made from cotton) could be bad for your health.

Thankfully, the prevailing wisdom is that, unlike with foods, pesticides in cotton doesn’t really transfer through the clothing you wear, Nonetheless, it’s probably a good idea to look into “green jeans,” if only to be good to Mother Earth. But being good doesn’t come cheap!

When Levis originally debuted its Eco Jeans line in 2006, they were talking prices in the $250 range. Ouch. These days you can still spend that much, but you also have some more affordable options–if you can handle spending $58 or more for a pair of “green” Levis. (Yes, I paid this much for years with my Gap jeans.)

One company dedicated to bringing organic cotton jeans to the market is California-based Del Forte, which offers a “rejeaneration” option. That is, when you’ve worn out your jeans or are ready for something new, Del Forte will take your old jeans back, recycle them into new jeans, and then give you 10 percent off your next purchase.

OK, so these jeans aren’t exactly affordable either, sort of like why I can’t afford to shop at Whole Foods, though I completely support the Whole Foods approach to groceries. However, if I’m going to splurge on a great pair of organic jeans, I’ll want to support a company that really stands behind its mission and its message like Del Forte does with its jean recycling.

It would be great if other clothing manufacturers took a page from Del Forte’s green book and offered similar recycling options–and similar discounts. In the meantime, I guess that for me “green jeans” will always be Captain Kangaroo’s sidekick.