By Petey Roach
The rise of organic and USDA approved goods has skyrocketed in the past decade, making its way into everything from our food to our clothes. Still, the biggest questions surrounding organically produced goods are what exactly is organic? And why does it matter?
Here at Spiritex & Asheville Apparel, we produce organic fabric and apparel from cotton. And now we want to break down exactly what it means to produce organic cotton and examine some of the countless benefits.
Let’s start by differentiating organic cotton from cotton that is not organic (a.k.a. “conventional”). Organic cotton must adhere to strict United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) standards that forbid the use of conventional chemicals, pesticides, and fertilizers. The soil used for planting must be free of these conventional chemicals for at least three years. There are even regulations on what kind of seeds can be used. In order to be Organic Certified, the cotton seed cannot be classified as a genetically modified organism (GMO). An organism is considered GMO when the genes of one plant or animal are extracted and forced into the genes of another plant or animal. Most conventional cotton is genetically modified to produce pesticides inside the plant itself. This process of genetic modification makes the plant toxic for consumption to all living creatures from insects to humans.
So how does organic cotton production remain high yielding without pesticides or genetic modification? Simply through smart farming! Organic farmers promote pests natural enemies— such as birds, beetles, parasite wasps, and lacewigs—in their fields in order to reduce damage to the cotton. Organic farmers will also plant “trap crops” of hibiscus, sunflowers, maize, or okra that pests prefer to consume more than cotton. Most farmers also choose to incorporate a practice called crop rotation in which they plant crops that require different nutrients from the soil in order to avoid depleting the soil nutrients needed to grow cotton. The stalks of the picked cotton are often decayed through a process called composting and then tilled back into the soil for further enrichment.
Trap crops are placed in between the rows of cash crops to distract pests.
Meanwhile, the production of conventional cotton uses 16% of the world’s insecticides and 7% of pesticides. There are so many chemicals used that most women (and especially pregnant women) are not safe working in conventional cotton farming. Millions of farmers suffer annually from poisoning due to pesticide exposure. Conventional cotton takes 71% more water and 62% more energy to maintain. This poor quality of production is why cotton is commonly known as “the world’s dirtiest crop.” The process as a whole can be summed up in one word: yikes. And still, conventional cotton makes up 99% of the 26 million metric tonnes produced annually on average.
Conventional farmer spraying chemicals directly on crop.
Don’t worry though—there is still hope for organic goods. As buying organic becomes more mainstream, the price points are becoming lower and the stereotype of “overpriced organic” is fading out. There is an increased demand in ethical production that sustains the environment and boosts local agriculture economies. This demand will create more accessibility to organically produced goods, from food to fashion.
Spiritex and Asheville Apparel are proud to source organic cotton to create our fabric and apparel. We are so excited to be one of many opportunities for people to buy ethical and fashionable clothing for themselves and their loved ones.
Have questions? Leave a comment below! We would be happy to continue the conversation about organically produced fabric and apparel.
]]>#ultraviolet #amethyst #pantone #spiritexorganiccotton #organiccottonfabric #organiccotton #ashevilleapparel #spiritex
]]>Fall's here and we're feeling the layers. Right now we're working on adding the finishing touches to our Balsam Jacket. This beauty's made from 100% Organic Spiritex Lightweight French Terry and features a pleated scarf collar, tuck details to accentuate and flatter all shapes, and ethically sourced antler buttons (fun fact: deer shed their antlers). When we say ethically sourced, we have a person who forages shed antlers in the forest and cuts them down to button size. Deer shed their antlers every year in a somewhat gory process, Google if you dare. Anyhow, antler foraging seems like a pretty cool profession. We like walking around in the woods, exploring all things nature. We also like to feature nature in our designs, antlers in this instance. We have made these in London Fog (shown) and Mushroom.
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We shot over 200 products with one of the most talented photographers we've ever worked with. His name is Evan Anderson, and wow whatta gift he's got. Check out some more of his work on his site.
One of our models from this shoot, Fay Grant, is also one of our very good customers. We private label garments for her kid's clothing company mini + meep which donates a part of it's proceeds to UNICEF's Children's Rights & Emergency Relief Organization and supply children with lifesaving materials like clean drinking water, essential vitamins + nutrients, and counseling. On top of mini + meep, Fay also runs another social justice enterprise with one of her best friends called The Tote Project.The Tote Project is based on a friendship, on a shared dream. It is a shared passion for empowerment, for restoration, for freedom. Fay Grant and Michelle Chavez founded The Tote Project because they believe that there is hope for the millions of victims of modern day slavery worldwide, and they want to do their part to support recovering survivors pursuing their dreams. They donate 20% of our profits to Two Wings to help survivors of human trafficking in the United States pursue their dreams. We're so thankful to be able to work with someone as kind and thoughtful as Fay. Check her projects out!
Our other model for this shoot was Alayna Dickerson, who is an aspiring actress that lives here in Asheville. She does some modeling on the side and hopes to move into full time acting very shortly.
We really appreciate these kind people helping us out! It's so nice to do what you love to do and to be able to share it with others. We hope you enjoy some of our work too :]
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Fun Fact: Hoodies were introduced around 1930 by Champion Sportswear. Rolling Stone put out an interesting article about hoodies. Check it out here.
]]>Full scale garment production requires some heavy duty equipment, which can be mildly intimidating if you're only used to the run of the mill home sewing set up. After many days of cutting giant stacks of fabric unsafely, we finally broke down and got this new chainmail glove. It feels weird. But a good weird. We use an Eastman Bluestreak cutting knife and it's certainly a bad mamma jamma in the cutting machine world. We can cut hundreds of pattern pieces with this baby at once so you could only imagine how sharp the blade is. It's a wonder we haven't painted the table red already but now we're really prepared and are about to start cutting up the new styles for fall and winter.
]]>Check out more of his amazing work and cop some feels yourself!
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Micheal and I took advantage of this very fall like day (60's the temp in these pics) to go down by the river to snap a few sneak peak photos.
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Just in time for Fall, these pants feature deep pockets to keep your PKW (phone-keys-wallet) in place, even while you're active. It's funny how sometimes things with dual utility are so juxtapositional in their purpose, a lot like these pants. They are great for lounging about and doing absolutely nothing except to be cozy and ponder the origins of cake or for running around doing everything actively sweaty. We find ourselves doing both things excellently in these pants.
They're made with Spiritex 100% Organic Cotton Lightweight French Terry with a 100% organic cotton wrapped elastic waistband.
]]>Spiritex is still here as your pioneering organic and sustainable USA made farm to fabric source. You can find Spiritex Organic Fabric here.
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This means that we're able to move things along our supply chain relatively quickly and efficiently as existing textile infrastructure here in NC allows us to do so. The largest distance our material travels is approximately 1,435 miles (which is the cotton by the bale from the farms in Texas). As a matter of fact, the majority of the milling and manufacturing that occurs to produce our wares occurs within a 150 mile radius of our Asheville, NC headquarters. We can zip down I-40 to visit a few and mosey down some country roads for others. Irregardless, all of our production partners are essentially our neighbors and many of whom have roots in the textile industry here in the South dating back to it's early beginnings in the 1800's. We feel fortunate to be in the USA's textile playground and to have the wisdom of many generations spun right into the fiber of our fabric.
]]>1. Always use natural soaps as the wastewater is put back into the water table. Natural soaps are able to be broken down by nature where as the other stuff sticks around for many years to come.
2. Use cold water to keep color longer and to prevent the garment from drawing up.
3. Line Dry, again to maximize color fastness and to minimize shrink.
4. If you feel better using hot water and machine drying, no worries, just prepare for 2-5% shrink. To get the shirt back to it's original size if using high heat in the dryer, stop it while it's still a little damp, and give it a good stretch. Let it finish air drying or tumble on low/no heat.
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Cutting multiple garments at work is a culmination of art and science muddled with a little finesse and some finagling. Our main cutter man has been in the apparel manufacturing business with his wife (who contract sews for us) for over 40 years, so you could say he knows a thing, or two.
Today we're cutting our Patton Tank, it's a fun take on a tank/muscle tee and a flattering fit for all body types (that wanna show off their arms of course). This particular piece has an easy fit, a curved bottom, and a not so low low neckline. I was the fit model for this one and I personally can't wait for one. It's just in time for summer! I begged for the first sample, but they wouldn't cave. It's ok, it was taupe and I want black anyway.
Inside his process:
First, the marker is made.This means that all of the pattern pieces within the full size range of the garment are laid out and fit together like a puzzle in order to achieve the most pieces yielded and the least waste possible. We do our markers a little different in that we're hyper aware of any additional space that is left open after the pattern pieces are put in. We utilize this space for cutting other garments that fit the gaps, like children's garments, scarves, bandanas, and whatever we feel goes within the colors that have already been laid. Generally speaking, we're able to squeeze as much out of our fabric as possible. After all is said and done, there are generally little tidbits left over that we donate to other crafters who go on to make dog toys, rugs/mats, textile art, etc. If you're feeling blue because you're a crafter and you want some tidbits too, just email me and we'll coordinate something with you!
After the marker is made, it's rolled back up and pushed out of the way while the fabric is spread. The spread is based on the amount of pieces desired on the cut ticket.
Once the spread is on the table, the marker is rolled out over top of the fabric layers and secured with staples. Thus begins the cutting. An Eastman Straight Blade Cutting knife is used to cut the stacks of fabric into the respective pattern piece. The finished bundles are tied and placed with the cut ticket, a finished sample, and all the trims to await sewing.
]]>All of our fabrics are finished and dyed with natural citrus scours for natural, peroxide wash for white, and GOTS certified synthetic dyes for colors. All colors are processed in a closed loop water system that is able to recycle 100% of the water used in processing. As natural dyes aren't truly sustainable, we've opted to utilize available technology to bridge the gap.
Contrary to popular belief, natural dyes are actually more toxic than the synthetic dyes we utilize in our production due to the fact that they require a highly toxic mordant to achieve the color fastness necessary to give the fabric/garment the longest life span possible. They also require extraordinary amounts of water. Natural dyes are often not as vibrant and still loose color quickly (even with the mordant) opposed to their synthetic counterparts. As a part of our mission is "to create the softest and most sustainable textiles and apparel," we take into consideration how to achieve the maximum potential lifespan of the garment so that the wearer is able to get as much from the garment that we put in and more. We want these clothes to last, which is why we choose closed loop dyeing vs. natural.
]]>We're generally so caught up in the actual production of our goods from the bottom up, that we often times forget to tell people about what we're doing! We're the real deal, 100% grown and sewn right here on American soil. From the cotton, to the spinning, to the knitting, to the finishing, to the cutting, to the sewing, to the printing- it's legitimately done all right here in the states. By manufacturing everything within reasonable travel distances from us, we're able to ensure that our product quality and the quality of life of those who make it are top notch.
We've chosen to take the high road despite the higher material and labor cost all the way from the beginning of our journey as textile and apparel mavens. We take pride in the fact that we have been and will continue to be at the forefront of the sustainable fashion movement because we know, deep down in our hearts, that it's the right thing to do. We're not in it for the dollar, but because Global Warming is a real problem we face together according to any and every scholar.
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Once our cotton has been put through the ringer, we're afforded our finished product. The many cones of yarn that are then transported over to the knitter where they are placed on the knitting machines to be processed into greige goods, or fabric that is not yet finished.
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As stated in, Health risks in international container and bulk cargo transport due to volatile toxic compounds,published by the US National Library of Medicine, "To ensure the preservation and quality of the goods, physical (i.e. radiation) or chemical pest control is needed. The dark side of such consents may bear health risks in international transport and production sharing. In fact, between 10% and 20% of all containers arriving European harbors were shown to contain volatile toxic substances above the exposure limit values. Possible exposure to these toxic chemicals may occur not only for the applicators but also the receiver by off gassing from products, packing materials or transport units like containers."
This means that anything touting the name "organic" but is shipped from overseas is a mega misnomer. When discerning who is truly acting on the behalf of you the consumer and of the producers, please keep this information close. We can assure you that we do it right. We don't mess with anything that we can't visit with relative ease to ensure that our mission and vision for our own organization is correlatory to that of the producers within our supply chain.
As one of the first collective units to bring the United States organic cotton, founded in 1993, the TOMC has worked hard to grow soft and sustainable fibers that we're able to use, in good conscious, in the majority of our fabric and then apparel. They were doing it before organic was cool, just because they want to leave healthy land for generations to come. They were our first supplier of raw organic cotton by the bale and we still source over 95% of our cotton from them. We've enjoyed growing alongside them as people continue to become more conscious of the decisions they make in this world.
A little about the Cooperative:
"Texas Organic Cotton Marketing Cooperative (TOCMC) members produce the majority of the organic cotton grown in the United States. Founded in 1993, TOCMC is headquartered in Lubbock, Texas, and most of its members are located in the surrounding South Plains area.
This region of Texas, the heart of “the world’s largest cotton patch,” is well-suited to the production of organic cotton. Winter temperatures are cold enough to limit insect pressure and provide a hard freeze to defoliate the cotton plants prior to mechanical harvest. In addition, a sunny climate and quick-drying soils facilitate timely weed control.
The cooperative has approximately 40 producer members who plant 18-20,000 acres of organic and transitional cotton each year. In recent years, total annual production on these family farms has ranged from 11,000 to 17,000 bales. Since many of these farms have limited or no irrigation, yields are very rainfall dependent and vary significantly from year to year.
TOCMC and its members are certified organic under the United States Department of Agriculture National Organic Program (USDA-NOP). Each bale of cotton marketed by TOCMC is tracked from the field to the customer. Buyers can know the producer’s name and farm for each bale purchased.
USDA classing specifications are used to classify each bale of TOCMC cotton into different quality pools. Payments to producers are determined by the pool in which the bale falls, giving producers an incentive to grow the highest quality cotton possible. However, quality, like yield, is somewhat subject to weather conditions that are beyond the farmers’ control, resulting in some year-to-year variations in the percentage of the crop in each pool.
The quality pools are also the basis of TOCMC’s price structure. Customers receive bales from the pool containing cotton of the quality specifications they have requested and are charged the price related to that pool.
TOCMC members grow other organic crops including peanuts, wheat, corn, blue corn, milo, forage sorghum, soybeans, black-eyed peas, and watermelons. Also, the cotton seed, which is separated from the cotton fiber in the ginning process, is marketed to organic dairies for feed."
To learn more about the fabulous folks that work hard to bring you quality cotton while keeping the planet and all it's people in mind visit their website:
http://www.texasorganic.com/aboutus/aboutus.htm
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Blooming from a tiny seed under millions of pounds of pressure, the cotton plant springs forth from the soil jubilantly as something, that through it's struggle, is able to provide utility to the world at large. A purpose. Something to live for. We take it to be a suiting analogy for how we feel as an organization. Together, we make tremendous strides, collectively underneath the enormous pressure imposed by the world at large, to provide utility through our purpose. We enjoy the challenge associated with growth, and always trying to be better which inspires us to do what we do.
As we plant our own seeds of change into the conscious collective of those who choose to be present in our shared reality, we implore you to do the same.
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