Creating clothing garments that are environmentally friendly is just as important as it is to have items that are both fashionable and at a price that is appropriate. Society have changed so much with such advances in technology that most of the development on the market now focuses on these two aspects. However, with that being said, it doesn't usually determine where the cotton comes from that is used in these items.

Farmers are hard at work cultivating cotton plants all over the world, and lately there's been trouble on where they're sourced. Organization's reasons to produce cotton in a certain geographical location vary from one to another, the area bringing better weather, workers being more available in a specific location to do the labor, or the cotton in a specific part of the world being more soft and silky then others. However, these all play into who gets to buy these items as consumers look around for the items they no longer want to purchase now that they know where their cotton is coming from.

The concern is about how fast the global temperature is rising, and how this effects both the world's water and the cotton. Cotton can be a made out of a number of different varieties depending on the specific regions climate. Because of this, there's another large concern for society in ensuring that all of these varieties are genetically sound.

The production of cotton can become problematic because of the pests that come with farming, and how they can screw up the crop alltogether only in a matter of weeks. The pests of cotton can be harves emit which feeds on and damages the plant, and porcupines which chew away at the plant until they kill it. To preserve all the cotton farms that are currently in use all over the world, there may need to be greater adjustments made to either the crop or the country so that ripening is prevented and produced only during specified periods of time.

On an annual basis, humans use approximately half a trillion cotton products, which equals the size of 8 cotton balls for every person alive! Growing cotton in soil is incredibly harmful to the environment; not only do we rely on water from our diminishing Earth, but soil is always being displaced. However, eco-friendly cotton can be grown in a more sustainable way by using less water. The most popular process is hydroponic farming.

This allows for commercial, 3rd world, small-scale and home soil farming while at the same time protect the environment without sacrificing crop yield or quality. Wang Yifang, a Smith College student, has taken on the task of designing eco-friendly apparel that not only fits modern fashion trends but also reflects a dedication to the natural world.

Often constructed using cotton, our clothing is one of the most relevant ways for us to get whatever form of eco-friendliness we can from out products. Hydroponic farming isn't the only thing humans are doing to the environment and its harming nature. The generation of textile dye pollutes the environment and at the same time uses a lot of mixed organic dyes; and electroplating used in textile finishing is another factor.

With a drive to be mindful and environmentally friendly, eco-friendly cotton is an essential step to reconsider before sourcing your next gear. Firstly, cotton is an incredibly sustainable and versatile fabric which lends itself well to sustainable design. Secondly, unlike the other materials in the industry, its far easier to create fabric from cotton through recycling and innovation. And finally, eco-friendly cotton production – which grows mainly in Europe and Turkey -- is at an all-time high, with the country's output four times greater than America’s and 1600 times higher than France’s. With these environmental factors taken into consideration, who wouldn't want to buy sustainable apparel?

Many companies say their clothing is sustainable but it can be hard to know if they mean just a little bit sustainable or truly sustainable. To make sure our clothes are sustainable to the fullest extent, we source some of our cotton from India. This reduces our company’s carbon footprint by introducing natural and organic fabrics to our collections. For example, our organic cotton shirts in a rich maroon color are both earth-friendly and fashion-forward. To make our clothes into a year-round staple, we also work with designers to ensure all of our designs are both sustainable and in style.