Fashion isn’t perfect. We know that. Water is being wasted, Our oceans polluted. Chemicals overused and waste produced, etc etc. Which has lead me to look a little deeper into brands who are doing more then just greenwashing. Following on from the earlier Wrangler Indigood post, I had the chance to speak with Eden Hannon of Neuw Denim around their new program ZERO by Neuw Denim ->

“A responsible and sustainable production initiative to reduce the environmental impact of our manufacturing and production process. Using ZERO Water Wastage, ZERO Chemical Distressing and ZERO Washing Waste. Working toward a cleaner better future. Progress everyday.”

Below is the quick chat around ZERO by Neuw Denim

ZERO

EA – What can you tell me about ZERO by Neuw Denim, your new sustainable denim collection?

EH – ZERO is something we are really proud of. A premium sustainable denim collection that has been development for over 3 years, and finally we have got the product and process at a point that we are happy to release to our customers.

ZERO completely replaces traditional denim manufacturing processes, reinventing them with the sole objective to decrease the overall environmental impact. With ZERO specifically, we decided to completely overhaul the washing process, simply because it was the biggest immediate impact we could make. We are extremely proud to say that the water used in our manufacturing process is reused, renewed and recycled with zero waste being discharged back into the grid as contaminated sewage.

In addition to this, ZERO by Neuw Denim eliminates classic stone-washing methods by adopting the use of synthetic stones in replace of traditional pumice. Made from an environmental resin this innovative alternative leaves no washing waste or sludge behind, decreasing our carbon footprint and allowing us to clean and recycle water in a much more energy efficient manner.

Lastly, we decided it was integral eradicate the use of chemicals in the distressing phase. ZERO completely replaces traditional denim distressing processes such as bleaching, acid washing, and potassium permanganate, allowing us to drastically minimise the amount of chemicals used and decrease our overall environmental impact. Instead of spraying the garment with potentially harmful additives to replicate wear patterns and wash effects, ZERO garments are hand-stitched, hand-brushed, and hand-grinded prior to washing to produce distressed aesthetic without the use of harmful chemicals.

EA – Why have you chosen now as the right time to launch ZERO by Neuw Denim?

EH – We pride ourselves on being able to offer the best quality jeans at a price that represents incredible value to our customers. We want our the jeans look and feel amazing. We are always working on new ways to achieve the best possible results, constantly keeping the environment top of mind. We’ve actively been exploring new methods and techniques to reduce water use, chemical use, and waste production for quite some time and only now are we confident that our product and process is good enough for market.

Unfortunately (and ironically) being more sustainable, more responsible, and more transparent isn’t cheap, time-efficient or easy. Creating garments that you’re proud to put in the market knowing that you are lessening your carbon footprint and helping to contribute to a better, cleaner future comes with major supply and manufacturing hurdles. Lead times become longer, the cost of development becomes more expensive and you must place a large amount of trust in your factories that they have the same vision you do as a brand. However, regardless of these on-going challenges, we believe the wait is worth the result, knowing that as more modern, cleaner, manufacturing innovations and practices become available we must embrace them and open to abandoning the old and traditional methods.

PRODUCTION

EA – Denim production generally does have a large impact on the environment. Can you please explain for our audience why this is and in what ways sustainability is a focus for Neuw?

EH – Fashion is such an imperfect business and we admit to being a part of it. We’re not going to pretend we are perfect, the industry has a long way to go to improve the impact it has on our planet. However as a brand and as individuals we place sustainability and environmental impact at the top of our priority list. We have clear and specific goals for a cleaner, and greener future. We are not as good as we want to be yet, but we are certainly making significant progress every day.

Sustainable thinking isn’t something that we decided to include in our manufacturing process, it’s something that the current state of our planet, the future of our children, and the world around us demanded of us. It is imperative we embrace this positive change. Not only in our development, manufacturing, and supply chain… but also in our everyday habits.

We MUST re-look at our entire business and shift our thinking to a more responsible and sustainable process. Our staff, our designers, our factories, and our laundries are all focused on decreasing our footprint in many different ways. From simple things such as only using energy-efficient lightbulbs at our HQ and banning single use plastic from our office printer, to major overhauls like ensuring we only use 100% recycled water at our laundries and working to eliminate harmful chemicals from our manufacturing process.

EFFICIENCY

EA – What can you tell us about your factories and how you continue to evaluate the efficiency of these spaces?

EH – As an industry, we MUST innovate for a more sustainable future. At Neuw, our staff, our designers, our factories, and our laundries are all focused on decreasing our footprint in many different ways.

Our commitment, across both our supply chain and our business operations which includes stores and Head office, is focused on the reduction of of energy, waste and water, the elimination of hazardous substances in our products and increasing the sustainability of the raw materials we source.

We’re passionate about working with the best mills, laundries and factories in the business, particularly those making sustainability a priority so we’re proud to share some of our key partners and their efforts. And we don’t take that for granted. We personally make the effort to go to each our factories multiple times a year and talk to the owners and workers. We think it’s important to feel the quality of our jeans, the touch of the cotton and see first-hand the technology involved in the production of the denim.

EA – Can you tell the story of how Neuw came about?

EH – Neuw was started by three friends from Melbourne & Stockholm with a shared fascination for premium denim and alternative music – two defining pillars that still remain today. Their dream was to bring quality denim out of the history books and into the 21st century. To make jeans for young musicians, creatives & originators. Those who want denim that will last tonight, tomorrow, & the best times of their life. Originally founded on a need for originality, independence, and unfiltered youthful expression, at almost 10 years old we still live by those morals.

TRENDS

EA – What denim trends are you seeing for this coming winter? What should we invest in?

EH – A trend that will never die, skinnies will always be our mainstay in our wardrobe. We are however seeing a huge shift towards looser, straighter, and more fashion forward silhouettes. Waists are still super high but leg profiles have become more relaxed. Crop kick flares and crop straights are the perfect investment for this winter, worn with ankle boots, dirty cons or dad sneakers. We’re feeling vintage inspired indigo washes and faded blacks this winter season, paired up with statement blazers or bold chunky knitwear.

We view our suppliers as partners and work with a small selection of factories, many of whom are specialists in their field particularly at the mill level. We are actively mapping our supply chain to gain further visibility of our production and have full visibility of our denim mills, some of which you can learn more about below. We are proud to be working with laundries that have been with us since the beginning some 9 years ago and work closely together to develop the unique washes our brands are known for. Our Creative Director travels to our laundries multiple times a year to work on wash developments ensuring that the latest innovations in sustainability are incorporated across all ranges. We’re excited to be making great progress in this space. You can read more about our latest innovations for Neuw here.