Eco-efficient smart wear

When most people think of environmental awareness, hybrid cars, solar power and even grease-powered vans may come to mind. But if the research of one university professor indicates anything, bamboo underwear could soon join that group.

"Green is the new black is a catch phrase that has exploded within the last year," American studies professor Jo Paoletti said.

And this trend means not only bamboo underwear, but recycled polyester socks, organic jeans and handbags made from rice, as well. As consumers become more eco-conscious, clothing manufacturers are following suit, and Paoletti, who is researching the environment's impact on fashion, said sustainable style is becoming this generation's gateway to green.

"Sustainable fashion is now where organic food was in the 1960s or '70s," Paoletti said.

Stores from the outdoor apparel shop REI to Target and retail outlet American Apparel have led the trend that has affected a diverse range of products.

REI sells socks, shirts, sweaters and even shoes made from recycled polyester. It also recently began selling bamboo underwear, manufactured by The North Face.

Last year, Levi introduced Eco, a new line of jeans made from 100 percent organic cotton Although organic cotton still accounts for only 1 percent of worldwide cotton production, it is still evidence of a growing trend.

Levi has also started to produce organic cotton T-shirts along with REI and the brand Padagonia.

Also jumping on the sustainability bandwagon is Target, which in spring 2006, began selling towels and bed sheets made of 60 percent bamboo.

Shakirah Hill, a Maryland alumna who helped found the university's Echelon Fashion Society, said she could barely feel the difference between them and their mainstream counterparts.

"You would expect them to feel hard, but they do not feel that way at all," Hill said. "They are actually softer than other towels."

Paoletti said the material has a lower environmental impact than cotton because it grows faster and thus has a lower energy cost that requires less pesticides and fertilizers.

In general the organic products many companies have started producing deplete less from the soil, she added.

The American based retail chain American Apparel has found another way to diminish its environmental impact: reducing the travel time between its plants and stores. Because it produces all its clothes within the country, the company uses less gas, which means less carbon emissions, said Amy Dewan, junior government and politics major and president of Clean Energy for UMD

"Transporting all of that uses a lot of carbon dioxide," said Dewan. "If clothes were made locally as opposed to overseas, we would be reducing transport emissions drastically."

While the environmentally friendly clothes may look and feel like their mainstream counterparts, they come with a higher price tag.

"I was going to purchase an organic cotton tee," Hill said. "The material was amazing, but the price was insane."

Still, Paoletti predicted the move toward eco-friendly clothes wasn't about to relent.

"It's too soon to tell what the future of sustainable fashion will be," she said. "But I think there will be more and more people looking for these types of products."

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