Vanity unites with Cotton Inc. to promote denim jean recycling

Shopping is a favorite pastime for many college students, so what better way to promote a cause such as environmental consciousness that directly relates to clothing itself? 

Vanity, a well- known and respected clothing store, and their online company eVanity, has partnered with Cotton Incorporated to promote a denim jean recycling program titled “Cotton: From Blue to Green.”  The program has helped restore parts of the nation that have been devastated by unfortunate natural disasters such as tornadoes through the fabric of denim.

The program already has a history of success, but they are seeking to expand their program to a popular clothing store such as Vanity.

According to www.eVanity.com, “The goal of the drive is to collect 100,000 pairs of donated jeans from Vanity/eVanity customers, which will be recycled into environmentally-friendly UltraTouch Natural Cotton Fiber Insulation to aid communities in need...Each of Vanity’s 200 stores is striving to collect 500 pairs of jeans, or enough to insulate one home, for a total of 200 homes.”

After donating jeans,  Vanity says, “The denim will then be reprocessed to its original fiber state, cotton, where the metal and any embellishments are removed from the denim... (and) after treating the individual fibers to make them fire retardant, the denim is turned into UltraTouch Natural Cotton Fiber Insulation.”

Thus, jeans, through the simple process of being broken down to their basic form, and have helped communities laid in ruins from Mother Nature. Even the casual shopper can become involved in keeping this helpful program thriving.

To help with this program, local shoppers can  donate a pair of their old jeans that have been worn out, torn up, etc., to their local Vanity store.  Donors will also receive 25 percent off a new pair of Vanity jeans they wish to purchase to replace the old pair they give away.  EVanity is also accepting denim online for people who do not live nearby a Vanity store.

The drive started  Sept. 16, and will continue until Nov. 3.  Katie Wohlman, marketing manager of Vanity, reported that 4,500 pairs of jeans were donated in just the first five days of this program.  In addition, Wohlman said they are going to bring out an entire new line of clothing that will further support this cause.

“We have a new line we’re calling the “Ecoista” fashions-products that are recycled, sustainable and organic. We have shirts as well as new jeans made out of bamboo hitting the market in October,” she said.