Conscious Fashion: Denim Dilemma

We’ve all got a favorite pair of jeans.  Some of us have more than one favorite. I, for one, have closer to ten favorites. But they aren’t my favorites forever.

My jeans have died many deaths: Everything from stains, to rips, to holes, to wear-and-tear and even the lethal “pull your jeans out for fall and they don’t seem to fit anymore…” syndrome can befall my poor denim.

The question is: What happens to my denim now?  There are so many great ideas for recycling denim, but these are my favorite:

My crafty friend, Erica, uses her old jeans to make change purses and makeup bags.  I’ve tried this and the only challenge is that denim is a really thick fabric.  To make it a little easier, don’t try to sew on the pockets.  The double layer of denim is killer.  Here’s a good pattern for a makeup bag.

GM recycles jeans.  Their landfill-free facilities are scrupulous in using every piece of discarded material to manufacture their cars.  They use recycled cotton from clothes and- you guessed it- jeans in their cars’ interiors and carpets.  Their 2012 Ford Focus line will have this awesome feature.

Or you can take your jeans to a thrift store.  This is my personal favorite.  I want my jeans to live on in all their glory, not end up shredded into pieces and blended into a car’s interior.  Lucky for me, places like Name Brand Exchange, Plato’s Closet, and Buffalo Exchange buy lightly-used jeans (and other clothes). Whatever you decide to do with them, just don’t forget that even in the after life, your favorite jeans deserve some love!

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