These days, blue jeans are emblematically green — and leave it to Los Angeles-based Citizens of Humanity Group, a trio inclusive of its eponymously named denim brand Citizens, Agolde and Goldsign, to level up by partnering with Net-a-porter’s Net Sustain platform for an exclusive collaboration that elevates sustainably made denim.
While all three brands each possess a distinct “directional” voice, they are united in their standards for quality, sustainability and production processes for its products. With many pieces embodying a subtle retro come modern look and feel, the collection is wide-ranging with looks that include a denim jumpsuit, pairs of long and cut-off denim shorts, a tie-dye bodysuit, and a collective L.A.-inspired aesthetic.
Net Sustain, Net-a-porter’s curated platform devoted to offering vetted, sustainable luxury, was a choice partner for the group’s circular fashion endeavors. Karen Phelps, Agolde and Goldsign, creative director, said this innovation “is for us and what we will be using going forward throughout our collections. We’re honored to be launching it for the first time with Net-a-porter, the leaders in luxury fashion and sustainability.”
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Citizens of Humanity Group said joining Net-a-porter’s Net Sustain program offered an opportunity to “push the boundaries even further and challenge ourselves to create our most sustainable collections to date.” This approach took form in streamlining its denim production, sourcing sustainable fabrics such as 100 percent organic cotton or recycled fabrics across all brands, the use of unique dye alternatives, and working with patternmakers to “fine-tune each garment prototype until it [was] just right” as the final touch.
Led by Citizens creative director Marianne McDonald, her vision was to “merge the old world with the new,” as the capsule was made through ancient techniques such as waterless washes, natural enzymes and plant dyes, and recycled thread for stitching.
Technology is the cornerstone of its sustainability strategies, as the companies used eco-friendly green washes and dyes, laser technology, e-flow and ozone machines to help them to “achieve authentic washes while eliminating the excessive use of stone washing, chemicals, labor, water and energy.”
The brands also used eco-stones, a sustainable synthetic stone alternative made from recyclable materials that eliminates chemical absorption and decomposition in any sludge waste in treatment, which due to its recyclable composition, allows for extended production use, the companies said.
“Our team tested and mixed several natural enzymes to achieve wash formulas that replicate the authentic, worn-in look that comes with stone washing. Zero chemicals are used in the making of the products, only specially sourced green-certified substitutes,” they noted, adding that “organic and green-certified softeners, silicones and neutralizers were also implemented to create a beautiful soft hand to the fabric using fewer chemicals than conventional products.”
And uniquely, vegetable dyes made from the bark of an Acacia Tree were applied to some of the products, as well as recycled leather patches made from a synthetic apple leather blend derived from food waste that were applied to the back pockets of Citizens of Humanity jeans. Across collections, each piece is pressed, packed in biodegradable bags as needed, and shipped in 100 percent recycled cardboard, all according to the firm.
Also in focus is its Ferra Dye (Bio Indigo), a natural dye extracted from the plant Indigofera Tinctoria that has been used throughout history to achieve an indigo blue color but is distinctive as the only powder form of Indigo certified on GOTS Version V by the Control Union of the Netherlands. Purportedly, “every gram of its consumption [is] benefiting plant Earth.” Its fastness properties, process of dyeing and method of use for this sustainable dye is the same as with commonly used synthetic indigo, the brands noted.
The last phase is its FinishThis technology, where finishing details are applied to its denim using eco-friendly materials and treatments, including woven labels made from recycled ocean plastic; its standard hardware trims that are all sustainably manufactured using raw materials containing 75 percent recycled scraps from previous processes, and an eco-sustainable line of trims, creating by using renewed energy generated by photovoltaic panels with very little water, as well as the elimination of galvanic coatings that diminish mud or galvanic waste.
Citizens of Humanity Group noted that its approach included “not only seeking out and experimenting with new ecological approaches, but also rethinking the traditional steps used in denim production to show what can be done, hopefully setting the bar for ourselves and other brands to follow — to create a sustainable future in fashion together.”
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