Ask Summer Rayne: Where Can I Find Affordable Style, Organic Denim?

Organic denim has become increasingly easy to find, but it's so expensive! Why is it sold at such a premium, and are any jeans available for those of us on a limited budget? What brands do you like?

The organic denim market has been blooming for the past few years and there are a number of bands available at a wide range of prices. Costs tend to vary for a number of reasons. Here are a few of the biggies:

Production Capacity

Many of the brands leading the charge on sustainable denim are small, independent labels. Labels like these can normally only produce and sell a small amount of product and must sell their product for a higher price to break even or turn a profit. If products are scaled up, say to a Target or Wal-Mart level, the cost precipitously decreases.Strategic Positioning

Every designer wants to make an impact on the fashion industry. One of the best ways to make a statement is to create a highly coveted, innovative, fashion-forward product. Many of these labels strategically choose to enter into the premium denim market, where they can make a high-end, trendy jean in limited production runs. From a small business standpoint, this is smart. If a company is able to successfully build notoriety in the high design space, it may then fetch the interest of larger companies and create a joint label. For example, just look at how many designers have partnered with Target, Levis, Puma, and Adidas. Additionally, it's better for a designer to start high and then go low, rather than the other way around. Think about it: Would Wal-Mart have any credibility building a luxury line of products? It's much harder to swim upstream.

Manufacturing

Manufacturing techniques-both where and how denim is produced-can be a significant factor in pricing structure. Selvedge denim-a type that is weaved on old-style shuttle looms-is considered the crème de la crème of denim, since it provides a sturdier, more durable textile that doesn't fray like lower-grade denims can. Only a select number of brands specialize in selvedge denim, however; many of these can be found exclusively at the San Francisco-based Self Edge. New York-based Gilded Age is a design house known for its hand-worked denim that is dyed with natural indigo and even lava-rock dyes. Seattle-based Sling and Stones also produces hand-loomed selvedge denim. (Hand-detailing also naturally increases the price of denim.) Many people who haven't seen or felt selvedge denim ask if there is a noticeable difference. The answer is a resounding yes. On the other hand, when denim is produced in by a vertically integrated corporation in a developing country on mechanical looms, costs are cut dramatically.

The Markup

Ahhhh, the dreaded markup... Pricing for product depends on how much of a margin is made not only at retail level, but also at wholesale. Retailers have their own markup formulas and vary widely depending on the market of the product. If they feel as if their product will fetch higher prices, then they will price accordingly. Naturally, as a brand becomes more coveted, prices will often rise.

Organic Denim Shopping on a Budget

There are plenty of great denim brands on the market at mid- to low-level price points. First, try to look at any thrift or old denim shop. Vintage denim can fetch high prices-even higher than new, but there are plenty of things out for shoppers on a budget. If brand-spanking new is your style, however, try out Levis Eco, which range in price from $30 to $80 (or less if you keep an eye out for sales). Mission Playground has some great looks that range in price from $70 to $95. Rica Lewis, a French label, hits at price points ranging from $60 to $85. Wrangler is also dabbling into organic denim at lower price points with a small line available at Urban Outfitters. Good Society, a label created by the designers over at Sling & Stones, is a below-$100 brand. And I heard that Rogan Gregory will be designing for Target's GO International line later this year or in early 2009. Expect to see some organic denim at a lower price point there, where you can be certain that labor and environmental issues-not to mention hot style-will be uncompromised!

Want to learn even more about the organic denim industry and sustainable fashion? Check out my S4 newsletter, Caught with Our Pants Down.

Summer Rayne Oakes is Planet Green's fashion and beauty expert. Got a pressing question you'd like her to tackle in this column? Email asksummer@treehugger.com. Read her previous columns here.