It's Friday in Amsterdam and I'm getting high. My heart booms too loud. My eyes forget to blink. I'm jumpy—wait, no, I'm jumping—and I think I just screamed. This is bad… especially because I haven't even done anything. Instead, I've gone somewhere—The G-Star RAW archives—and I'm totally tripping on vintage clothes. They have thousands of pieces, from flight suits to football jackets, and everything (even the 1950's Pendleton ski coat) is in pristine condition. In other words, this vintage stash is totally pure.
"We're obsessed with uniforms here," says Benedikt Lüdke, G-Star RAW's senior menswear designer, "Because we want to make things that are innovative and totally new, of course. But we also want to make denim that's going to be your uniform, something you want to wear every day."
Lüdke likes to ruminate on "the denim life cycle"—from factory to fashion show to (let's be honest) a heap on your bedroom floor. He's obsessed with how clothes get worn—and get worn out—and he wants to make sure if you buy something he designs, you keep it.
Lüdke's colleague Frouke Bruinsma has a different fixation. As G-Star RAW's Corporate Responsibility Director, she's been working to make denim that's not just sustainable but also harm-free—denim that uses less water, less energy, and totally ethical materials in its production. "Obviously I want you to love your jeans and respect your clothes," she tells me. "But I also want your jeans to respect the planet. It needs to be a complete cycle."
That cycle has long been broken. From pollution to factory conditions, the ethics of our favorite pants aren't always good. The average pair of jeans takes nearly 2, 300 gallons (!) of water to make, to say nothing of its chemical impact, carbon footprint, and cotton harvest. (It's 1.5 pounds of the plant for one pair, in case you're wondering.)
The numbers are far better at more conscious brands like G-Star RAW, where they've done everything from recycling ocean plastic to reducing water waste by 95%. Now they're going even harder, introducing a new product that's so green, it deserves its own Muppet frog.
Meet the G-Star Elwood RFTPi jean, which earns its long name with some real credentials. It's the first pair of jeans in the world made with no wasted water, the cleanest indigo ever, 100% organic denim, and low-impact metal finishing. Its color process leaves no salt byproducts; its cotton was grown with no pesticides or synthetic fertilizers. Because of its incredible sustainability, the Ellwood's fabric is the first denim ever to get Gold Level certification by the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute, a leading global foundation that rates environmental impacts of consumer goods worldwide.
Even better, this is a great everyday jean—the fit is precise, with darts at the knee for easy movement and clean lines, plus a moto-circle that harkens back to Balenciaga's coveted moto jeans. They feel soft, they have a vintage wash, and the accompanying denim jackets are structured enough for street style posts. (Because if you didn't 'gram the outfit, did it even happen?)
You can get the revolutionary denim for $180 (the pants) and $230 (the jacket). And if you really want to lean into their zero-waste commitment, don't put them in the dryer. "It uses so much energy," sighs Bruinsma, "When you could just hang them up outside. Or I say, usually, don't wash them at all… You can always [spot-clean] with some soap and a little water, but most things, like paint or ink or even dirt, add to the uniqueness and the wear of the fabric. I think that's what makes your jeans yours." She shows me a video where a G-Star RAW designer painting lines on his jeans with hot coffee. "It's not really a spill," she says. "It's more like art."
And yes, in case you were wondering, the coffee was organic.
