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WWDGREENSECTION II

DOWN TO

EARTH

Building a Greener Business

Slowing the Fashion Cycle

SOURCING CLOSE TO HOME

Green chic heats up. Here, Sustainable Collective by Convoy’s organic cotton and stretch muslin dress. For more on eco-friendly style, see pages 6 through 9.

SECTION II WWD.COM

WWDGREEN

4 WWD, TUESDAY, APRIL 8, 2008

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STELLA MCCARTNEY COULD BE THE GREEN “IT” GIRL. SHE’S FAMOUS FOReschewing fur and leather, and is the fashion industry’s most vocal vegetarian. She uses a hybrid car service and offers a carbon-neutral delivery option for her e-commerce site. And those computers and lights over at her London design offices? They’re wind-powered. So it was natural for Barneys New York to tap McCartney to create an exclusive all-organic collection last fall as part of the company’s ever-growing green initiative, and only a matter of time before she would expand it. First, she’s bringing it back home.

This June, the Stella McCartney Eco-Collection will be offered at Harvey Nichols and McCartney’s fl agship on London’s Bruton Street in addition to the company’s Los Angeles and New York outposts and Barneys New York, which will broaden the distribution to its shops nationwide. “I always wanted to go beyond the one store,” she said. “Eco-friendly fashion is something I’ve always felt strongly about. You have to create a demand so the client base [for organic clothing] will grow.”

The line has 20 items in all, up from last fall’s 16-piece capsule debut. Offerings include everything from tunic dresses and breezy tops to sculpted overcoats and loosely cut suits — all rendered with McCartney’s signature louche, effortless style. “It would be weird if we made it completely alien to what we do on a daily basis,” she noted. “You should treat the design process and luxury and quality element of the product in exactly the same way. You shouldn’t have to sacrifi ce your style.”

Colors, which range from earthy ecrus and browns to a pale raspberry pink, come cour-tesy of a low-impact dye technique that involves no toxic chemicals. “It requires less rins-ing,” McCartney added, “so there’s less water waste overall. It’s much more ecological than the conventional dyeing process.”

While she concedes that sourcing organic fabrics is diffi cult, she enjoys the challenge. “We try to make it less of a limitation and more of an excitement,” she said. In fact, she takes a broad view and some of the styles are not completely organic per se. McCartney re-cycles fabrics from her own archive, not to mention past buttons and trimmings for a little whimsical runway déjà vu. “You take things you’ve used before and see them with a fresh eye and turn them on their head,” she said.

And down the road will this Eco-Collection expand to categories like accessories and innerwear? Not likely, McCartney responded. “We wouldn’t need to,” she said, noting this earth-friendly sensibility has been at the core of her company since its launch in 2001. “We’ve been doing organic for years in my own collection, in my lingerie and with the Adidas collaboration,” McCartney said. “We touch on it across the board. I think it’s a bit more sincere to do that. It’s part and parcel for us as a brand.” — Venessa Lau

Ever GreenStella McCartney continues to lead the earth-friendly fashion

movement, expanding on her organic Eco-Collection.

Looks from the Stella McCartney

Eco-Collection.

SECTION II

WWDGREEN

6 WWD, TUESDAY, APRIL 8, 2008

The Hip SideA little green goes a long way in Los Angeles, whether it’s in business or everyday life. Here are some ways fashion insiders are making a difference. — Leila Baboi

Jesse Kamm, designer.

“I’ve been driving on

recycled vegetable oil

for 18 months,” says

Kamm. Here, she wears

Enza Costa Rogue’s

Supima tissue jersey

shirt and EcoSkin’s

bamboo Tencel blend

dress. Jesse Kamm hat;

her own ring.

▲

▲▲

Chrys and Linda

Wong, designers,

The Battalion.

From left on

Chrys and Linda,

whose line is

eco-friendly:

The Battalion’s

organic bamboo

cotton blouse

and Velvet

Leaf’s organic

cotton jeans.

Giuseppe Zanotti

boots; John

Hardy bangles.

The Battalion’s

bamboo vest,

Quiksilver’s

organic cotton

tank and organic

bamboo cotton

pants. Nikki

Jaggs belt; her

own vintage

pumps.

Mikey Koffman,

philanthropist

and owner of

The Gallery Los

Angeles Eco Public

Relations and

Marketing.

“We’re planning

reforestation

trips to offset our

carbon footprint

for the company,”

says Koffman, who

wears Quiksilver’s

organic cotton

shirt, Sustainable

Collective by

Convoy’s organic

cotton and hemp

vest and Edun

organic cotton

pants. Koffman’s

jewelry.

WWD.COM

7WWD, TUESDAY, APRIL 8, 2008

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▲ Emmy Kasten, founder, Little Black

Dress, and editor in chief of 944

magazine, and daughter Alex.

“We [publish] an annual green

issue, and this month we began

printing 944 on eco-friendly paper

stock,” says Kasten, who

wears Skins and Threads’

cotton-cashmere blend dress.

Nikki Jaggs belt. On Alex:

Alternative Apparel’s organic

cotton onesie. Janie Jack shoes.

SECTION II

WWDGREEN

8 WWD, TUESDAY, APRIL 8, 2008

Mild Mannered

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Woo’s organic

cotton pointelle

dress and Lutz &

Patmos’ organic

cotton sweater.

DKNY tights.

H&M’s

organic

cotton

dress.

Deborah

Lindquist

scarf.

Organic’s

recycled

embroidered

cotton blouse

and Jesse

May’s cotton

cashmere

blend dress.

DKNY thigh-

highs.

Languid, easy shapes are one signature of organic style, and an earthy, neutral palette drives home the point.

WWD.COM

9WWD, TUESDAY, APRIL 8, 2008

What’s Old Is New Again

BY THE BOOK: Leave it to Horst M. Rechelbacher, founder of Aveda and Intelligent Nutrients, to break new ground once again in the green movement with his third book, “Minding Your Business: Profits That Restore the Planet,” which comes out in May. Published by Earth Aware Editions, the book acts as a guide for consumers and businesses seeking a healthy, sustainable economy, while exploring emerging trends in “eco-prenurial” commerce and eco-consumerism.

“The book is all about my mission and how I believe business should be done — being conscious about self and the planet and not separate the two...from the packaging to solar energy,” said Rechelbacher. “Minding Your Business” features a new paradigm that Rechelbacher refers to as “enlightened capitalism,” showing businesses and consumers how to rethink old business standards and build a sustainable and ethical global economy. — Michelle Edgar

FOR SOME WOMEN, HAVING CHILDREN CAN THROW A WRENCHin their career plans. Not so with jewelry designer Jennifer Dawes. Following the birth of her son almost two years ago, she revamped her California-based line, Dawes Design, to include only recycled gold, conflict-free diamonds and responsibly mined stones.

“After I gave birth to my son, I was soul-searching,” said Dawes, who fi rst launched her jewelry line in 2000. “I needed [my work] to be more meaningful to me.”

When Dawes went sustainable, her jewelry garnered new interest online, as word spread through eco-conscious blogs. “I actually haven’t had this much attention on my work before,” she said. “A lot of people don’t know they have the option of getting sustainable jewelry. There are not that many people doing it.”

For Dawes, bestsellers include recycled gold stacking rings and jewel-adorned hoop earrings and bracelets wholesaling for $325 to $750; 18-karat hand-hammered rings with rose cut diamonds, wholesaling from

$475 up to $1,425 for a large diamond

solitaire ring and her customized stacking stone collection in which customers

can choose their own stones, cuts

and band thickness.Dawes estimates

2008 sales will reach $500,000. The jewelry is sold online at dawes-design.com and at ABC Carpet & Home in New York, The Clay Pot in Brooklyn, N.Y., and Gallery of Jewels in San Francisco, among other locations. — Beth Wilson

Gold Standards

Here and

below, looks

from Dawes

Design.

Jennifer Dawes

Looks

by Milen

Krastev

and Rob

Curry

of the

Academy

of Art

University.

SAN FRANCISCO DESIGNERS AND FASHION STUDENTS ARE CELEBRATING spring by recasting used apparel and fabric into chic cocktail dresses, evening gowns and tuxedos, to be auctioned April 26 to benefit the homeless.

The From Discarded to Divine gala is hosted by the Academy of Art University fashion school and benefi ts the city’s St. Vincent de Paul Society, whose programs include running a large homeless shelter, as well as clothing about 12,000 of San Francisco’s working poor.

Participating Bay Area designers include Jessica McClintock, Cari Borja, Sara Shepherd, Colleen Quen, Michael Boris, Nice Collective and Verrieres & Sako, as well as students from the academy, the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising and City College of San Francisco. The well-attended annual party also isn’t missing a green moment, as plates and cutlery will be made of potatoes and vegetable starch.

— Joanna Ramey

SECTION II WWD.COM

WWD, TUESDAY, APRIL 8, 200810

WWDGREEN

Classic textiles in shades of gray take an eco-conscious spin for the spring 2009 season. — Kim FridayGet Smart

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From top: Symphony

Fabrics Corp. bamboo and

cotton thermal; Ecotex

organic cotton swiss dot;

Jasco Eco organic wool

interlock; Invista seersucker

fl at knit with Xtra Life Lycra

and wool; Be Mode Textile Co.

Tencel and linen; Epic Textiles Inc.

organic cotton reversible; Farbetex

SA interlock organic cotton.

SECTION II

WWD, TUESDAY, APRIL 8, 200812

By Sharon Edelson

GREEN ISN’T ALWAYS A COLOR.Today, the word green also signifi es sensitivity to

the environment. In fashion, this may involve any of the following initiatives: sourcing sustainable materi-als, growing organic fi bers, contracting with factories whose treatment of workers is ethical, delivering gar-ments in a way that has the least impact on the envi-ronment, reducing energy and chemical emissions and fi nding unique ways to dispose of waste.

There’s no direct correlation between the size of a company and the level of its engagement in environ-mentally responsible activities. Some small companies are completely eco-friendly, while others haven’t taken the fi rst step. Large fi rms may have a harder time har-nessing far-fl ung divisions with many employees, but even a single such initiative can have a big impact.

Wal-Mart has been selling compact energy-effi cient fl uorescent lightbulbs with the goal of selling 100 mil-lion of the bulbs. The retail giant also introduced its most energy-effi cient U.S. store, the HE.5 prototype in March, which will use up to 45 percent less energy than a traditional Supercenter. The HE.5 is part of a series of prototypes designed for specifi c climates. Wal-Mart’s goal is to design and open a viable store prototype that is 25 to 30 percent more energy-effi -cient by 2009.

Lee Scott, Wal-Mart’s chief executive offi cer, has said the company is working with suppliers to make the most energy-intensive products in Wal-Mart stores 25 percent more energy-effi cient within three years. “Taking waste and nonrenewable energy out of our supply chain reduces the amount of pollution and greenhouse gases our suppliers send into the at-mosphere,” Scott said. “And helping our customers buy more sustainable products and be better stew-ards of the environment reduces their own carbon footprint. This is something that I think all of us can be proud of.”

Although critics argue that Wal-Mart has built more than 2,000 stores since 2005 and fewer than 10 of them are green, a Wal-Mart spokeswoman said all of the company’s stores are built with energy-effi cient and environmentally friendly features such as skylights for a daylight harvesting system that can reduce up to 75 percent of lighting energy used in a Supercenter dur-ing daylight hours.

Ventura-Calif.-based Patagonia uses solar energy

and effi cient cooling in part at its corporate headquar-ters, but admits it needs to study the environmental impact of the company, especially the area of carbon neutrality. In the fall, the company launched an ini-tiative, the Footprint Chronicles, which studies the impact of fi ve products, including wool sweaters and polyester jackets, as they move through the supply chain from sourcing through delivery. “It basically ad-mits that the supply chain is the bulk of the impact,” said Jill Dumain, director of environmental analysis.

Patagonia, which entered the apparel market in 1973, developed a reputation for donating money to grassroots environmental causes that help replenish natural resources that the sport of rock climbing, in part, diminished. But the company soon realized that while it was giving money to protect a river thousands of miles away, local resources were being affected by its manufacturing processes. Patagonia in 1991 com-missioned a study to look at its use of fi ber. The use

of organic cotton and natural fi bers grew from that data. Patagonia also uses recycled cotton from Italy, recycled polyester from Japan, natural fi bers from the U.S. and Taiwan and wool from New Zealand.

The Patagonia Eco Shell performance jacket con-tains chemicals and synthetic fi bers including a nylon shell, polyurethane coating and polyester lining. The company in 2005 found a way to recycle the jacket, which includes outsourcing to a Japanese company whose mill de-polymizes the polyester so there is no damaging chemical reaction to melting it down.

Nike went one step further, using manufacturing waste for its Trash Talk performance basketball shoe. The footwear manufacturer and retailer has realized a 17 percent reduction in waste and a 30 percent re-duction in packaging and point-of-purchase waste. The company is recycling waste back into other Nike prod-ucts. It has recycled 18 million pairs of used, counter-feit or damaged shoes. Nike has other solutions for waste such as developing waste management centers near clusters of factories that would provide effi cien-cy and critical mass for recycling wastes that couldn’t be reduced or reused in the factories. The company pointed out that in addition to helping create the cen-ters, it has developed the processes for the factories to supply waste to them.

Because recycling can’t fi ll every need, Nike has ex-panded its use of environmentally preferred materials into its products. Now the company is urging suppli-ers to make environmentally preferred materials more cost-effective. The company’s goal is to eliminate by 2010 the CO2 footprint from Nike offi ces, distribution centers, retail and travel.

Like all brands at French luxury giant LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, Louis Vuitton must conform to an environmental charter established in 2001. Vuitton began measuring its impact on the environ-ment in 2004 with a goal of reducing its carbon diox-ide emissions and raise awareness among its employ-ees and partners.

Finding that 37 percent of its greenhouse gas emis-sions came from transporting products by air (versus 17 percent for materials used in production and 16 percent for energy consumed in workshops, offi ces and bou-tiques), Vuitton now favors shipments by boat or rail. In 2006, 60 percent of leather goods were transported by sea, a method deemed 40 percent less polluting.

What’s more, new and refurbished stores with ad-vanced lighting use 30 percent less electricity, while electrical consumption at Vuitton’s Paris headquarters was reduced by 18 percent. Eliminating excess packag-ing during shipments also reduced some 132 tons of waste in 2006.

Taking its green policy further into architecture, last year Vuitton opened a warehouse in Cergy on the outskirts of Paris that employs geothermic heating for

WWDGREEN

Apparel Brands Find Their Eco-Friendly SidesMaking environmentally conscious decisions can make good business sense.

“You [have to] start looking at

indirect costs and the environmental

impact of your business model.”— Scott Hahn, Loomstate

Recycled boxes at Patagonia’s Reno distribution center.

The modernist exterior of Louis Vuitton’s ecological warehouse outside Paris.The modernist exterior of Louis Vuitton’s ecological warehouse outside Paris.

WWD.COM

WWD, TUESDAY, APRIL 8, 2008 13

offi ces, high-performance insulation, natural lighting and a water-fi ltering process. It was also situated at a site easily accessible by public transit.

Howies is a fraction of Louis Vuitton’s size, with only a single store, an 800-square-foot fl agship on Carnaby Street in London. But the Cardigan, Wales-based brand, which specializes in casual apparel for men, women and children, gave the store many en-vironmental features, such as reclaimed wood and eco-friendly paint. A customer-operated light switch allows lights to be turned on only when needed and there’s a fresh water tap for refi lling plastic water bottles. Next year, the brand plans to open a similar store in Bristol, England.

Howies’ collections utilize buttons made from natural and nontoxic South American Tagua nuts and New Zealand Zqüe sustainable organic merino wool chosen for its quality and because it’s shipped by boat, reducing the carbon footprint. Shipments from China are consolidated into a single journey, rather than several separate shipments. The com-pany also tries to curb waste by printing T-shirt de-signs on-site in Wales, rather than in bulk in Turkey. T-shirts are printed daily in order to prevent waste from surplus stock. By the fall, the brand’s offering will be entirely organic, which is far more important to the company than slavishly following trends. “We are not trying to be too trendy because we want the garments to last. We want to wear them until they wear out, not just until they go out of fashion so they aren’t wasted. So we try to keep it classic,” said co-founder David Hieatt.

Loomstate co-founder Scott Hahn agrees. He said the key to sustainability is understanding the prod-uct life cycle. “You [have to] start looking at indirect costs and the environmental impact of your business model,” he said. “Are you polluting? What’s your car-bon footprint? What’s the environment of your facil-ity? It could be anything from the products in the bathrooms to the paint on the walls.” Other keys to sustainability include understanding a business’ social impact. “What are the sociological costs to what you’re putting into the market?” Hahn said, noting that these factors can include moral issues, employees’ wages and whether team values are being communicated.

Loomstate is committed to a certain supply chain that “starts at the farm with soil fertility and sourcing organic cotton,” Hahn said. “There are the terms of engagement with the factories. Enforceability is lever-aged through contracts. We’re small so we have less leverage, but we’re a marquis brand in the sustainabil-ity context. It’s a sexy brand and celebrities are wear-ing it. When we started, there was no organic cotton denim. We built a culture around this.”

— With contributions from Marcy Medina, Miles Socha and Lucie Greene

GREEN DRINKS INTERNATIONAL PROVIDES A SOCIAL OUTLET FOR LIKE-MINDED INDIVIDUALS to get together and discuss environmental problems and solutions. Started in London in 1989 by a group of environmentally conscious friends, Green Drinks International has spawned 350 chapters worldwide, includ-ing in Australia, South Korea, India, Afghanistan and dozens of U.S. cities, according to greendrinks.org.

At Green Drinks, “people are relieved to be in a space where you’re not the odd one out if you want to talk about the environment,” says Heather Burns-DeMelo, a magazine editor and co-founder of CT Green Scene (ctgreenscene.com), launched in July 2007 for environmental news, information and events in Connecticut.

More than 200 eco-conscious residents of Fairfi eld County in Connecticut and Westchester County in New York, as well as New York City, met at the fi rst event in October to socialize and discuss environmen-tal issues. The event has already helped lead to business deals, according to Burns-DeMelo. And with major corporations in the Fairfi eld area such as United Technologies and General Electric, it’s crucial to raise environmental awareness among affl uent residents, Burns-DeMelo says. “These are the people who can really make the change.”

— Melanie Lasoff Levs

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Eat, Drink and Be Green

Louis Vuitton’s Cergy warehouse was designed to use less heat and electricity.

A worker at the Reno

Patagonia center.

A look from Howies

stands up to the

elements.

Patagonia chose an idyllic setting for its Reno facility.

SECTION II WWD.COM

WWDGREEN

14 WWD, TUESDAY, APRIL 8, 2008

Potential PartnersBy Joyce Barrett

LIMITED BRANDS IS REVIEWING THE QUALITYof a shipment of organic cotton from Burkina Faso, and the results of the tests could have far-reaching implications for the company and the farmers of this small, landlocked West African nation.

A preliminary order by a Limited Brands ven-dor of 600 tons of organic cotton was shipped from Burkina Faso in December and is being ginned in a Mumbai, India, plant, one of the only plants in the world that has a Fair Trade Certifi cate.

The fi ber is longer and has proven to be of even higher quality than the lingerie and personal care retailer envisioned, com-pany offi cials said, meaning the range of potential uses for the cotton is great-er than originally anticipated.

“The results from early testing and evaluation of the cotton are promis-ing,” said a company offi cial who asked to remain anonymous. “Other process-es, such as spinning of the yarn and fabric making, are being evaluated.”

According to a company spokes-man, Limited Brands has been study-ing the African cotton sector since 2000 when the African Growth and Opportunity Act was signed into law. The act enhances U.S. market access for 39 sub-Saharan African countries, primarily via duty free benefi ts.

“Africa is a natural, low-cost, high-quality environmentally friendly pro-ducer of fi ber,” said the spokesman.

If Limited Brands decides to make another order, the benefi ts to Burkinabe cotton farm-ers will be great. A decision likely will have to be made soon, as the planting season begins in June and farmers will need to make crop decisions.

Last year’s preliminary order of organic cotton is the largest single buy for organic cotton ever placed in Burkina Faso, and the possibility of supplying a major U.S. retailer with organic cotton has sparked intense interest and cooperation between the Burkina Faso government, its cotton union, the National Union of Cotton Producers of Burkina Faso, and growers.

Wilfried Yameogo, permanent secretary for the priva-tized cotton sector in Burkina Faso, said that, while the partnership would undoubtedly boost his country’s economy, the women who work the small village farms with their families would be the fi rst to benefi t.

“Thanks to this, women who are organic cotton farmers have a major change in their life’s possibili-ties. They are seeing tangible results already because of the premium price from Limited Brands,” he said. “They’re able to invest in everyday life, their kids,

health care and schools. This partnership has given them faith in life.”

Because it has eliminated traders from the trans-actions, 80 percent of the price of the cotton is going to the Burkina Faso producers, a Limited Brands offi cial said. The Fair Trade premium negotiated by Limited Brands is paying for up to 20 wells in 15 Burkina Faso villages. A scarcity of water is a prime problem in the country, which borders the Sahara Desert. The wells are expected to be completed by November at the end of the rainy season.

Burkina Faso is one of the poorest countries in the world and is about the size of Colorado. The average

income for the approximate 14 million Burkinabe is less than $1,000 a year, according to the World Bank. The country, bordered by Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Niger and Mali, has few natural resources, and some 85 percent of its citizens are engaged in ag-riculture, primarily subsistence farming. Just 10 per-cent of its agricultural production is in cash crops, according to the International Monetary Fund.

Cotton is its economic mainstay, and Burkina Faso is the largest cotton producer in sub-Saharan Africa. Its cotton production has grown 19 percent over the past 10 years, and its share of world cotton exports has tripled during that time, despite a slump in world prices, according to the IMF.

Enhanced cotton production is viewed by the IMF in a February report as a path out of poverty for the 700,000 Burkinabe cotton workers, an estimated 17 percent of the country’s population. The sale of cot-tonseed is the main or only source of cash revenue for rural farmers, and the expansion of cotton grow-ing has stimulated increased production of other

crops and reduced poverty by 25 percent in cotton-growing zones, the IMF reported.

Under the leadership of Limited Brands, organic cotton production in Burkina Faso has rapidly ad-vanced. Burkinabe farmers are using cotton bags sewn locally to harvest cotton instead of the rough plastic bags that contaminated the organic crop. The cotton union has helped buy clean trucks to transport the crops. Women stir up a botanical insecticide from an indigenous tree and so avoid using chemicals.

“We want to do our part to make sure Africa suc-ceeds as a potential partner in the global market,” the Limited offi cial said. “We are providing technical

assistance to the women farmers in Burkina and hope our efforts will en-able them to become competitive in the marketplace.”

Organic cotton production is in-creasing yearly. In 2005, 350 tons of or-ganic cotton were produced; 1,000 tons were produced last year, and the 2008 crop is expected to reach almost 3,000 tons. Annual production of organic cotton is expected to ultimately reach up to 4,500 tons. In 2006-2007, 49,959 metric tons of organic cotton were pro-duced worldwide, according to a July 2007 report by the Organic Exchange.

Burkina Faso also is attractive to Limited Brands because of the status of women. While genital mutilation still occurs — as it does in many West African countries — the Burkina Faso government has outlawed the practice and is even holding responsible fam-ily members or neighbors who know

about the practice. Also, state law gives many rights to women, and Burkinabe women have more say in do-mestic and economic matters than those in many other African countries.

The public relations aspect of sourcing Fair Trade organic cotton from one of the poorest countries in the world is not lost on Limited Brands.

“There is a euphoria about the environment, and making a difference is important,” Ted Adams, vice president of company affairs at Limited Brands, said. “The community looks at fi ber, who harvests it, how it’s grown, how it’s picked and everything that sur-rounds it. If we could design an organic cotton story, West Africa would be a good start.”

Costs also are a part of the equation. “Operating in an eco-conscious way depends on our ability to balance between what our customers want, the envi-ronmental impact and delivering value to our share-holders,” Adams said. “Our production teams look at many factors in making production decisions. This is one of the many options we’re considering.”

In an effort to keep pace with the rising demand for organic and environmentally friendly fabrics and apparel, synthetic fiber manufacturers have sought to improve their production practices while intro-

ducing a host of lower-impact products.The amount of energy used to manufacture man-made fi bers makes claiming en-

vironmental bona fi des a diffi cult task. Synthetics such as nylon and polyester begin as hard polymer pellets that are melted at high temperatures. Achieving those tem-peratures requires factories to burn oil or natural gas. Once melted, the product is forced through a series of extruders that allow it to be worked into a fi ber.

Invista was early to introduce a synthetic product with a lower environmen-tal impact. In 2002, Invista, which was a part of DuPont at the time, introduced Easy Set Lycra spandex, which enables fabrics to be heat-set at lower tempera-tures without losing performance characteristics. The fi ber allows Lycra to be used with delicate fi bers such as silk and wool, which can’t withstand extreme temperatures. Invista is touting Easy Set Lycra as a way for manufacturers to save energy and a product that works well with natural textiles such as bamboo, soy, hemp and organic cotton.

Other synthetic giants have been racing to come up with similar lower-im-pact products. In January 2007, Toray Industries announced it would be in-troducing a line of textiles manufactured from recycled nylon 6 fi bers, a key component in the production of outwear and athletic wear.

In an interview with WWD at the time, Kenny Gotcher, a sales executive with Toray, said the new process allows post-industrial waste yarn to be remelted

and spun back into a yarn. Since the fi ber has already gone through the produc-tion process, recycled nylon 6 uses only 15 percent of the energy necessary to make virgin nylon.

Hyosung’s Creora spandex business introduced a suite of lower-impact prod-ucts during the Intertextile Shanghai trade show in 2007. Creora unveiled two low-temperature set spandex products as well as a new black spandex engi-neered to reduce the use of dyes and other fi nishing products. According to the company’s research, by developing a fi ber with a set temperature 15 degrees lower than traditional spandex, carbon dioxide emissions are reduced by 162 tons a year — roughly the amount emitted by 84 cars in a year.

“I think we still need to do more work on helping customers merchandise the energy savings to the consumers,” said Ria Stern, Creora’s global market-ing and brand director. Stern said the company is looking to develop a labeling system similar to the Energy Star label to help easily convey the benefi ts of certain products to consumers.

More recently, Hyosung announced it was launching a recycled nylon and polyester program. The company’s nylon business is collecting nylon fi shing nets, rope and fabrics and breaking them back down to their chemical ingredi-ents in order to produce a recycled nylon. They’re also collecting plastic bottles to produce recycled polyester.

“By doing it this way, the quality of the product we produce is the same as if you were making virgin nylon, but you reduce landfi ll waste and reduce energy usage,” said Stern.

— Ross Tucker

Pitching In

A Fair Trade partnership with

Limited Brands would have

far-reaching effects for thousands

of Burkinabe cotton farmers.

Limited Brands eyes an organic cotton venture in West Africa.

Buhler Qualtiy Yarns is a spinner of fi ne high quality yarns suited for fi ne outer wear, lingerie, hosiery, and special

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SECTION II WWD.COM

WWDGREEN

16 WWD, TUESDAY, APRIL 8, 2008

A Leg UpThe Hosiery Association and its membership work to green their businesses.

By Marilyn Nason

FROM FIBERS AND YARNS TO SHEERS AND SOCKS, THE HOSIERYAssociation, based in Charlotte, N.C., is focusing on helping its legwear company membership understand the various aspects and sustainability implications of im-plementing eco-friendly programs and helping consumers wade through the clut-ter of various green labels to make environmentally friendly buying decisions.

THA’s major goal this year is to position itself as “the go-to entity for legwear information, thus offering consumers information that should enable them to make an educated purchasing decision,” said Sally Kay, THA president and chief executive offi cer. Refl ecting this, the as-sociation is working on changes to its Web site (hosieryas-sociation.com), adding a new section titled “Green Feats: Pairing Innovation With the Environment.” “Its purpose is to provide information for the legwear industry, the retailer and the consumer,” said Kay. “From an indus-try perspective, the more knowledgeable it is about sustainable manufacturing processes, the more effec-tive it can become in making sound business decisions to help both consumers and the environment.”

Underscoring THA members’ commitment to envi-ronmental responsibility, a number of companies are adding eco-friendly aspects to their business. “This in-cludes many parts of the supply chain including natural fi bers and a high percentage of cotton yarns; packaging in-novation using less material and biodegradable materials, and overall energy conservation, including ongoing reduction in water consumption,” said Bill Nichol, chairman of both THA and Gildan USA. “Our membership will lead the global hosiery industry in offering green opportunities to our customers.”

For example, Unifi Inc., the Greensboro, N.C.-based diversifi ed producer and processor of multifi lament polyester and nylon textured yarns and related raw materials, has had its Repreve family of recycled polyester yarns independently

certifi ed for 100 percent recycled con-tent by Scientifi c Certifi cation Systems, a leading third-party auditor, certifi er and standards developer. For every pound of Repreve yarn used, “Some 61,000 BTUs are conserved,” according to Bett Anderson, marketing manager of SCS.

Although Repreve is made of 100 per-cent recycled reused waste, “It provides the same fi rst quality standards and same

performance of virgin polyester, so can be used alone or with other fi -

bers,” said Anderson, who added that the fi ber works well combined in spandex or cotton blends.

Repreve yarns are used in apparel and hosiery, as well as home furnishings and automotive uses, including Kushyfeet athletic socks and Colortex, Patagonia and Perry Ellis apparel.

Israel-based Nilit, a 34-year-old manufacturer of nylon 6.6 poly-amide fi bers for legwear, apparel, swimwear and activewear, has been able to implement several sustainable procedures thanks to its completely vertical production process, from polymerization and extrusion to spinning and packing, according to Molly Kremidas,

U.S.marketing director for the company.While not visible to the consumer, one of Nilit’s most consistent ongo-

ing environmental efforts has long focused on encouraging its customers to ship back pallets and even its metal and cardboard bobbins for in-plant

recycling. “We feel such basic efforts at recycling and reusing this way are part of being good stewards of the environment as a global company,” Kremidas said. “We are truly committed in order to achieve optimum sustainability; the environ-ment must be a consideration throughout all aspects of our business.”

Because they are used in close-to-the-body garments, Nilit yarns are certifi ed by the Oeko-Tex Standard 100 to be free from harmful levels of more than 100 substances. “Textile safety has always been important to our European apparel

customers and the same demand has been growing rapidly in the U.S. market for our customers, as well as for consumers,” she said.

Also on the forefront of incorporating sustainable fi bers into hosiery products currently on the market is Kayser-Roth Corp., through its No Nonsense and Hue labels, as well as its in-plant manufacturing recycle/reuse programs. Hue bamboo fi ber socks have been on the market for a year and a half in department and specialty stores, according to public relations director Alison Hessert, and are available in both anklet and ribbed knee-high styles. In the No Nonsense line, the bamboo fi bers offer a naturally breathable factor.

Kayser-Roth also makes use of hemp, wool, cotton, corn-based and recycled nylon polyester fi bers, with strong emphasis on recycling and reusing materials in packaging, as well.

Nylon hosiery

by Nilit.

THA

ceo and

president

Sally Kay.

The recent integration of Australian Wool Innovation (AWI) and The Woolmark Company is an exciting step forward for our partners looking to grow their fine apparel, interior textiles and wool after care businesses. It means we cannow offer a totally integrated support network for Woolmark licensees around the globe, providing collaboration and accreditation throughout the wool pipeline – from the farm gate to the city store.

More than ever before, our licensees will be able to assure consumers that the products

Our A$120 million commitmentto the futureOver the next three years, AWI will invest A$120 million to support Merino wool, licenseeproducts and our brands and standards. Our Woolmark, Australian Merino, Interior Textilesand Product After Care licensees will all be ableto leverage this incredible investment to increase sales and profitability.

We will launch a new branding strategy later this year, including new swing tickets, labels and in-store material, to ensure the Woolmark portfolio is as fresh as the new era of Merino products. This refreshed portfolio will include recognition of the highest global standards forMerino wool, and a country of origin program.

An upgraded global testing program is under way,d li t l t l t

Greener pastures for Merino consumersOne of the ‘hottest’ areas AWI is working on right now is helping our partners meet the rapidly growing consumer demand for greener, more environmentally friendly products. Throughresearch and development, we’re gaining ever-deeper knowledge of what consumers really mean (and are willing to pay for) when they look for greener goods.

As consumers seek natural alternatives in clothing, interior textiles and cleaning methods, Merinogarments and care products are the ideal choice. Merino wool is natural, biodegradable and sustainable with an array of innate benefits including; durability, softness, breathability, UV, crease and odour resistance - all whilst remaining easy to care for and affordable

2 billion reasons to bea part of Woolmark

SECTION II

WWDGREEN

18 WWD, TUESDAY, APRIL 8, 2008

Slow RideA number of fashion designers are stepping back from the disposable world of fast

fashion, instead focusing on a more eco-conscious, long-term approach.

By Khanh T.L. Tran

FAST FASHION, MEET YOUR ALTER EGO: SLOW fashion.

Mired by a softening economy, dwindling supply of natural resources and fatigue from constantly chasing trends, a grow-ing number of designers, retailers and consumers are turning their attention to an emerging trend called slow fashion.

Slow fashion takes its cues from slow food, an interna-tional movement started in 1989 to counteract fast food and fast life. Worried about the disappearance of local food traditions and people’s declining interest in the taste and origins of the food they eat, supporters of slow food advo-cate that food should taste good and be produced in a clean way that does not harm the environment, animal welfare or one’s health. They also believe that food producers should receive fair compensation for their work.

“Everyone in the industry is exhausted by the rapid pace of change, by ever-reducing lead times and the pressure to reinvent one’s self and products several times a season,” said Kate Fletcher, author of “Sustainable Fashion and Textiles: Design Journeys.” Fletcher cautions, though, that “slowing fashion down is a different business model to the one that we see at the moment.”

Indeed, Renée L’Abbé, creative strategist for product de-sign consultancy Creative Research Unit in Vancouver, cited three points in slow fashion: the materials have “thoughtful” beginnings, in the sense that the designer studied where they came from and how they were derived; the clothes are con-structed by well-paid workers, and they are built to last. Some techniques that designers can employ to create slow fashion

are focusing on classic silhouettes, producing fewer stock-keeping units and referring to a palette dominated by black, white, gray, beige and one trendy color. “The success of slow fashion at the consumer level will be largely determined by how a company markets the idea,” she said.

The conscious decision to create slow fashion also sets limitations on designers. For example, because knitwear line Makepiece handles all its sourcing and manufactur-ing in the U.K., its yarn supply is restricted to wool, mo-hair and alpaca, which designer Nicola Sherlock trans-forms into a unique stitch. Fortunately, Sherlock also can purchase a herringbone weave made at a mill located only 15 miles from Makepiece’s studio in Todmorden in northern England. Beate Kubitz, the company’s business manager, also tends a fl ock of 70 Shetland sheep, which serve as the source for a felt lace as light as blotting paper. “Form and content go together,” Kubitz said.

For other companies, it’s diffi cult to ensure local production after most apparel manufacturing has migrated overseas.

One solution is to locate the source of the fab-ric close to the factory. For example, Portland, Ore.-based outdoor clothier Nau stitches its denim jeans in Turkey, where the organic cot-ton is grown. Even after a customer leaves a store with a purchase, Nau’s job isn’t done. It designs all of its products to be washed in cold water, eliminating the need for dry cleaning. “If you’re really thinking about sustainability, you have to think about the entire process,”

Left: Entermodal’s

Italian vegetable-

tanned leather

overnight bag with

recycled aluminum

hardware.

Uluru’s hand-

embellished

tunic is

produced

with

Alabama

Chanin.

WWD.COM

19WWD, TUESDAY, APRIL 8, 2008

said Ian Yolles, Nau’s vice presi-dent of marketing.

Slow fashion can take various forms. Levi’s 501s, couture gowns, vintage coats, classic cardigans by agnès b. and other items that can be worn for decades are re-garded as slow fashion. An eco angle doesn’t necessarily guar-antee automatic inclusion in a slow-fashion closet, however. An organic cotton T-shirt tossed after only three months of use epitomizes fast fashion.

To be sure, fast fashion isn’t going away. Hennes & Mauritz recently reported that store openings and lower buying costs boosted its fi rst-quarter profi ts by 28 percent, as sales advanced 18 percent to 19.74 billion Swedish kronor, or $3.1 billion at current exchange. Inditex, the Spanish retailer that owns Zara, said it would continue to aggres-sively roll out stores, with 942 million euros, or $1.49 billion, earmarked for international ex-pansion over the next 12 months. Inditex said it planned to open as many as 640 stores this year, up from 560 last year.

“Fast fashion is king,” said Larry Olmstead, designer and founder of a leather accesso-ries brand called Entermodal in Portland, Ore. “That’s the reality. We can’t change that. But what we can do is try to work within it.”

A former backpack de-signer, Olmstead said he trav-eled for two years in Italy and England to meet with tanner-ies and farms before introduc-ing his fi rst handcrafted bag in 2007. Anticipating that a cus-tomer might use a bag for only a few years, he designed a se-ries dubbed the “Thoughtful Collection” to be made with a single panel of leather folded into an origami-like receptacle. The leather can be later re-cycled and transformed into a smaller bag. “It’s trying to de-velop a relationship with your customer and community to re-capture that material,” he said.

Moreover, understanding the behavior and needs of consum-ers and engaging them to change are crucial to the slow-fashion movement. “It’s why someone keeps something and wears it often,” said Lynda Grose, who teaches sustainable fashion de-

sign at the California College of the Arts in San Francisco. Grose pointed out there are options for fashionistas who don’t

want to become anachronistic pack rats. BagBorroworSteal.com rents designer wares to addicts of “It” bags, for instance. Fast-fashion retailers also can become responsible for the excessive consumption they’ve spawned by recycling used clothing, she said.

In Southern California, the birthplace of numerous fl ashy trends, retailer Jeannine Braden promotes hand-fi nished designs by Koi Suwannagate, Uluru and Natalie Chanin, whom she likens to artists working with needles instead of paintbrushes. As such, to help promote slow fashion to her savvy shoppers at Fred Segal Flair and Post 26, both located in Santa Monica, Calif., she trains her staff to describe the clothing as if they are selling artwork. “Sometimes you need to say: ‘This is where the person’s head is at. It takes three months to make. This is why it’s expensive,’” Braden said. “You can’t be fi ckle with slow fashion. It’s heartfelt. You know it’s a craft.”

For Undesigned by Carol Young, the timeless design and qual-ity extolled by slow fashion can be easily integrated into her cus-tomers’ lifestyles. “Most of them are busy professional women,” said Young, who designs her seven-year-old line out of her shop in Los Angeles’ hip Los Feliz district. “They’re interested in the

arts and pop culture but they’re not fashionistas. It’s important for them to have their own personal style.”

With the downturn in the economy, emotions also come into play at the cash register. “Consumers are in debt and more thoughtful about their purchases, feeling empty and suffocated by stuff, devel-oping concern for the environment and starting to question about how and by whom the goods are made,” said Caroline Priebe, who designs Uluru in Brooklyn. While she produces some of her silk, Italian Merino and cashmere p ieces in Hong Kong and Shanghai, she regards her true slow-fashion designs as the woven items made in New York, sweaters hand-knitted in Peru and tops hand-embel-lished in a collaboration with Natalie Chanin’s Alabama Chanin.

Spinning a tale also goes with selling clothes. Just ask Jessa Brinkmeyer, a former fashion writer who in September opened an eco boutique called Pivot in Chicago’s Fulton Market district, where she sells $30 organic cotton tanks from Toggery and $385 ahimsa silk dresses cut on the bias by Ajna, among other wares. In a challenging retail environment, she said it helps for people to feel connected to what they buy by hearing a story about the designers, materials and collections. “Everyone loves if someone compliments you on your shirt or dress. It’s nice to have a story behind it,” she said. “If you say H&M, the story stops there.”

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SECTION II

WWD, TUESDAY, APRIL 8, 200820

By Kavita Daswani

IN CORPORATE BOARDROOMS AND TINY DESIGNER STUDIOS AROUNDthe country, fashion executives are asking themselves a question they never would have posed even five years ago: Can we move our production closer to home?

In a trend just starting to take hold in fashion brands — some of the larger main-stream ones as well as small privately owned labels anchored in the green move-ment — companies are beginning to take another look at their supply chain as well as their fabric sources, and starting to explore the option of moving more produc-tion to the U.S.

“There is much more of a strategic thinking happening,” said Rebecca Calahan Klein, director of program development for Organic Exchange, a Berkeley, Calif.-based nonprofi t organization that works toward expanding organic agriculture. “Companies are now asking themselves questions like ‘Where are we processing, where are we selling,’ and ‘Is this in line with what is best for our business, our customers and the planet?’”

Her organization has been fi elding requests from companies with established organic programs, as well as smaller brands and start-ups. Those who have already been sourcing in the U.S. are wanting to build on that base, looking to do more with fabric and construction. Other companies, especially the newer ones, are interested in sourcing locally.

“There’s a lot of interest in fi nding local suppliers, wanting to know them, and many companies are at that stage of the business where they can be thinking about that,” she said.

Sources say that there are numerous factors behind the trend — and not all of them are related to eco-consciousness. With the recent spate of bad press on toxic toys and other tainted imported products, the idea of having products made do-mestically is more appealing. Beyond that, the weakening dollar and the high cost of fuel is making it more expensive than ever to produce in traditionally low labor cost countries like China and India.

“The cost factor gap is closing,” said Bill Schlabach, owner and president of To Di For, a Los Angeles-based apparel industry consulting company. “While some overseas countries can still make things a lot cheaper, there are factors that are starting to narrow the gap.”

Schlabach said he was working with labels in the contemporary and better cat-egories that were looking toward shifting their production to the U.S. For some, it was a question of tapping into the green trend and being able to use locally pro-duced organic yarns that can be authenticated — something that can’t always be assured in foreign countries.

“There is a big green movement going on, and companies want to be associated with that, and to be associated with being made in the U.S.,” said Schlabach. “It’s just a more politically correct move.”

Marylou Marsh-Sanders, a co-founder of Asheville, N.C.-based Spiritex, which has its own sustainable clothing line as well as private label programs, said she’s noticed a spike in clients wanting to know if she can produce locally.

“It’s starting to be a prerequisite,” she said. “People are concerned with their

WWDGREEN

Closer to HomeFashion producers reconsider the environmental

impact of sourcing goods from far away.

The high cost of fuel is forcing many

companies to rethink the distance

their goods have to travel.

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S

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WWD.COM

21WWD, TUESDAY, APRIL 8, 2008

Looks from Bahar

Shahpar (left) and

Ryann (right), two

designers who

try to source and

produce close to

their New York

bases.

carbon footprint and they want to shine their halos. They look at the causes of pol-lution, of bringing things in from across the seas in those ocean liners. It’s going to continue to be a priority.”

The trend appears to have had an impact on everything from spas looking for small batches of T-shirts to cosmetics brands looking for uniforms.

“We just did a study looking at the cost of making something in New York ver-sus China and the dollar difference was surprisingly small,” said Celeste Lilore, co-owner of New York-based Restore, a clothing line, and Nochairs, which does private label work.

“We’ve been doing a boatload of research on the activewear side, and have dis-covered that differences in labor costs are starting to shrink and the issues of quo-tas and duties are beginning to have an effect as well,” she said. “And beyond that, more and more customers are turning to a lifestyle of health and sustainability. There’s a shift toward a more ethical consumer.”

Companies are doing what they can: Raina Blyer, owner of the Ryann clothing line, has always produced close to her studio in New York.

But she is also looking at sourcing cotton jersey domestically instead of import-ing it. She uses hemp and bamboo in her clothing, which cannot be sourced in the U.S., and until they can has to rely on overseas sources.

“I can’t guarantee the working conditions of the factory unless I am overseas checking out all the facilities,” she said. “Guaranteeing that my line is made sweat-

shop-free is important to me.” To reduce her carbon footprint even further, she tries to hand-deliver orders

to customers instead of using services, and packs clothes in biodegradable packaging.

When another New York designer, Bahar Shahpar, started her line four sea-sons ago, she looked into producing overseas, close to fabric sources like India

and Turkey, before deciding to produce locally.“The push is going to come from smaller companies, which are investing more

of their personal philosophy in their product,” she said. She also co-owns The Four Hundred, a sales and brand development agency, where producing locally is a key factor when working with new clients.

“People didn’t look at it until they were forced to look at it,” she said. “Whatever their causal connection is, it led us to the point where the ball is now in motion — whether it’s out of a concern for fuel consumption or because of rising labor costs.”

Still, for large brands, switching from foreign production to domestic is a huge undertaking. Patagonia, a $280 million Ventura, Calif.-based clothing line, did its own research to examine the real implications of producing in and shipping from overseas, and realized that they had other options instead of moving all their pro-duction Stateside.

“We were about to start embarking on a really hugely logistical process that could have compromised our product quality. It was a massive undertaking to shorten our geographical supply chain,” said Jen Rapp, director of communications for Patagonia. “We’ve always been really concerned about the amount of travel that our products undertake, and assumed that this was an extensive part of their carbon footprint. But when we started to analyze our products’ life cycles and footprints, we found that only 1 percent of that footprint comes from this travel. It was the dyeing, washing and drying that is where the energy is being used, and where we are produc-ing the most carbon.”

So instead of switching production bases, the company is instead asking exist-ing suppliers what they can do to minimize the impact that production has on the environment.

“We’re looking at all those processes and weighing the environmental implica-tions,” she said. “It’s a long-term process, and we’re just at the beginning of it.”

Calahan Klein of Organic Exchange said it was essentially about a revolutionary shift in priority in the apparel world.

“The biggest driver is transparency,” she said. “Price, quality and fi t used to be the primary proxies for value. But now those proxies have expanded to also include environmental and social impacts and economic benefi ts as well.”

SECTION II

WWDGREEN

22 WWD, TUESDAY, APRIL 8, 2008

Conscientious ConstructionA growing number of retailers are adopting green building practices.

By Anne Riley-Katz

A TOILET THAT COSTS $7,000 MAY SOUND OUTLANDISH ENOUGH TO RAISE an eyebrow or two, and hefty price tag aside, one that’s in a bathroom with no toilet paper could easily induce panic.

But soon enough, shoppers who make a pit stop at Lorenzo Hadar’s newest bou-tique in Los Angeles can check out just such a thing.

The toilet, manufactured by Japanese company Toto, features bidet jets and an adjustable seat tem-perature, and is just one of myriad green elements in the under-construction boutique, among them a $1,400 Dyson Airblade hand dryer, rooftop solar panels to generate an estimated 70 to 95 percent of the store’s energy and clothing racks made of recycled materials.

The store, named H.L.N.R. to differentiate it from Hadar’s other H Lorenzo boutiques, is scheduled to open later this month.

The paperless store, which will generate e-mail re-ceipts rather than printed ones and has no toilet paper or paper towels to be found, occupies about 4,000 square feet on West Hollywood’s Robertson Boulevard.

“It was a tremendous challenge. You have to coor-dinate with a huge number of people, but from an en-vironmental standpoint, it’s incredibly well worth it,” said Steven Trussell, the charm-and-trinket designer behind jewelry line I.O.D. who also serves as creative director for H Lorenzo stores and H.L.N.R.

The project has 80 feet of storefront window space covered with 3M window fi lm to cut down on the UV rays — good for the clothing in the store and for saving energy — and sustainable hangers and shopping bags.

The design elements help to conserve energy and reduce waste and emissions,

but businesses aren’t pursuing sustainability just out of social responsibility — they can make money by selling products that are environmentally friendly and save even more through resulting drops in operational costs and overhead.

Using building materials that are recycled, sustainable and environmentally re-sponsible are key parts of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standards, the benchmark for environmentally friendly design.

The U.S. Green Building Council promulgates the LEED standards, rating the level of “green-ness,” ranging from basic to platinum levels, based on the integration of elements such as solar panels, reclaimed water, natural ventilation and the use of compact fl uorescent lightbulbs.

“Lately we’ve seen a tremendous increase in inter-est from the retail sector,” said Ashley Katz, spokes-woman for the USGBC. “Wal-Mart, L.L. Bean, REI, Target, Kohl’s, a Nike store and some Timberland stores are going green, and there are a lot of shopping centers that are getting in on it, too.”

By next year, 80 percent of corporate America is ex-pected to be engaged in environmental sustainability at least 16 percent of the time, and 20 percent will be engaged in green 60 percent of the time, according to a 2007 McGraw Hill report.

In 2004, green construction was valued at $4.51 bil-lion, a fi gure that’s reached $12 billion today and is projected to be $60 billion by 2010.

According to USGBC estimates, green buildings pay for themselves in one to two years and can deliver as much as 25 to 40 percent return on investment — a par-

ticularly signifi cant amount if a company is building a large number of stores. A $4 investment per square foot in building green nets a $58-per-square-foot benefi t over 20 years, according to a 2003 report by California’s Sustainable Building Task Force.

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Katz and others say that green design needs the retail industry’s support, particularly that of larger chains with broad geographic reach. With public exposure and bulk-purchasing power, retail rollouts, also called “volume-build” projects, have incredible potential to help push sustainable design into the mainstream.

Wal-Mart, for example, which has two green superstores, in Colorado and Texas, decided in 2006 to launch an initiative to support sustainabil-ity and to encourage customers to buy environmentally friendly goods, and even mall developers are starting to get into the game.

“We’re doing a lot more environmentally friendly things these days, from using the right lightbulbs in our center stores and offi ces to changing roofs to save on energy costs,” said Bob Michaels, president and chief operating offi cer of General Growth Properties Inc., the nation’s second-largest mall operator. “It’s a very slow process. One thing is, in a new development, you can do a lot more than with existing developments. This is not something you’re going to do all at once.”

But challenges remain in getting retailers to adopt green building prac-tices. “Education is always a challenge, regardless of what sector we are in — some people don’t see the benefi ts,” Katz said.

One big stumbling block can be collecting and fi ling the extensive amount of documentation for LEED certifi cation.

Each building requires individual submission, making the process a labor-intensive one for retailers with multiple locations.

What’s more, new construction is utterly variable: Municipal design re-quirements can vary from location to location, and retailers frequently re-brand, remodel, reposition and rebuild their stores to attract shoppers’ at-tention. The small margins and quick turnarounds that tend to drive retail projects compound the challenge.

What’s more, the up-front costs for establishing green retail locations also can be quite high.

For example, Trussell said the cost of opening the H.L.N.R. boutique was more than twice the cost of opening a traditional store, but Hadar has a long-term lease and is committed to the location.

“Retail is coming on board, but it’s much slower to do so because people tend to change practice when it’s required of them, especially in a corporate or insti-tutional setting,” said Ellen Strickland, who owns Livingreen, a California-based chain that supplies sustainable construction and design materials.

Particularly for smaller retailers with thinner profi t margins, Strickland said, it currently makes fi nancial sense not to make some of those changes when avoidable due to some of the infrastructure. “That’s why the [building] trades are some of the last to make changes.”

For those reasons, the USGBC is now trying to streamline a LEED process for chain retailers who do large-scale store rollouts, and spent months collecting

feedback from the 14,000 USGBC members, building industry professionals and major retailers.

“I think that once we start seeing more and more projects go through certifi ca-tion, they can talk about the benefi ts they’re seeing and that will motivate more retailers to go through the process,” Katz said.

Nationwide chains that take advantage of solar panels, for example, can acquire credits by saving energy on traditional energy grids that can be used against energy bills, savings that can theoretically be passed to consumers.

“The message [is that] it can be done practically and can save money over time. It doesn’t have to involve sacrifi ce to be green,” Trussell said.

Strickland said she’s seen her commercial and trade-related business strongly increase over the past year or two, and that there’s a stronger infl uence by trades to lead the way in product development.

“It’s very exciting to get designers and builders in on it because their expertise is much needed and they help drive demand,” she said. “You just can’t get away from green these days; it’s becoming prevalent in every industry I can think of.”

WWD.COM

23WWD, TUESDAY, APRIL 8, 2008

A sketch of the new H.L.N.R. green boutique in Los Angeles.

Fall II/Holiday ‘08

www.designersandagents.com212 302-9575PR: Company Agenda info@companyagenda.com

New YorkMay 4-6Starrett Lehigh Center601 West 26th Street

Los AngelesJune 6-8New Mart127 E 9th Street

Resort ‘08New York - August 3-5Los Angeles - August 8-10

Featuring: The Green RoomThe Best In Sustainable Design

AMERICA’S CO

TTON

PROD

UCERS AND

IMPO

RTERS. ™ Service m

ark/trademark of Cotton Incorporated. ©

2008. Cotton Incorporated.

www.cottoninc.com/sustainability

Green and growing. Global demand for cotton has increased by more than 30% in just five years. This is certainly the

strongest period of growth for cotton in decades, surpassing that of any major natural fiber.

Production worldwide is keeping up with demand. More than 118 million bales of cotton

(each 480 lbs.) were grown around the world in the latest crop year, up 30 million bales from

2002–2003. And improvements in agricultural science allow us to expand our U.S. supply with

less water and fewer chemical inputs. Learn more about cotton and sustainability by visiting

our website.