REUSE Jeans

REUSE Jeans… Clothes with a Conscience
By Shelley T. Hudson

A trip to the local recycling center with his four-year-old son shifted George Powell’s focus from easing into retirement to launching a new business venture. George explained the concept of recycling while they inserted aluminum cans into the appropriate slots. His son asked, “Why don’t we just recycle everything?” That simple question triggered George to rethink the business in which he’d spent 30 years of his life—the garment industry.

As George remembers, “I came home from the recycling center and told my wife, ‘I’m going to China tomorrow.’ And I did.” His instincts led him to combine his knowledge of premium denim fabrication with key contacts in textile mills overseas to redevelop the processes that go into manufacturing denim apparel. From the belief that environmental awareness can coexist with fashion, REUSE Jeans (R.E.U.S.E.- Recycle. Environment. U. Save. Earth) was born.

George and his Chinese counterpart started by focusing on the tons of discarded scrap denim that resulted after patterns were cut. Without an existing system to rework the scraps of raw material, George commissioned the mill to develop one. Four months later, he returned to see the newly engineered machinery capable of a “soft opening of the yarns,” allowing denim scraps to be cleaned, shredded and spun into new yarn. This innovation was the first of its kind in the industry, but George didn’t stop there.

An article Powell read while getting a haircut in Hong Kong inspired him to do more. He learned how inherently “thirsty” cotton is and calculated that a staggering 3200 gallons of water were being used to manufacture a single pair of jeans. The same story went for dyes used to color the yarns. Once the yarns were “bathed,” the dye was literally dumped down the drain. George tackled both problems and overhauled the processes so that 80% of water and 90% of dye can be recycled.

George realized that without great-fitting, fashion-forward designs, his idea of manufacturing sustainable clothing would be futile. He teamed with seasoned technical and merchant designer Mandie Slayman to develop the line and her designs were a hit with customers from the start. Mandie calls the distinctive shape “a form-fitting rise” and has designed the pieces with subtle, but deliberate detailing. REUSE offers jeans for both men and women in a mix of washes, colors and cuts – from skinnys to bell bottoms. The company’s entire collection of jeans, jackets, tops, skirts and shorts are all made from 80% recycled materials.

REUSE Jeans are sold at 450 retail locations throughout the country. In an effort to maintain a close dialogue with customers, Powell opened the company’s flagship store in Laguna Beach in 2011. Since then, the company has opened locations in Dallas and Beverly Hills to enthusiastic crowds and Powell has ambitious plans for a rapid expansion.

Powell hopes to retire in five years and says until then, “It’s about managing exponential growth.” This father of six continues to streamline every aspect of the business and has set his sights on eliminating packaging waste and lowering shipping costs next. He’s developed private label lines using his eco-conscious manufacturing practices, including one with country singer Randy Travis, and hopes that other companies follow his lead.

Stop by the flagship store on South Coast Highway in Laguna Beach and “step into a smaller carbon footprint one leg at a time.”

REUSE Jeans
Laguna Beach • 949.715.0473 • www.ReuseJeans.com