Eco-Photo

photo by Ken Beck

Merino wool has become one of my favorite fabrics.  I recently bought two light-weight merino wool shirts from Nau - the m1 cap sleeve (pictured above) and the m1 tank. I did a little research on the fabric and found the following:

• Merino wool is wicking, meaning it pulls moisture away from the skin, explaining the comfort I had wearing the shirts in high temperatures.
• Merino wool is naturally antimicrobial, meaning it inhibits the growth of bacteria that joins with sweat and body oil to create bad odors. Without the bad odors I can wear the shirts more often before laundering them, which saves on wear and tear as well as energy and water.
• Merino wool doesn’t need dry cleaning and can be washed in the washing machine in cold water, but just like other wools, merino wool will shrink in the dryer.
• Merino wool is considered to be the softest wool available and comes from Merino sheep, a renewable source.

But sustainable clothing is more than using sustainable fabrics.  From talking with the designers at Nau I’ve learned that sustainble clothing also means designing for longevity - which is a new mindset in our buy and discard fashion world. Nau’s color choices are not based on the latest trends but based on an evolutionary color palette that includes a lot of neutral color tones that can be spiced up with colorful accessories. Also, the clothes are designed with multi-use performance in mind. For example, the Nau Shelter Jacket can protect me from the Portland rain, yet is elegant enough for a business meeting. Instead of having to buy two jackets, I can buy one. Finally, Nau designs clothes with graceful, understated, elegant lines - again, not following the trends.

The two shirts I mentioned above retail for $70 each - a high price for me to pay for an everyday shirt and tank top. Since visiting the Nau headquarters I’ve realized that it’s a fair price to pay for a shirt that looks stylish, performs well, and made out of a sustainable fabric. It’s dawning on me that paying the real price for clothing is actually cheaper in the long run if the full environmental costs are consider in the equation. Nau.com has a good section on how they choose their fabrics and I suggest you read it for more insight into the environmental impacts of manufacturing fabrics.

So, I have changed my goals for buying new clothes. I’ll still buy vintage and second hand clothes, but when buying new clothes I will focus on quality over quantity and buy fewer pieces made of high quality, sustainable fabrics, beautifully designed, and made to last for many years.  When I buy from a company like Nau, I’m not just paying for a piece of clothing, I’m also supporting a company that has similar ideals and goals as I do: consuming less, caring about people, leading a healthy lifestyle, and trying to reserve our resources.