Inside Outdoor Fall 2017

Trace Your Steps Eco-component news, notes and introductions It’s estimated that up to 20 percent of industrial world water pollution is caused by textile dyeing and treatments, ranking the apparel industry second only behind the oil industry in that regard. Hoping to draw attention to that fact, as well as ocean acidification in general, The Unseen and The Lost Explorer have introduced a t-shirt designed to change colors in reaction to water pollutants. To create the shirts, the two collec- tives utilized “an ancient pH indication potion,” or dye made from red cabbage extract. It turns out red cabbage con- tains anthocyanin, a substance used to measure pH in liquids. The dye was ap- plied to Lost Explorer cotton and hemp T-shirts, so the pH level of the water that subsequently contacts those shirts makes them change into different col- ors. What starts as a neutral purple T-shirt changes colors after contact with non-neu- tral, potentially toxic water. The shirt will change through the pH scale from alkaline green to acidic red. “I think a lot of people these days, brands and fast fashion, they want to be rich and famous. They just want to get inches in press columns,” said the Un- seen’s founder Lauren Bowker. “But the point of an experiment is that it wouldn’t matter if anyone was interested in it or not. We would still be doing it.” “I like creating experiences that disarm people because if it’s insane, magical and unexpected enough, they might feel safer about asking ques- tions,” added The Lost Explorer’s founder David de Rothschild. “It’s this convergence of art and activism and creativity and design. It hopefully isn’t telling people what to do.” After weeks of demonstrating the shirt’s chameleon-like properties to passers-by as well as some of de Rothschild’s surfer friends, the T-shirt was officially unveiled on World Envi- ronment Day. Dye Changes Color in Toxic Water ‘Revolution is Just a T-Shirt Away’ Two of Patagonia’s best-selling lines, Better Sweater and Synchilla Snap-T, are now Fair Trade Certified sewn. With 38 percent of its product line now Fair Trade Certified, Pata- gonia says it has more styles and products made in Fair Trade Certified factories than any other apparel or home goods brand. Patagonia began by making 10 Fair Trade clothing styles in a single fac- tory in the fall of 2014, and in spring of 2017 it launched the world’s first full line of Fair Trade Certified board shorts and bikinis. This fall, Patagonia is offering 480 Fair Trade styles made in 14 different factories. The Fair Trade program is Patago- nia’s midterm strategy for achieving fair wages. Patagonia pays a premium for Fair Trade products: the extra money goes directly into a workers’ fund, and they de- cide how to spend it. Because every Fair Trade prod- uct sold sends money back to apparel workers through these premium pay- ments, Patagonia said it chooses prod- ucts that would ensure a high volume and significant return. More than 26,000 workers have benefitted from the premiums Patagonia has paid through the Fair Trade program, says the brand. Since 2014, these premiums have been spent on a day care center, health programs, cash bo- nuses, market vouchers, baskets, water filters and other necessities. “Most people recog- nize that their clothing is made out of certain ma- terials, but it’s important to understand that it’s also made by hands. And the people who make our clothing deserve to be seen and rec- ognized,” stated Helena Barbour, vice president of sportswear at Patagonia. Patagonia’s Women’s Better Sweater 1/4-Zip Patagonia Adds Fair Trade Fleece Inside Outdoor | FALL 2017 32