Fashion Week Tip : October 23, 2007

Americans tend to toss their outdated jeans as styles change, but old pairs can be cut into shorts, made into book covers or bags, used as cleaning rags, worn for yard work, tied in a knot and used as a doggie chew toy, or kept around for another 10 years when they’ll be in style again. The possibilities for reuse are endless.

Receive these Tips in your inbox Monday through Friday by signing up here.

Comments

[Sarah]

Also, if you really can't find anything to do with old jeans, Habitat for Humanity collects used denim and turns it into insulation for new houses. Ultimate recycling!

[Rob]

So what about buying organic, fair trade new clothes? Anybody know of good stuff to buy that is below the Paris Hilton price range?

[CDT]

I'd like to know what to do with rags generally. I asked someone in the waste management offices of my county, and she didn't know any place that takes rags to recycle. Surely all those piles of old underwear, worn out pants and so on can be used to make something! But what?

[Ann I. Aurelio]

My husband find old jeans great for waxing the car.

[allison]

Actually, Levi's makes a great pair of jeans made from organic denim! Think they're around $70 or so but fit amazing! Also, on the higher end, EDUN (Bono & his wife's clothing line) makes great jeans and clothes - all with enviromentally/socially responsible appeal :)

[john papandrea]

See below for reference to blue jean insulation -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiZoebM8nP8

[twohawks]

Oh what to do with old jeans, indeed! Good topic & good suggestions, everyone! Allison mentioned Levi's organic jeans...terrific possibilities there for increased organic cotton in the marketplace & the potential for many people to further grasp the importance of sustainable agricultural practices. Do you folks ever feel like we are preaching to the choir in the forum--just a little?!? It is challenging to get the word out to the masses. I digress...really I just want to know if Levi's is still manufacturing over seas? I sure would like to buy a NEW --made in the USA--pair Levi's jeans again, especially ORGANIC LEVI'S!!!

[Becky]

I'm interested in how to tell if jeans are "stonewashed" using unsstainably mined pumice. There are so many names for the different finishes on jeans, and I suspect some were devised to avoid the stigma (among us greenies) of the term "stonewashed". Any tips?

[roberta sebastian]

love this tip - it is representative of what i do w/ every darned thing - it's truly fun and satisfying to find innovative uses for old, valuable junk - thanks :-)))

[Lawrence Walker]

Two tips, first of all:

On stonewashing, just buy your jeans unwashed or only rinsed. Put the wear on them yourself.

On waxing the car with denim: don't do it! Denim is not nearly soft enough (and has too many seams) to rub on good paint!

And the BEST thing to do with jeans that are not OBSCENE RAGS is to give them to Goodwill or a church clothing drive or another charity. They are still good as PANTS to millions of people around the country and around the world.

[reason17]

You can drop off unneeded clothing at most homeless shelters. Call first to see what they need, but most of them need men's pants, coats, underwear, socks, t-shirts, etc. all the time. Also, clothing donated to Goodwill or other thrift shops ends up somewhere on someone and supports a charity in the process. Hopefully, we are letting our garments live full lives before they get turned into rags or doggie chew toys.

[SatanicMechanic]

Hey! good tip. My folks are insulating our old log house with blue jeans. also I quilt with them and wear cutoffs for shorts in the summer.

[carol]

If you sew, jeans can be turned into great cloth bags for groceries, books. diapers etc. Just patchwork it together into the size you want and sew up the sides and bottom. Sturdy handles can be picked up at any fabric store and cut to length. If you really want to be fancy, put a flap or a zipper at the top, decorate the body, and use it as a hand bag.

[Gloria]

Great tip. I love recycling & reusing things so they don't end up in the landfills. Here's a link to a story about plant based plastics finding their niche. Step by step... http://money.aol.com/news/articles/_a/plant-based-plastics-carve-market-niche/n20071021135009990018

[ccsoleil]

Great tips you all!
If you're looking for organic and organic/recycled clothes, check out REI. I bought a couple of men's pants and they are great!
Old T-shirts (really old, too bad to wear or give away) I use for cleaning, old jeans and other pants I too turn into bags or liners for bags. Old socks and underwear I use for cleaning my shoes. I repair my cloths if the damage of wear is not too bad and wear them a bit longer. I also repair holes in my socks! And if for some reason I want to get rid of clothes, I give them to charity. Old towels I keep for drying off my dog. So many ways to recycle!

[faithf]

Great tips all - though I cant help but think the greenest (as it addresses 2 kinds of green) fashion advice is apathy to fashion. I had to put myself on a fashion budget a few years ago, I have actually worn through some things (which I hadnt done since I was about 8 yrs old) and now my savings acount is bulging rather than my closet!

[Joni]

There are some great suggestions here. My daughter teaches 8 th grade math. We took several legs fron jeans, sewing them together into a piece about 48" wide & 60" long, then attached 4 pockets to each strip, making a wall hanging for her students to place their school owned calculators.

[masterzen18]

or you one could always use scraps of random material to patch the insides of jeans with holes, and wear them for a while long, if you dont mind a big green square on your butt or red on your knee

[Beverly Joyce]

Here's an odd use that might not be too useful for most: When my kids were small we went to some dude ranches for summer vacations, and at one they used old jean legs for saddle bags. Just tie off one end with string, stuff in your lunch, gear or whatever, and then tie off the other end to close and toss it behind the saddle. (I think the saddles were equipped with leather tie thingies to hold them fast.) Hmm--maybe this would work somehow with a bicycle!

[gk]

I can't imagine just tossing out a pair of jeans

[Karin McAdams]

I don't have much problem with old jeans, but buying new jeans is tricky. I'm delighted to hear about Levi's organic, though are they still made in sweatshops? I buy most of my clothes used, saving $$$ and is fun, but used jeans don't always do the job. I started buying from Territory Ahead, because they were Canadian made at least, but now they just say "imported." I know I could go to the more humanely made Deva pants, but I love my jeans!

[sharon Pinsey]

I love the idea of going marketing with a jeans bag. Even now, I startle the stall keepers (I shop at an outdoor market called a shuk) by returning their plastic bags- always saying, "save the planet"...with a smile!

I like the idea of jeans for this becuse the material is so sturdy and will also keep my fruits and veggies cool until get home...and since this IS fashion week, it looks ever so COOL! ;o>

[Aaron]

Denim is very good for soundproofing. My doors at home are fairly thin and so I just tacked on a few segments of denim and now the sound has noticeably lessened.

[Lerin]

It's already been said a few times, but I give my still usable jeans away to Goodwill or Salvation Army. My stay-at-home mom best friend repairs the ones that need it that I want to keep. Old socks and underwear-I throw them in a bag under my kitchen sink to use for cleaning. I've yet to throw one out... Speaking of underwear- where can I buy *affordable* organic made in USA ones? I've looked at all the major stores in my city (I work in walking distance of them all)...

[Nick]

I'm trying to buy new clothing at thrift stores when possible. If I need it, it's clean, and within good taste, I'll wear it.

[Nick]

I'm trying to buy new clothing at thrift stores when possible. If I need it, it's clean, and within good taste, I'll wear it.

[James Minion]

Great posts I especially found it useful where the ideas of reusing clothing was of benefit. Used clothing can also be used as wiping rags and are sold as such by recycling companies. I buy rags recycled from used clothing for my business. The following provides evaluations and articles about this: http://www.absorbent-wiping-products.com/

[Pamela]

How about the recycling of jeans to make insulation for homes, or businesses for that matter. As well as old rags or torn clothes that can no longer be worn.
Search the net.