Dive Brief:
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In an effort to curtail the vanishing of groundwater reserves as California’s severe drought lingers, Gov. Jerry Brown last week ordered non-farming water use cut an astonishing 25%.
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The directive is forcing the state’s denim makers to find less thirsty ways to manufacture and treat the fabric.
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Moves include steam-pressing for less time, leaving the natural grayness of non-water-treated denim untouched, using ozone machines rather than bleach-washing and laser machines that more quickly distress jeans, and using stones instead of water to distress denim. Levi’s is also asking its customers to wash their jeans less often.
Dive Insight:
California produces of lot of premium denim, and these moves may help influence fashion design, as the look and feel changes due to these water-saving measures. Manufacturers, designers, and retailers could see this as a marketing opportunity and embrace these moves, by advertising the sustainability of the new water-saving ethic.