Go Eugene-based
With eco-attire
the Flow
imitates nature
I
f you want some panties that are
sexy and sustainable, Eugene’s
Xylem Clothing Company has just
the underwear — and skirts and shirts —
for you. Xylem’s designs are sewn from
soy and organic cotton so you can clothe
yourself from top to tush in Xylem’s elegant
tofu byproducts and hemp creations.
Danielle Nelson and Jazzi Januari have
been sewing and selling clothes since they
were 16 years old. Five years ago, after
years of peddling their wares at Saturday
Market and around town, they decided to
combine their sewing and designing skills
with an eye towards enviro-sustainability
and start Xylem, a clothing company that
makes fashion “organic and elegant.”
Nelson and Januari are artists
as well as designers and
seamstresses,
and
their fl air for
PHOTOS COURTESY OF XYLEMCLOTHING.COM
fashion is informed by “nature and the
way things fl ow,” says Nelson’s husband
and Xylem’s marketing director Donald
Brodsky.
The tops are often asymmetrical and
the colorful dresses and skirts wend their
way around the human form. A lot of eco-
conscious fashion can be “typically boxy,”
says Brodsky, and Xylem’s design team
wanted to make “clothing that fi t your
body and made you look good.”
The materials include “vegetable
cashmere” which Brodsky describes as
a byproduct made from the leftover pulp
from tofu and other soy products. Their
products are also made from hemp; organic
cotton, which is grown sans pesticides; and
Tencel, which is made from tree fi bers —
primarily eucalyptus. Some of the fabrics
are blended with woo
wool and silk as well.
The designs, from pants to panties, tops
to skirts, are all mad
made in Eugene. Januari
and Nelson design the clothing and choose
the fabrics, and until recently
they sewed all
re
the clothing themsel
themselves. These days they
are “swamped wit
with orders,” according
to Brodsky, and while
they still color
w
all the fabrics th
themselves with low-
impact dyes, the sewing
is mainly done
don by a
local seamstress
and
seamstr
her employees.
It’s
employ
more
expensive
e
to produce
the
produ
clothing locally,
says Brodsky,
“but
Bro
it’s important
to
im
support
the
local
suppo
economy.”
econ
It’s not as
easy
ea to buy
Xylem’s
X
clothing
line locally,
y,
BIG SUMMER
CLEARANCE
Luxurious Tencel
Cotton, Linen, and
Rayon Fabrics
SEWN RIGHT HERE
IN EUGENE!
1416 Willamette St.
zonaclothes.com
12 AUGUST 21, 2008
EUGENE WEEKLY
HEMP &
NATURAL
FIBERS
SHOP
Consciously
DRESS
Beautifully
though Xylem is
trying to fi x that
problem through
upcoming trunk
shows at their
warehouse.
The company
spends a lot of
time featuring
its products up
and down the
West Coast at
eco-conscious
events,
including Eugene’s s
Oregon Country Fair
and the Faerieworlds
Festival. They are
members of Co-
op America, says
Brodsky, which has
strict guidelines for
socially just and
sustainable products.
ew
Check out Xylem’s fl owing
eco-friendly fashion at
www.xylemcloth
www.xylemclothing.com
thing.com
HANDMADE & FAIR TRADE WOMEN’S JEWELRY & CLOTHING
REAL SOFT
CLOTHING
SALE
BY CAMILLA MORTENSEN
Better Yet MON.-SAT. SAT. S A AT.12 12-6 12 2 2-6 - 6
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