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RE:VOLVE
Q&A
Q&A
Can you give us some background on how the
RE:VOLVE line was created?
Amy and I created RE:VOLVE during the spring of 2006.
At the time, there was a lot of negativity and cynicism in
the news and in pop culture, and it was being reflected in
fashion. We have 6 kids, and we were getting frustrated
with the direction their world was heading. We felt
someone should create a way to project a positive
message about the direction the world should be going.
We figured that t-shirts would be a great way for people to
express their desire for change, and that a t-shirt would
communicate openness to conversation about the need
for positive change and a brighter future.
RE:VOLVE line was created?
Amy and I created RE:VOLVE during the spring of 2006.
At the time, there was a lot of negativity and cynicism in
the news and in pop culture, and it was being reflected in
fashion. We have 6 kids, and we were getting frustrated
with the direction their world was heading. We felt
someone should create a way to project a positive
message about the direction the world should be going.
We figured that t-shirts would be a great way for people to
express their desire for change, and that a t-shirt would
communicate openness to conversation about the need
for positive change and a brighter future.
You are a husband and wife team.
Was RE:VOLVE a joint effort from the beginning?
This has been a family effort from day one. When we
created our first line, we developed a bunch of
graphics and laid them all out on the floor. Then we
brought our kids in one by one to look at them and give
us their feedback on what their favorite designs were.
It was funny how they all seemed to gravitate to the
same pieces. Amy still handles design, from creating
our own fashion silhouettes to seasonal color and
developing our new fashion basics story. I take care
of managing our marketing and PR activities.
Was RE:VOLVE a joint effort from the beginning?
This has been a family effort from day one. When we
created our first line, we developed a bunch of
graphics and laid them all out on the floor. Then we
brought our kids in one by one to look at them and give
us their feedback on what their favorite designs were.
It was funny how they all seemed to gravitate to the
same pieces. Amy still handles design, from creating
our own fashion silhouettes to seasonal color and
developing our new fashion basics story. I take care
of managing our marketing and PR activities.
People around the world are becoming more aware of how their lifestyles affect the
environment. How do you think this will affect the fashion industry?
I think if people really knew how much damage the fashion industry did to the environment,
they’d be disappointed. The fashion industry uses materials and processes that are
incredibly detrimental to the environment, like fabric dying. The UN has identified the fabric
dying industry as the #1 spot polluter in the world, which means that wherever you find a
dying facility you will find serious regional pollution, which migrates through groundwater
and the watershed until it finds its way to rivers, lakes and oceans. Think about all of the
single use bags that clothing is shipped in, and all of the other unnecessary promotional
materials that are generated, including the millions of catalogs pushed on consumers
every day which require a massive amount of trees and fossil fuel to produce and deliver.
What a huge waste.
environment. How do you think this will affect the fashion industry?
I think if people really knew how much damage the fashion industry did to the environment,
they’d be disappointed. The fashion industry uses materials and processes that are
incredibly detrimental to the environment, like fabric dying. The UN has identified the fabric
dying industry as the #1 spot polluter in the world, which means that wherever you find a
dying facility you will find serious regional pollution, which migrates through groundwater
and the watershed until it finds its way to rivers, lakes and oceans. Think about all of the
single use bags that clothing is shipped in, and all of the other unnecessary promotional
materials that are generated, including the millions of catalogs pushed on consumers
every day which require a massive amount of trees and fossil fuel to produce and deliver.
What a huge waste.
Your design mark is: “Threads made in the spirit of peace” How
does that relate to fashion and the environment?
We believe that peace is a bigger idea than the just the absence of
war. Mankind has been at war with each other and the environment for
a long time. The need for dramatic social and environmental change
is huge, but it will only truly take hold when consumers demand it and
refuse to buy products made without regard for people or the planet.
RE:VOLVE’s mission is to push the envelope of what we can do to
protect the environment by committing to using only sustainable
materials in the clothes we make. We are committed to using only the
best possible methods for dying, which is why we are the first fashion
brand made in the USA to offer GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard)
Certified dying.
RE:VOLVE pioneered ECOLOR™ - a water-free dying technology – to
dye our recycled poly/organic cotton blends. ECOLOR™ saves about
15 gallons of water for every pound of fabric dyed, eliminates the need
to use cancer causing chemicals, generates an 85% energy savings
versus current practices, creates no VOC’s that could harm workers,
and creates virtually zero waste. The fabric dying industry is one of the
world’s greatest sources of pollution. ECOLOR™ is a technology that
can literally change the world. We are proud and excited to be able to
take the lead on this.
does that relate to fashion and the environment?
We believe that peace is a bigger idea than the just the absence of
war. Mankind has been at war with each other and the environment for
a long time. The need for dramatic social and environmental change
is huge, but it will only truly take hold when consumers demand it and
refuse to buy products made without regard for people or the planet.
RE:VOLVE’s mission is to push the envelope of what we can do to
protect the environment by committing to using only sustainable
materials in the clothes we make. We are committed to using only the
best possible methods for dying, which is why we are the first fashion
brand made in the USA to offer GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard)
Certified dying.
RE:VOLVE pioneered ECOLOR™ - a water-free dying technology – to
dye our recycled poly/organic cotton blends. ECOLOR™ saves about
15 gallons of water for every pound of fabric dyed, eliminates the need
to use cancer causing chemicals, generates an 85% energy savings
versus current practices, creates no VOC’s that could harm workers,
and creates virtually zero waste. The fabric dying industry is one of the
world’s greatest sources of pollution. ECOLOR™ is a technology that
can literally change the world. We are proud and excited to be able to
take the lead on this.
Hollywood seems to love your line. Describe the impact of generating brand
awareness when the line went mainstream?
Fashion brands are always courting Hollywood to wear their lines, and I guess we’re
no different. But the reason we’ve been connecting with the music and
entertainment world is a little different. We recognized from the beginning the
tremendous influence Hollywood has on society through pop culture, and we want to
tap into that to get people thinking about what is truly important socially and
environmentally. The clothing we’ve been circulating is not emblazoned with RE:
VOLVE in giant letters, it just carries a positive, thought-provoking message that we
hope inspires people to put socially and environmentally conscious living in the
“cool” category. That’s the kind of branding we’re looking for. If people discover that
the cool t-shirt they saw was ours, that’s even better. That discovery of our brand is
far more powerful and meaningful than being hit over the head with the name of the
brand. It is RE:VOLVE’s essence that people connect with, and we continually get
that kind of really positive feedback from people who are fans of RE:VOLVE.
awareness when the line went mainstream?
Fashion brands are always courting Hollywood to wear their lines, and I guess we’re
no different. But the reason we’ve been connecting with the music and
entertainment world is a little different. We recognized from the beginning the
tremendous influence Hollywood has on society through pop culture, and we want to
tap into that to get people thinking about what is truly important socially and
environmentally. The clothing we’ve been circulating is not emblazoned with RE:
VOLVE in giant letters, it just carries a positive, thought-provoking message that we
hope inspires people to put socially and environmentally conscious living in the
“cool” category. That’s the kind of branding we’re looking for. If people discover that
the cool t-shirt they saw was ours, that’s even better. That discovery of our brand is
far more powerful and meaningful than being hit over the head with the name of the
brand. It is RE:VOLVE’s essence that people connect with, and we continually get
that kind of really positive feedback from people who are fans of RE:VOLVE.
What are the benefits of buying and wearing sustainable clothing?
There are the obvious benefits of choosing to buy materials and support
production processes that respect our environment and workers. What is
less often considered is that sustainable clothing typically wears better and
lasts longer than the “disposable” clothing that makes up a large
percentage of garments sold today. Organic cotton fibers are typically longer
and stronger than the chemically treated and pesticide laden cotton that the
majority of clothing is made from. So, as organic cotton clothing gets worn
and washed, it gets softer, feels better and lasts longer.
What sustainable fabrics do you use and from where do they come?
We use 100% GOTS certified organic cotton, 100% certified recycled
polyester, and bamboo. We are exploring the use of soy and hemp. Our
organic cotton comes from a variety of sources around the world, but all of
our clothes are manufactured, assembled and dyed in the USA.
There are the obvious benefits of choosing to buy materials and support
production processes that respect our environment and workers. What is
less often considered is that sustainable clothing typically wears better and
lasts longer than the “disposable” clothing that makes up a large
percentage of garments sold today. Organic cotton fibers are typically longer
and stronger than the chemically treated and pesticide laden cotton that the
majority of clothing is made from. So, as organic cotton clothing gets worn
and washed, it gets softer, feels better and lasts longer.
What sustainable fabrics do you use and from where do they come?
We use 100% GOTS certified organic cotton, 100% certified recycled
polyester, and bamboo. We are exploring the use of soy and hemp. Our
organic cotton comes from a variety of sources around the world, but all of
our clothes are manufactured, assembled and dyed in the USA.
Tell us how you live “green” in your personal life?
What is your environmental vice?
We try to be as green as possible. Anyone who has a bunch of kids like we do knows how hard that
can be. We try to keep conservation top-of-mind, but we still find ourselves turning lights off all day
and always trying to limit the amount of waste we generate. Park City has a recycling center which we
visit from time to time with the stuff we’ve collected at home. I’ll usually bring a least a couple of kids
along for the ride to reinforce how easy and satisfying it is to recycle, and now that our oldest has his
drivers’ license, he can do it.
We’ve got a big family, so I guess our biggest environmental vice has been disposable diapers and
packaging. If we do have another child, we’ll definitely stay away from disposable diapers. We try to
purchase products that use as little packaging as possible.
What is your environmental vice?
We try to be as green as possible. Anyone who has a bunch of kids like we do knows how hard that
can be. We try to keep conservation top-of-mind, but we still find ourselves turning lights off all day
and always trying to limit the amount of waste we generate. Park City has a recycling center which we
visit from time to time with the stuff we’ve collected at home. I’ll usually bring a least a couple of kids
along for the ride to reinforce how easy and satisfying it is to recycle, and now that our oldest has his
drivers’ license, he can do it.
We’ve got a big family, so I guess our biggest environmental vice has been disposable diapers and
packaging. If we do have another child, we’ll definitely stay away from disposable diapers. We try to
purchase products that use as little packaging as possible.
Where do you see the RE:VOLVE line in the next 5-10 years?
We’d like to see RE:VOLVE grow from being a relatively small
sustainable line with a progressive following into a large, well
known leading American fashion brand built with a strict ethic
of sustainability. If we succeed at that level, and I truly believe
we can, then we will have created a path to success that
others can follow. The more businesses that can succeed
using a sustainable production ethic, the less market share
there is for businesses that don’t do it right. At some point, all
fashion will be sustainable; it is up to consumers to decide
just how quickly they want it to happen.
We’d like to see RE:VOLVE grow from being a relatively small
sustainable line with a progressive following into a large, well
known leading American fashion brand built with a strict ethic
of sustainability. If we succeed at that level, and I truly believe
we can, then we will have created a path to success that
others can follow. The more businesses that can succeed
using a sustainable production ethic, the less market share
there is for businesses that don’t do it right. At some point, all
fashion will be sustainable; it is up to consumers to decide
just how quickly they want it to happen.
The line features men's, women's
and child organic cotton tees and
accessories such as, bags, stickers
and pins that display positive
earthly messages
and child organic cotton tees and
accessories such as, bags, stickers
and pins that display positive
earthly messages
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