Exploring Denim: From Dyeing to Design
Our discussion spanned a wide range of topics related to jeans, including dyeing, weaving, and pattern cutting. It was a firework of sustainable design approaches and innovative ideas.

The Magic of Natural Dyeing: Indigo and Natural Dyes
One of the fascinating insights I gained was about the benefits of indigo and other natural dyes. Rowan told me that Indigo dye offers more than just colour; it adds a variety of highly beneficial qualities to the fabric like antimicrobial, antifungal, antiviral, insect-repellent, and UV-protective properties. It turns out, this is actually true for various natural dyes. A paper I found, titled "The Importance of Natural Indigo Dye and Its Revitalization and Ethiopian Potential for Indigo Growing," explores these benefits, and I look forward to revisiting this interesting subject at at later stage.

In view of my project it is great news that indigo is not the only natural botanical dye colour that could be considered, as for a hyper locally produced denim garment I could also imagine using easily foraged local dye plants.

The current Industry Status: Cotton Fabric Dominance
In my quest to find out if linen could be a viable candidate for locally and sustainably sourced denim garments, I need to find out more about cotton. Rowan explained why cotton remains the dominant fabric in the denim industry. Cotton is not only cheaper, being produced overseas and largely genetically modified to yield three crops a year, but it is also heavily subsidized. These factors make cotton the go-to fabric despite its significant environmental drawbacks. Also, industrial machinery including weaving looms are optimised towards cotton so it can be woven at incredibly high speeds. 

So could cottonised hemp and linen be alternatives? It seems that some companies have experimented with adding cottonised hemp to their cotton blends for weaving, but this practice isn't widespread. Adding cottonised hemp (or bast fibres) can slow down the weaving process, also techniques used so far for cottonising can negatively impact fibre quality, making the fibres shorter, and making it lose it's beneficial properties like being antimicrobial, hypoallergenic, and mould-resistant. The recently developed technique of Steam Explosion cottonisation seems a better alternative.  
Some companies have added linen when weaving denim as a nod to more sustainable production methods, perhaps 8 %, so the weaving I not slowed down, but this percentage hardly makes a difference to the sustainability of the garment.

Learning this was a bit of a disappointing for me, as I hoped linen  - either made from flax or hemp - could be integrated into denim production as cottonised fibres as a first step to make production more sustainable. The good news is that grassroot initiatives like our Lets Grow Flax 23 project can spearhead not only sustainable but regeneratively grown and produced textiles. 

Zero Waste Patterns
We discussed the importance of zero waste patterns, as domestic sewing patterns can waste up to 30% of fabric. Embracing zero waste designs can significantly reduce this waste. I love the idea of reducing the use of material as much as possible, but also need to find a pattern that efficiently works on a fabric 65cm wide as this is what I can produce with my handloom. More research needed! But rest assured on this project no fabrics will be wasted as any off cuts will be shared with collaborators and the Lets Grow Flax group.

Mono-Materials Design
I was pleased that Rowan touched on using mono-materials in design as another key aspect for sustainable design. For instance, avoiding polyester threads and opting for linen or organic cotton threads can enhance the sustainability of the garment. Our jeans will of course omit the use of elastane (elastic polyurethane material) to add ease and comfort, as I hope the combination of the softer hand spun tow linen yarn, woven as a forgiving 3/1 twill will do have a similar effect.

Rowan mentioned butcher buttons, which are removable, as a sustainable design consideration aligned with Design for Disassembly (DfD). DfD is a process that facilitates the easy recovery of products, parts, and materials for reuse, repair, remanufacture, and recycling, minimizing environmental impacts.

Pocketing Fabric
Usually a sturdy cotton drill is used for pocketing, an alternative could be using hemp instead. As I have a few hemp off-cuts I will set them aside and hope they are suitable when it comes to sewing. 

Labels, Threads, and Interlining 

There is more! Components of the jeans, including labels, threads, and interlining, should be evaluated for their sustainability. For my cushions I use organic cotton thread, but a very purist option could also be linen thread. From my collaboration with Patrick Grant's tailor studio in Savile Row I know that industry machines require specific threads to work properly. Fingers crossed, linen thread will pass the test!

Reflective Thoughts
I was thrilled to discover that many ideas I had toyed with in my design considerations are valid approaches in sustainable design. The insight that dying with botanical dyes adds to the already very positive properties of linen was so inspiring! I like the idea of removable buttons! As I aim for fully biodegradable and compostable jeans, I’ll explore locally made wooden buttons first. However, butcher buttons seem a fantastic option for the industry to adopt to Design for Disassembly. And if I fail to source locally made wooden buttons they will be a great option for our Jeans :)

This conversation with Rowan contained more information I have space for here, and sparked many ideas that I look forward to revisiting after the project when I have more time for research. Suffice it to say, this was an amazing start to my journey, and I am deeply grateful for all the information Rowan generously shared with me.

I look forward to continuing this conversation once I have woven my first samples, so Rowan can evaluate cotton denim vs linen denim!