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                            The environment. The term, particularly when used in the context of “saving the environment,” often prompts a visceral reaction. And while there are nuances, exceptions, and disagreements on environmental policy, what causes environmental damage, and how best to save the environment, I imagine that one would have to search pretty extensively to find someone who is fundamentally anti-environment. Someone who just hates clean air, trees, bunnies, and wants his or her tombstone to read, “Here lies Mr./Ms./Mrs. “X,” pro-swag yet anti-environment by principle.” The point being, the majority of rational human beings are of the mindset that environment =...

                                           Today denim is ubiquitous, and there’s rarely an occasion where you don’t see someone wearing some form of denim. But where did denim come from? And how did denim come to define America, and become such an important part of American fashion culture?   Jeans originated from the Italian port of Genoa in the 1500s, where the hardwearing fabric used by sailors was called “bleu de Genes” for its indigo color, although they didn’t enter the American consciousness until 1873, when Levi Strauss began manufacturing and selling denim. Based in San Francisco, California, Strauss sold his rugged clothing to...

                                           Bigger is better. It's a powerful idea. One that makes SUVs so darn appealing, one that explains the remarkable success of Urban Outfitter's “Everything is Bigger in Texas” shirts, and one that customers often fall back on when making decisions about clothing. But perhaps the “bigger is better” mindset is also one that we don't question enough. Well, today that ends as we examine thread count, what it means, why it matters, and if bigger (aka higher thread counts) is better. What is thread count and why does it matter? Thread count, which is expressed as a number (e.g....

                                                Despite the consumer trend in the last ten years of buyers wanting to learn more about how things are made, companies are still talk about their manufacturing process in very reductive terms. Rare is the brand that won’t simplify their production to just some country-of-origin label, as though everything coming out of a country is of the same quality. Some may talk about the handwork that goes into their products, but this often assumes that everything handmade is good, and everything machine made is bad. The reality of what determines quality is often much more complicated. Take knitwear,...