All summer long, the “Old Town Road” earworm has been getting to us — and I have heard “Wrangler on my booty” too many times not to write about it. Just seeing the words on the screen I hear the whole song tune. I can’t begin to imagine how many times I’ve heard it on the radio. It’s broken global music records and the line about his choice in jeans, definitely stands out in my mind.

As we discussed earlier, Wrangler Jeans have typically had connections to rural roots. But the mention in a country rap song? It’s fitting but Wrangler hasn’t had much on an urban connection, but Lil Nas X does. That unexpected nod, was a welcome addition to the brand’s effort to draw a more diverse customer base according to an interview the company’s CEO did with Bloomberg this week.

Thanks to quick marketing efforts doing a line inspired by the song, Wrangler has a Lil Nas X Collection, they have really seized the moment. Looking at the collection online it is clear that the Old Town Road wording is popular — most of the products are sold out and the company says they sell out almost as soon as it goes up.

Collaborations with Artists More Common

Years ago, actresses started getting fashion deals. The one that stands out for me early is Jaclyn Smith who was on Charlie’s Angels and had clothes being sold at K-Mart and Sears. It’s gotten a lot more common in casual clothing and athletic wear. And it crosses over various areas of entertainers. Just last fall, Levi’s introduced the Justin Timberlake collection. And that was closely timed to the company’s IPO.

Putting that artist’s name, alongside a brand and a limited edition product…. that seems to be marketing turbo. And it creates that “have it now” mentality for the real fans. That’s a departure from having on-going lines that go from season to season. I mean think about how many years Michael Jordan’s from Nike were sold…. How he has built his brand for years before getting the deal whereas Lil Nas X rose earlier this year mentioning Wrangler on his booty on TikTok.

Are you someone who enjoys the cultural connections of clothes & music? I can remember the Beatles and Jerry Garcia ties being fun for a while. Not sure I need these Wranglers but I can see the demographic widening and for a brand, that sounds like a good thing.

The post “Wrangler On My Booty?” Lil Nas X Extends Brand Reach appeared first on Hundred Percent Cotton.

While reading New York Magazine, I saw this list of things NYC teens think are cool. It is interesting to see what all stands out to a demographic so different from me, but common ground is cotton. You see that mom jeans and denim jackets rate highly in the minds of teens. Seems New York teens realize cotton is cool — especially jeans and denim jackets.

Mom Jeans

Teens provided a lot of ideas on what they like. The brands and fits are something that change more and that’s definitely something teenagers are interested in. The recommendations on brands, a clear understanding of price points and discussion of distressed versus abused denim. The fact that the jeans that get the shoutout are mom jeans though, I confess it makes me chuckle.

While at the mall recently I couldn’t help but notice how high some of the waistlines were, I also remember when this cut was just the way jeans were done. Yes, I am solidly mom age. We had jeans… different colors of jeans for sure but we didn’t have the endless number of fits that are out there now.

I remember when low-cut jeans came out and got lower and lower and the “high rise” jeans started being called “mom jeans.” So now you have teenage girls of Gen Z wearing the jeans that millennials called “mom jeans” when Gex Xers continued wearing the jeans we liked cause 1-inch zippers let us feeling a little over exposed. Everything comes back in style, the big question is what this highwaisted style will be called in the future cause teens have popularized it again… I guess if they take their favorite cut to adulthood, it could simply be a self-professing prophecy.

Denim Jackets

It feels like denim jackets are on people’s minds a lot right now. They rate well with teens and I think part of that is how individualized they can be. There are lots of fits, colors and ways to personalize them with pins & patches. You can spend big dollars on a designer jacket or get one at a local thrift shop. Throwing a jacket on with a tank top and shorts works what you are at the beach & the breeze gets a bit strong or you can wear it over a nice dress (something I love to do year-round).

I think they really cross generations. And My friend Briana and I were at the mall this weekend and she mused about not having a denim jacket (I am still aghast!). In a post last week about the new Shop Cotton effort on Amazon from Cotton Incorporated, I mentioned craving a long denim jacket in the store to add to the white, black and two different colors of blue denim jackets I own and wear frequently.

Although many would suggest it may be too hot to think of any kind of jacket, that only works for the outdoors. Whether at the movies, an office or on a plane, I frequently find myself reaching for a jacket and denim is one of the best!

The post New York Teens Agree Cotton is Cool appeared first on Hundred Percent Cotton.

Since I grew up a city girl, I didn’t how much about Wrangler jeans til I was going to college in Oklahoma. I still remember a girlfriend talking about how great guys looked wearing Wranglers and I was wondering to myself who she was talking about. Needless to say decades of working with family farmers and attending George Strait concerts, I understand that Wranglers are every bit as ubiquitous in that world as Levi’s jeans had been in mine. And I love seeing Wrangler commit to US cotton which am excited to pass along news of!

Wrangler’s Rooted Collection

Now Wrangler is driving that point home in a few new ways — they are marketing jeans and t-shirts that connect back to the family farms that grew them. The collection — Wrangler Rooted — connects to the farm, to US textile mills and more.

Grown, cut and sewn in the USA, the Wrangler Rooted Collection represents a triumph in sustainability. Featuring custom shanks, rivets, patches and pocket prints, the details of each premium jean are a nod to the tireless work ethic and responsible land stewardship of America’s cotton farmers. Each of the five designs includes features that tie these jeans back to healthy soils in each state.

Talking about Sustainability & Soil Health

The timing of the announcement seems perfect to me. I think Wrangler sees that more Americans are interested in the environmental footprint of the clothes they wear. Watching to the videos they have and reading the website, I especiallly noticed a discussion around two of the factors that I have seen a lot of interest in — soil and water.

Listening to cotton farmer Vance Smith from Texas talk about the soils and moisture on his farm in Big Spring, I get as excited as I was the first time I visited Mr Ray on his Louisiana farm! Vance talks about the way his farm saves water, moving to drip irrigation, and how exciting it is to find moisture in the spring, the ways they have reduced tillage, are using cover crops,

Family Farms Growing Cotton for Wrangler

When I first saw the news, I looked through the list anxiously and as I did, I realized that many of the farmers were people I have known for decades. These aer farmers who have been looking for ways to improve their farms as long as I have known them. And Wrangler is sharing the farmer’s stories on the jeans, in ads and on the Wrangler Rooted website.

The company has started with two states and two families — the Newby family in Alabama and the Smiths in Big Spring, Texas — there are Tennessee and North Carolina jeans / farmers.

Watching the videos, I immediately want to buy some of the products! Here’s the video of the Newbys…. Jerry (the older gentleman who starts the video) has a heart of gold. Although I don’t know his children and grandchildren as well, I have met them several times and they seem to carry that trait too. The video captures the family I know well.

Interested in Hearing More?

I have to tell you, looking at this project, it goes beyond win-win.

Environmentally

Having a major brand like Wrangler take the time to go indepth on sustainability matters. Individually there is so much that can be done but with scale for good that a major brand has… well, that brings lots of individual efforts to a greater scale. And in fact, even though I didn’t know this was coming, I had hoped to be on a panel with the sustainability lead for Wrangler’s parent company talking about just this sort of thing last year when we porposed grow to sew for SXSW Interactive.

Quality

Looking at all the details on the jeans, it looks like Wrangler is thinking about it all. The jeans seems to wear the state with pride. There is a state map on the button at the waist and on the leather tag on the back pocket and the inside pockets are incredible!

Supporting US Jobs

Over the last few decades, more and more textiles have been moving out of the US as people looked for cheaper clothes. This return to high quality, provides the pricing cushion that allows more of the work to be done in the United States. And I have to tell you, I’m personally willing to pay more for quality that also provides jobs here. Obviously, I love the fact that cotton farming families are being featured for all the great work they are doing. That may be a bit selfish though as someone who’s worked with cotton so long.

It Feels Good

I just like the idea of knowing the back story on some things. And having had decades of knowing families like the Newbys, I have so much confidence in the products they produce and that just makes me smile. I think I may wait for the Tennessee products coming later this summer since I’m a Memphis girl, but who knows…. some of the Texas & Alabama stuff looks great!

You may see more about this on Hundred Percent Cotton! I am looking forward to seeing more!

The post Wrangler Jeans Shows They are Rooted with Cotton from Family Farms appeared first on Hundred Percent Cotton.

I don’t think I’ve written a single blog post here about the stock market, but the fact that Levi Strauss is once again considering going public, well that really deserves a mention. Would an initial public offering (IPO) of Levi Strauss stock interest you?

When I saw the news this past week, I have to say I was a bit confused. Levi’s has been an incredibly well known denim brand for generations. It has been privately held & public in the past. Tech startups tend to be the IPO listings I hear about so I had to shake the cobwebs out of my mind and focus on it.

Levi’s: The High School Years

I love the various brands that bring us cotton clothes even though for a long time, all my clothes were handmade. And those first pairs of store bought jeans… well, my junior high and high school years were Levi heavy. Sure there were years when some would get Chic or Jordache jeans, but my family didn’t really do those. We kept clothes pretty basic.

Levi jeans were a constant in my life and I’ve been thinking more about them recently. I still love 100 percent cotton jeans more than blends even though I have bought several pairs with a bit of stretch. Those 100 percent cotton jeans need to be broken in a bit. But as you wear them, they form to the body that wears them routinely.

But I wonder whether how many people are thinking of Levi stock — which is planning to launch on the NYSE as LEVI according to CNBC. I read that piece and one by Motley Fool on 5 things to know about the IPO. And have to tell you the Motley Fool offers a lot more insight.

Global Footprint

The one thing the piece doesn’t mentions that I have anecdotes on, is the value of the Levi’s brand outside the U.S. When I have gone on various big trips, usually overseas or I have hosted friends here, Levi’s is a seminal brand (I mentioned this as I wrote about Justin Timberlake’s new line of clothes.)

I can’t help but wonder whether the growing middle class in some parts of the world will be wanting more jeans and all. If so, will Levi’s be positioned better than other brands? Name recognition may be there but product development will be critical too.

Would you buy Levi’s stock?

The post Taking Stock in Levi’s? Levi Strauss is Launching an IPO appeared first on Hundred Percent Cotton.

A historic Levi Strauss ad painted on the side of a building in Jacksonville, Oregon

I was just scanning through some things and saw this bit of history from Cotton Inc:

On May 20, 1873, an American icon was born when Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis were given a patent for their copper rivet fasteners for denim trousers. The blue jean has since secured its place in American culture and in world fashion as a “go to” garment. Changing fashion styles and attitudes altered the look of the blue jean over time, but until recently, the blue jean had remained true blue to its cotton origins. The recent influx of man-made fibers into blue jeans is not a good fit for many consumers, and could affect the care, wear and expected five-year longevity of their beloved blue jeans.

Seriously? Today is the birthday of blue jeans? And I’m stuck here wearing a sundress? Granted, I have on a denim jacket but wow, am I bummed I didn’t know this when I got dressed this morning.

The history of denim as being all cotton, comfortable and crazy durable earned it a spot quickly with folks who work hard physically like farmers and pioneers of the west. Denim and the beloved American blue jeans have continued to catch on and now you can find really expensive fashion jeans or cheaper work cuts. And when traveling in some foreign countries, I have found taking someone a pair of 501s is the fastest way to their heart!

I have to say, while the addition of a small amount of spandex or something to cotton to help jeans keep their shape, Cotton Inc hits the nail on the head when it comes to denim that includes higher percentages of man-made fibers.

CI’s Kim Kitchings says “Consumers love denim. We know from our Lifestyle Monitor data that U.S. consumers own an average of seven denim items and wear jeans an average of four days a week. We also know that 60% of consumers would pay a little extra to get more cotton back into those jeans.”

I definitely have more denim pieces in my wardrobe than the average Joe, but I can tell you the jeans I have with more synthetic fibers… they don’t come out of the closet much. They are not as comfortable, they don’t breathe with my body and they just don’t have that comfy feeling my other jeans do. I tried something different in buying one or two pair and I didn’t like it. My cotton awareness and prioritization though is unique according to CI:

Some fault may actually lie with the consumers and what Kitchings calls “label apathy.” “Today’s consumers have been wearing jeans most of their lives and are familiar with how to care for them,” says Kitchings. “The rules change when there are higher percentages of one or more man-made fibers.” Kitchings points to Lifestyle Monitor data that reveal less than half of consumers check the fiber content or laundry care labels when purchasing a garment.

So, I have to tell you, take the time to read labels and think about what’s on them. You may also want to follow these tips from CI’s Vikki Martin who says, “Always check the labels for fiber content information and care instructions; knowing what you’re getting and how to care for it will help extend the life of your jeans or any garment.”

Martin has the following tips on proper denim care:

• Before laundering, always check the sewn-in tag for specific care instructions.

• Invest in quality detergent to help extend the life of denim jeans.

• To preserve the color of denim jeans (especially dark washes), turn them inside out before laundering, then line dry.

• If denim jeans are overly stiff, soak them overnight in a washing machine with water and a cupful of fabric softener. Run the load normally the next morning.

• If denim jeans are not dirty but need a boost: wet them with water, let them spin in the washer, and then tumble or line dry.

You can see the original release Majority of Consumers Bothered By Man-made Fibers in Their Denim on the Cotton Incorporated website.

The post The Day Blue Jeans Were Born — Celebrating Levi Strauss & Denim appeared first on Hundred Percent Cotton.

A great article in The Washington Post gives a unique look at the impact that changes in fashion is having on the resourcing for the paper that makes up U.S. dollars. The is an interesting connection between denim and the dollar. And that is a certain synthetic fiber people like me enjoy having to get a little give in their jeans.

Fashion comes at a price. But who knew that it would claim our entire system of money?

Since American money was consolidated into a single system of currency in the late 1800s, U.S. dollars have been printed on a unique cotton blend paper. That paper has been supplied by a single company, Crane, for more than a century. And Crane relied on scraps of denim sold in bulk by the garment industry for its cotton.

The company bleached and processed the unwanted fabric, then rewove the fibers into the George Washingtons and Benjamins that graced our wallets. About 30 percent of Crane’s cotton came from leftover denim, making it one of the largest single source of the fibers, according to Jerry Rudd, managing director of global sourcing. The rest of the cotton came from a hodgepodge of other textile wastes.

But something strange began to happen in the 1990s: Denim became tainted.

The stretchy fabric commonly known as spandex (and trademarked as Lycra) had been invented in the 1960s for use in women’s lingerie. By the 1990s, the fashion world had discovered that blending it with denim created a curve-hugging — and yet still forgiving — fit. It never looked back.

via How tight jeans almost ruined America’s money.

The original article came to light after I saw Megan Garber’s “Your Skinny Jeans Are Destroying the U.S. Dollar—Literally” in The Atlantic.

The post Changes in Cotton Fashion Takes a Bite Out of the U.S. Dollar appeared first on Hundred Percent Cotton.

Saw this video floating around and have to admit, it left me wordless. I see a few familiar faces (after all the cotton industry is pretty small). But somehow, I didn’t know anything about this video til this week! And it was shown at a meeting SIX MONTHS AGO!

Great video that shows cotton from the farm to the runway! Are you wearing Texas cotton? I LOVE IT! Have LOTS of blue jeans to show for it too!

Texas Cotton Association from Studio 84 Productions on Vimeo.

The post Cotton Is Life in Texas — Cotton Farmers Tell Their Story VIDEO appeared first on Hundred Percent Cotton.

I have “liked” lot of brand pages on Facebook and have to admit, some of them eventually get unliked or hidden cause they just don’t seem to get the kinds of things I’d be interested to see from a brand. But some friends saw the Lee Jeans page this week and knew they had to call it to my attention. Jodi Oleen was the first to shout at me! And they were right! I was pumped! Look at the photo Lee Jeans shared!

So…. how many pairs of Lee Jeans can you make from one bale of cotton? Well, I’ll give you a hint that Lee didn’t give fans of its page. A bale of cotton weighs just under 500 pounds. With that hint I hope you don’t low ball it too badly. Some of the guesses on the Lee page were obviously not made with that factoid in mind cause I saw one or two guesses that assumed bales were the size of one on my bookshelf!

More than 1,200 people guessed – some of whom definitely did a little internet research. I have to wonder if some of them found an old post of mine where I gave a chart of how many of this or that you could make from a bale. For jeans, you can make 215 pairs! Here are some of the other quantities of various cotton items you can get from a bale of cotton, according to the National Cotton Council, one bale of cotton can make:

• 215 Pairs of Jeans
• 249 Bed Sheets
• 409 Men’s Sport Shirts
• 690 Terry Bath Towels
• 765 Men’s Dress Shirts
• 1,217 Men’s T-Shirts
• 1,256 Pillowcases
• 2,104 Boxer Shorts
• 2,419 Men’s Briefs
• 3,085 Diapers
• 4,321 Mid-Calf Socks
• 6,436 Women’s Knit Briefs
• 21,960 Women’s Handkerchiefs
• 313,600 $100 Bills

If I get to pick, I think I’ll take that last one! Yes, I will take the more than 300k $100 bills!

Another thing to note, bales used to be wrapped in that nice burlap. it helped keep cotton clean and was pretty cheap, well now, bales are wrapped in plastic bags. It keeps them clean, doesn’t run the risk of sticking to the lint (you wouldn’t want burlap fiber making it into your 500 count sheets!)

The post How many pairs of jeans in a bale of cotton?, Lee Jeans Asks appeared first on Hundred Percent Cotton.

When I started the fabric of our lives series of guest posts, I thought about some of the people who could really help celebrate my favorite natural fiber. oddly, one of the names that came to mind is normally connected to sheep — my friend Sally Colby Scholle who lives in Pennsylvania & has sheep. She tweets as @sheepwriter blogs about it at https://sheepwriter.wordpress.com/. I couldn’t tell if it was really nervy to ask her to write about natural fiber or not so I told her it was fine if wool got equal time, cause she and I both know the various natural fibers all play a role for us. I love the post she came up with too!

If it feels good, wear it!

I was one of those wiggle-worm kids who just couldn’t sit still in school. Every teacher is blessed with a few of us fidgety kids, and I hereby apologize to all of the teachers who had to tolerate my squirminess.

Now I realize that part of the reason I was so restless was because I just couldn’t stand the way my little plaid dresses felt. They were itchy. I didn’t know this at the time, but I’m sure that the reason those dresses didn’t feel quite right is because I was in elementary school when the great new P fabric was introduced.

My mom hit the homemaker jackpot – she no longer had to iron my cute little dresses. I, however, drew the short straw and had to wear itchy clothes.

Somehow I adjusted and made it to junior high, where my home economics teacher assigned a fabric identification project. I was lucky – my mom sewed, and we had a multitude of fabric scraps. I loved learning the names of the pretty cotton fabrics as I carefully stapled them to a piece of poster board … seersucker, chintz, chambray, gingham, denim.

Ahh…denim. With two jobs – farmer and ag writer – I can almost always wear whatever I want. I have old, broken-in jeans that are perfect for whatever I have to do in the barn or in the field. Some have patches, some should have patches, but they’re all comfortable. I love the durability of denim jeans and how they become part of me. I also love denim’s other life as deep-dyed indigo blue for dressy jeans.

In close second for favorite clothing are my cotton t-shirts. The long-sleeved versions are perfect for layering in winter, for in-between weather and for sun protection in summer. Cotton sweatshirts are great for unexpected changes in weather, so I usually keep one in the front of the four-wheeler. When I shop, I always look for the cotton label  – it means clothing that won’t itch, pill or look thin and worn before its time. Although my first choice for everyday wear is a cotton t-shirt, my dressy cotton shirts are the perfect choice for pairing with dark jeans when it’s time to look like something other than a farmer.

Since we raise sheep, all this cotton talk might make me sound like a traitor. But wool is another natural, renewable fiber that, like cotton, has a multitude of uses and blends well with cotton. I often use the sleeves from worn-out cotton sweatshirts to make little coats for chilled lambs. If that isn’t the perfect match, nothing is!

In cotton, I can walk around the pasture checking new lambs, trim hooves, milk goats, ride a horse, work in my garden, meet with farmers at a field day, go shopping, attend an ag meeting or have dinner with friends. What else is there?

Thanks, cotton farmers, for growing my jeans and shirts!

The post If it feels good, wear it! appeared first on Hundred Percent Cotton.

In the past couple of years, I’ve heard more about denim being used as insulation for homes. The memories that are clearest for me are around old jeans being converted to an eco-friendly housing component as this part of the world focused on rebuilding New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina (the Dirty Laundry Tour of college campuses in 2006 working with Habitat for Humanity efforts).

I know some denim drives have been held to help increase awareness in this way of recycling old jeans and denim skirts in a doubly environmentally-friendly way! Why double environmentally?

1. The cotton garments don’t go into a landfill
2. They are used to make homes more energy efficient

I love the “Cotton. From Blue to Green.” campaign! So if this has been happening since 2006, why am I so excited? Well, because this week alone I’ve seen two household name companies — both Levi Strauss and The Gap — show their support for taking “Cotton. From Blue to Green.” I love this!

The Gap Offers to ‘Recycle Your Blues’

First, if you are going shopping this weekend or in the near future, consider going to The Gap. If you don’t want to go, at least check out this great video that creatively shows how they are involved in “Cotton. From Blue to Green.”

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zoxkvmayddk]

To get the details, you can see coverage of the announcement from the Sacramento Bee.

Levi Strauss Supporting Community Organizations

The announcement from Levi’s may not have the same creativity as The Gap’s video

Levi Strauss & Co. Creates a $100,0000 Denim Insulation Fund to Help Community Organizations “Green” Their Buildings

SAN FRANCISCO (October 4, 2010) – To help community organizations become more sustainable, Levi Strauss & Co. today announced the launch of a $100,000 denim insulation fund, an initiative designed to reuse unwanted denim while keeping it out of landfills. The company will provide grants to organizations currently undergoing construction projects to offset the cost difference of using recycled denim insulation instead of conventional insulation.

“Denim is a staple in nearly everyone’s wardrobe, but it shouldn’t be a staple in our landfills,” said Jill Nash, vice president of corporate affairs, Levi Strauss & Co. “By encouraging our consumers to donate unwanted jeans and then promoting recycled denim as insulation in buildings, we can green our communities from the inside out and extend the lifecycle of every pair of jeans.”

The company will be accepting proposals from non-profit organizations from October 1 – November 21, 2010. This program is for U.S. based nonprofits organizations. Additional details about the program and how to submit a proposal can be found at https://www.levistrauss.com/sustainability/product/re-use.

via Levi Strauss & Co. Creates a $100,0000 Denim Insulation Fund to Help Community Organizations “Green” Their Buildings | Levi Strauss & Co..

I love that Levis will be directing money to green projects for charitable donations. I think that makes the double win grow exponentially!

Learning More about Cotton

Cotton is a natural fiber that comes from the Earth, it seems a perfect end to the product to go into another earth-friendly use.

If you want to know more about cotton farming, you may find this blog post about harvest of interest. You can also follow some folks in the cotton world on Twitter — I’d start with @Tweet4Cotton, @Supima and @CottonFarming.  You can also like the Cotton page and Gap on Facebook. And of course, I love tweeting about cotton enough that it’s in my name, @JPlovesCOTTON. 

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