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If you are looking to shop at more sustainable brands, Alex Crane is the perfect option.
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Brooklyn-Based Clothing Label Wants Its Clothes To Be Fully Compostable
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Alex Crane Is Bringing Non-Tox Textiles To Menswear
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“
If you are looking to shop at more sustainable brands, Alex Crane is the perfect option.
”
“
Brooklyn-Based Clothing Label Wants Its Clothes To Be Fully Compostable
”
“
Alex Crane Is Bringing Non-Tox Textiles To Menswear
”
The Problem: Plastic
Most Clothes Are Made From Plastic
65% of clothes are made from plastic-based fibers. If your tag says polyester, nylon or acrylic...that means plastic. And that’s a problem for three reasons: 1) it keeps us dependent on fossil fuels (plastic is made from petroleum), 2) plastic doesn’t biodegrade and 3) plastic is toxic.
Plastic Doesn’t Biodegrade
Plastic is a synthetic material. It takes up to 500 years to break down and never actually biodegrades. In other words: all the plastic that has ever existed, still exists. Every plastic bottle, every polyester t-shirt, is still in a landfill or floating in the ocean.
Plastic Is Toxic
During every wash, plastic-based fibers shed microplastics and leach toxins into the water (plastic is mixed with toxic chemicals). As a result, microplastics are everywhere. New studies show we eat a credit card’s worth of plastic every week.
The Answer: Natural Materials
Natural Materials Make Better Clothes
Natural materials make better clothes. Unlike plastic, natural materials have evolved over thousands (or millions) of years and are very dynamic. Fibers made from plants and wool are more breathable, more antimicrobial, and more enduring.
Natural Materials Biodegrade
Natural materials are inherently biodegradable. They come from the Earth, and return just as easily. Clothes made from natural fibers will turn to soil within a year (so long as they’re free of chemical softeners or dyes).
Natural Materials Are Renewable
Unlike synthetics, natural materials have the capacity to regenerate. Seeds make new plants...which make new seeds. Wool grows back. All that’s required is sun and water (and food for the sheep).
Our Materials
European Linen
Linen is a sustainable, natural fiber made from the flax plant. It needs only sun and rain to grow. We grow our flax in Normandy, France, overlooking the English Channel.
Why we use it
Linen is breathable, antimicrobial, heat-regulating, and long-lasting. Normandy is the perfect climate for growing flax and produces some of the highest quality linen on Earth.
Featured In
Our Bo Shorts, Cham Pants, Playa Shirts, Ola Shirts, Kite Jackets and Sun Tees are all made with 100% linen.
Organic Cotton
Organic cotton is grown without fertilizers or pesticides and uses 70% less water than conventional cotton. We grow our organic cotton in northern India in the state of Punjab.
Why we use it
Cotton is naturally soft, durable, and breathable. Only 1% of global cotton production is organic—we want to help increase that percentage.
Featured In
Our Canvas Cham Pants, Canvas Kite Jackets, Quilted Kite Jackets and Porto Shirt are made with 100% organic cotton.
Merino Wool
Merino wool is a natural fiber made from the wool of Merino sheep. Our Merino wool comes from family-run farms in Australia.
Why we use it
Merino wool is uniquely soft. It’s heat-regulating, wicks away moisture and doesn’t hold odor. Plus, it’s naturally renewable (wool grows back).
Featured In
Our Campo Sweaters, Park Shirt Jackets, and Point Jackets are made with 100% Merino Wool
Natural Dyes
Natural dyes are pigments made from plants and minerals. We use natural dyes derived from rocks and soil.
Why we use it
Natural dyes are biodegradable, non-toxic and non-allergenic. Synthetic dyes are made from chemicals and are often mixed with plastic-based liquids.
Featured In
Our Porto shirts are all made with biodegradable natural dyes.
Raw Leather
All of our leather goods are made with ethically sourced leather.
Why we use it
Raw leather is more durable and beathable than chemically treated leather. And it develops a beautiful patina with wear. Only 10% of global leather production is tanned with organic tannins.
Cactus
These are literally made of cactus and the quality is nearly identical to cow leather (arguably even better quality actually). The "leather" is made from nopal, a Mexican cactus
Why we use it
Cactus can be harvested for years, requires no irrigation, and has a net positive impact on CO2 emissions.
Featured In
Natural Rubber
Natural rubber is harvested from the rubber tree by “tapping” the bark (much like maple syrup). Natural rubber is significantly stronger and more elastic than synthetic rubber.
Why we use it
Natural rubber is significantly stronger and more durable than synthetic rubber. Plus, natural rubber is made from organic, renewable resources (rather than plastic).
Featured In
We use 100% natural rubber for the elastic waistband on all our Bo Shorts.
Corozo
Corozo is made from the seeds of the Ivory Palm, a tropical tree native to South America. It looks and feels like horn, giving it the nickname “plant ivory.”
Why we use it
Corozo buttons are extremely strong and heat resistant. Unlike synthetic buttons (made of plastic), corozo buttons are bio- degradable and naturally renewable.
Featured In
The buttons on our Playa Shirts, Ola Shirts, Cham Pants, Kite Jackets, Porto Shirts and Park Shirt Jackets are made with 100% corozo.
Organic Softeners
Organic softeners are natural enzymes added to water that break down tough fibers in the wash.
Why we use it
Most softeners are made from plastic-based synthetics. Natural softeners make our products soft without compromising their ability to biodegrade.
Featured In
All our Playa Shirts, Ola Shirts, Cham Pants, Kite Jackets, Porto Shirts and Park Shirt Jackets are washed with biodegradable enzymes so the fabric is soft from first wear.