Carissa Wodehouse

Del Forte Denim is one of the very few jeans brands that uses 100% organic cotton grown in California and does production in the USA. Phone interview.

EcoMetro, December 2008 (condensed version appeared in 2008 East Bay EcoMetro Guides)

Name: Tierra Del Forte
Job Title: Fashion Designer
Time at job: Since 1999
Neighborhood you live in: N Temescal in N. Oakland

Del Forte is partnered with the Davis, CA based Sustainable Cotton Project, and uses only 100% organic cotton for her denim.

How do you commute? One top goal is to bike to work. My car is 30 years old, so I’ve definitely gotten a lot of use out of it.

Who inspired your view of environmentalism? A friend of mine—who now works with me– has been involved in eco-fashion for 12 years, mostly hemp, way before it was a big to-do.  She was super knowledgeable and super committed, but it never really clicked with me until I was doing the research to start my own company. Conventional cotton is SO polluting, and organic farming is SO beneficial.

What’s one positive thing that encouraged your environmentalism early on? There was a really positive reaction in the industry and buyers and boutiques I respect were really excited. I could combine my aesthetic with something I believed in. People who weren’t actively looking for eco-fashion were really pleased when they were presented with it. A lot of what we are doing with this company is consumer education—eco-fashion doesn’t have to be scratchy burlap jumpers! We just show them our product; the other part is a little trickier.

What inspires you to keep working for change? I’ve invested a lot in this company financially, emotionally, and time-wise. I really really believe in this sector of the market—not just my company in particular. Press regarding eco-fashion in the last couple of years has been growing and growing, and it’s becoming more and more of a focus.

What have you witnessed changing about the sustainable community in the last 5 years? I’m fairly new to it, but it’s getting a lot more glamorous. The environment is a huge issue in Hollywood right now, and there’s probably upsides and downsides to that, but the events are being better produced, the glamour portion is rising, the only fear is that the issue will get lost. Are people going to get too distracted and star struck? But mostly I think it’s really good.

What do you envision the world will be like in 5 years? In 10? What I’m really striving for is that sustainable practices aren’t just limited to a few companies. I’d like to see all companies start looking at how they are making their goods. Consumer demand is going to keep growing, so I hope sustainable practices are going to become a quality that successful companies have.

Where do you get your information on the environment? Tons! I work with people at the Organic Exchange, and the Sustainable Cotton Project especially because they deal with family farmers in CA. Cradle to Cradle, Paul Hopkins, Worldchanging, Treehugger, Grist, G Living…all of these I find are really really great. Then there’s social networking sites like Earth.

How do you, in your own circles of family and friends, impart your sustainable practices? I grew up in Berkley, so we grew up with things like recycling, and things that the rest of the country is starting to do in a big way we’ve done for 30 years. Being in this industry has made my family and friends more aware. Small changes that are easy for people to make, they tend to do.

What are three things you do to be green? In the office we buy only eco-friendly office supplies when they’re available—all marketing is recycled post consumer paper with soy-based ink, all paper in the office is recycled post consumer, we print on both sides; we avoid shipping garments any farther than we need to, and most everything is done here in the U.S. which drastically reduces our use of fossil fuels. Where there’s an option I buy the eco friendly option—and I buy a lot less than I used to. Beauty, food, fashion…I’ve discovered I need a lot less things than I thought.

What do you think is the #1 thing people can do to be green? Be an informed consumer, read labels. The mainstream marketing world has realized how much of a selling point sustainability is and they care co-opting the language left and right, using words like organic and natural. Demand the products you want—if your grocery store doesn’t carry organic, then ask for it. If your favorite boutique has no eco friendly fashion available, ask for it.

Online shoppers can purchase Del Forte Denim from the store list.