Back in fashion

AS much as faded flares and workmen dungarees are synonymous with hippy dippy flower children, the process of making denim garments is particular unkind to Mother Earth. For starters, a 2015 environmental impact study by jeans maker Levi Strauss & Co found that nearly 3,800 litres of water is used in making a single pair of jeans. The process of creating that perfectly distressed wash, rip and texture also requires high energy sandblasting techniques and the use of harsh chemicals - such as synthetic indigo dyes.

Now, Swedish fast fashion retailer H&M has taken the sting out of denim's gargantuan carbon footprint with its latest Close The Loop denim collection for men, women and kids, by using cotton recycled from discarded clothes melded with its organic sibling. Prices start from S$39.90 for a pair of artfully faded grey jeans for boys to a S$119 ladies denim jacket.

"On average, a person in a developed country consumes 20kg of clothing a year," reveals Carola Tembe, environmental sustainability coordinator at H&M.