Los Angeles-based denim-turned-lifestyle brand Frame stayed close to home to produce its latest collection. The brand introduced Pure, a 10-piece denim collection featuring biodegradable denim fabric and washes that use virtually no water in its production, for pre-order this week.
Frame worked with Saitex USA to develop the line, which encompasses 5 percent of Frame’s Spring 2022 denim range. Opened last spring, the facility is described as “one of the cleanest denim manufacturers in the world” and closely mirrors the eco-innovation that put Saitex’s Vietnam hub on the radar of brands like Eileen Fisher, Everlane and Madewell. The L.A. hub significantly reduces denim’s carbon footprint, while boasting state-of-the-art technology supporting water, waste, and energy processes that reduce environmental impact.
Pure employs only eco-friendly, liquid-based finishing agents and lasers in the finishing process, Frame stated. Through Saitex’s $2-million H2Zero filtration system to remove chemicals and dyes, garments use 1.25 liters of water in the wash process, of which 98 percent is recycled and 2 percent is evaporated and repurposed. In comparison, Frame reports that traditional denim washes use as much as 80 liters of water per garment.
Additionally, Pure garments are made with 100 percent cotton fabric, which Frame points out is biodegradable. Accompanying hang tags use recycled paper and feature QR codes for consumer-facing information about the collection’s impact.
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“Conserving water, and as result saving energy, is yet another step on this path we are taking to not only produce sustainably and responsibly but also continuously strive to be better global citizens,” said Erik Torstensson, Frame co-founder and chief creative officer.
Styles include a classic overall, a utility overall, slouchy utility jeans, Bermuda shorts, utility Bermuda shorts and distressed high-rise jeans that are fitted through the hips and thighs and taper to the ankle. Styles, available in sizes 23-34, are intended to be worn oversized. Retail prices begin at $248.
The partnership with Saitex USA is another example of Frame’s efforts to innovate sustainably. More than half of the brand’s denim styles this spring will be made with sustainable fabrics and washes. Frame introduced biodegradable jeans and circular denim that follows the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Jeans Redesign guidelines in 2021. It stands behind “four pillars of responsible washing” that call for zero bleach, zero potassium permanganate, zero stone-washing and the use of “cutting edge machinery to eliminate traditional production techniques.”
To help communicate the environmental savings of Pure, Frame tapped London creative studio Isabel + Helen to create sculptures that represent the line’s water savings. The installation, displayed at Frame’s Madison Avenue, SoHo, Aspen and London stores, features water glasses with just six being filled.