Denim is an emotional fabric that remembers our stories: past, present, future narratives that can shape hearts and minds.
Remember that first pair of jeans that fit just right, the jacket borrowed in the warm glow of a new romance, or that perfectly thrifted denim piece that you now couldn’t live without? What ignited your spirit and made you fall in love with denim for the first time?
For 70 years, Turkey-based denim mill ORTA has been weaving the fabrics that become these stories. The manufacturer’s latest collection, ORTANOW, fuses this rich denim heritage with an innovative, eco-modern handprint.
ORTANOW launched amid a challenging time in Turkey. In the wake of deadly and destructive earthquakes, ORTA believes that creation is a needed relief for the nation in recovery. “There are so many ways to show up in this devastating, challenging moment,” said Sedef Uncu Aki, who leads ORTA’s denim sales and marketing, product development, R&D, sustainability, planning and operations. “As part of Turkey’s family, we share the brilliance and bravery of our loved ones. Now more than ever, it is time to gather together and create with integrity and genuine inspiration, and so now we create—with love, with hope, with renewal.”
Across its history, ORTA has not shied away from breaking boundaries. In the early ‘90s, the mill created its iconic marble ring spun denim influenced by Japan, and the 2000s ushered in its Homespun ultimate X-Hatch. Other standout innovations included the first generation of multi-count fabrics, evolved techno-shine stretch, the alchemy of cashmere touch and the denim disruption of 100 percent bi-stretch. Now, it is pushing this further with modernized eco-conscious performance.
ORTANOW’s new generation icons include high-performance Tencel lyocell in the weft for supreme softness and recovery, making the fabric perfect for the coveted legging and slim style denim look. Others include unisex stretch with clear twill line and raw look performance stretch engineered with ultimate fiber blends, ensuring longevity for use and performance. Marrying recycled materials with the durability of stretch, ORTA replicates those sought-after salt ‘n’ pepper marble washes with a smooth, Japanese artisan-like optic.
Continuing its regenerative handprint mission, ORTA has partnered with Nature Coatings to introduce the world’s first carbon-negative black pigment that is petrol-free and 100 percent wood-waste derived. BioBlack TX is a 100 percent bio-based, certified and carbon-negative black pigment made with pre-consumer industrial wood waste from FSC certified sources from the lumber, paper, furniture and flooring industries, which means the wood waste is traceable to sustainably managed forests.
The closed-loop, circular manufacturing process for BioBlack TX emits negligible amounts of carbon dioxide, and the sole byproduct is steam, which is captured and used to power parts of the production facility. With BioBlack, ORTA can get a deep black hue without the use of fossil fuels, PAHs and carcinogens.
“BioBlack TX is a disruptive, denim-first climate tech, on which we are proud to partner with Nature Coatings,” said Aki. “This partnership is a pivotal point in our advancement of a BioAwake innovation platform that embraces biodesigned and regenerative solutions that strive to be net-positive.”
ORTA is passionate about its past, but the manufacturer is most excited by what lies ahead.
“Reimagining the future of our planet, people, resources and supply chains focuses us and makes our resolve stronger for the journey ahead,” said Aki. “We consider ourselves not only manufacturers of denim but cultural curators. On our 70th anniversary, our body, imagination, intellect and soul respond to the beauty of recreation. We cannot be bystanders in this process. All we have is now.”
Click here to learn more about ORTA.