Proudly part of the circular economy, MUD has a range of innovative ways for you to boost your wardrobe without the waste.
Yes, we all know the perils of fast fashion, but traditional clothing techniques can also be harmful to our environment. Some of the oldest, most respected, and priciest denim brands in the world are still making their products traditionally, which can use as much as 7,000 litres of water for each garment – which is frankly mind boggling. MUD realised that this is crazy, and has found a way to produce high quality denim using a mere fraction of the water consumption per garment. And it makes sure any waste water goes back into the environment, clean and safe.
Sustainability is at the forefront of MUD’s mission, aiming to bring you the most ecologically-friendly jeans available, without skimping on quality. Not just content with reducing water consumption, MUD also eschews harmful chemicals in the denim making process, and is proudly carbon neutral, with aims to become carbon positive in the near future.
But it’s not all about saving the planet and selling new jeans at MUD. In fact, MUD doesn’t want you to buy new jeans at all.
Have you ever considered leasing your jeans before? In the right (aka obsessive) hands, a pair of jeans can last a lifetime. But if you’re not a complete and utter denim nerd then you can still get a good few years out of a pair at the very least. But tastes change, and while you may love those skinny jeans you have on today, you may look back at them in a year and ask yourself “what was I thinking?” We know you did it with your bootcut acid washed jeans in the 90s, no fibbing.
But it’s not all about saving the planet and selling new jeans at MUD. In fact, MUD doesn’t want you to buy new jeans at all.
Starting at a very reasonable €7.50 (AU$13) a month, you can lease your jeans, then – after a year – you can either return them, swap for a fresh new pair, or keep them outright – it’s your choice. And no matter what option you choose, if any repairs are needed then MUD will sort them, free of charge.
“But what if I send them back, won’t they be binned?” you ask. Not at all. If the jeans are in decent condition then MUD will re-sell them as a vintage pair – if they’re a complete write-off, then MUD recycles the materials into creating fresh new clothes. MUD even takes in jeans from other brands to be recycled, offering discounts on new jeans in exchange for unwanted denim.
Currently, less than 1% of material used to produce clothing is recycled into new garments, and when you contemplate just how much clothing is being produced every year this number becomes even more shocking. MUD jeans are made from up to 40% recycled material, if others follow suit then it will drastically cut the amount of clothing ending up in landfills.
But the buck doesn’t just stop there. If you want to further help the planet via the power of your jeans then it’s simple; don’t wash them. OK, if they get caked in mud or *shudder* worse then throw them in the wash, but denim geeks around the world will tell you that you can get away with washing your jeans a handful of times a year.
MUD has a full guide on its website detailing the method behind the unwashed madness, but it boils down to this; the less you wash them, then the longer they should last you, and the less water you’re using in the process.
It may seem novel that a company doesn’t want you to buy its products, but if more follow in the footsteps of MUD then it could affect massive change to our overtly consumerist society, and all for the better.
Change your thinking, change how you consume clothing, and look good doing it. That’s what MUD wants.
