What is Eco Fashion?

Jennifer (1s): Hey, Monica. 

Monica (3s): Hey Jennifer, how are you? 

Jennifer (5s): I'm actually great. I'm living in my ocean Grove tent on the New Jersey shore right now. 

Monica (9s): I know I'm so jealous. The tent looks amazing. 

Jennifer (12s): Thanks. 

Monica (13s): Do you want to tell our listeners about our guests this week? 

Jennifer (16s): Oh my gosh. So we spoke with Marci Zaroff, who, if you don't already know her is an absolute pioneer of the eco-conscious and ethical fashion industry. 

Monica (23s): And she actually coined the term eco fashion, like years ago, back in 95, which was way before anybody was really talking about this.

Jennifer (32s): Exactly. So let me just rattle off a few of Marcy's credentials because it's pretty mind blowing. She is the founder of a whopping four fashion and lifestyle brands that are all certified organic and ethically produced. She was instrumental in developing the global, organic textile standard, also known as GOTS and the fair trade textile certification. She's received numerous awards and recognitions from organizations like Retail Touchpoint, Fashion Group International, and the Natural Product Industry. She's a regular column called the Outside View in Women's Wear Daily. And in 2018 published her first book called eco Renaissance, co-creating a stylish, sexy and sustainable world. 

Monica (1m 7s): So if you're at all interested in the intersection of fashion, ethics, and the environment, Marci is definitely someone you need to be paying attention to. So let's get straight to our interview. 

Jennifer (1m 21s): Marcy, we're so happy to have you with us today. Thank you for joining us. 

Marci (1m 24s): Thank you, Jennifer. It's so great to be here with both of you. 

Jennifer (1m 29s): Last time we saw you It was like what, fall of 2019 at the, before the world fell apart.

Marci (1m 33s): So yeah, kind of a new chapter, but a good one for all of us and the work that we're doing. 

Jennifer (1m 42s): Yeah. Yes, absolutely. I'm going to say just preface this because there might be some noise because I'm at my beach tent at the Jersey shore right now. So you might hear some animals or some people walking by so I just want to put that out there because it's not normal for me to be in my tent and recording a podcast, but glad to be doing that in nature with of course you Marci. So it's a great part. 

Marci (2m 3s): Yes. And I'll just live vicariously through you that you're at the beach. 

Monica (2m 5s): I know, I know some water would be good for all of us right now. So Marci, We did. We all met together gosh, in fall 2019 at the Hearst tower, right at raising the green bar, I think was the name of it. It just seems like a million years ago that everybody, we would do conferences in person is that yeah. And I remember sitting at the table with you and you had that most gorgeous book called the eco Renaissance. 

Yeah. Yep. There it is. It's gorgeous. And, and one of the things that I think, I don't know if Jennifer told me, or you had told me that you had coined the term eco fashion right, way back.

Marci (2m 55s): 1995, 25 years ago, people thought I was crazy. They said that will never work Marci. People who are into fashion are not into the environment and humanitarianism and consciousness and people into a more conscious lifestyle could care less about fashion. 

And I was like, wait a minute, but I'm that person. So let's bring those worlds together. 

Jennifer (3m 16s): Good for you. Was that hard? I mean, of course, I'm sure it's hard in the beginning because when you're a visionary, no one understands you're, you're seeing what you're seeing and you're witnessing something that's going to be revolutionary over time, but that must've been really hard for you to get that ball rolling. And here we are all these years later, now everyone's talking about it. You are like, literally the person behind this whole movement. 

Marci (3m 37s): You know, I don't know if you know this. I actually, in 1990, co-founded a school that is known today as the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. So I started that. I started IIN out of my apartment and it was because deep in my gut, I knew that the concept of eating a healthier lifestyle, living a healthier lifestyle and eating healthier made so much sense to me. Right? So the fact that, you know, the word organic was this foreign idea and that, you know, everyone in the organic world globally knew each other at that time, you know, it was a small little niche world, but you know, in my, again, in my gut, it was always, it was never an if it was a when and the same thing with eco fashion, because just like in Maslow's hierarchy of needs, our first basic need is food. And then we evolve and we ask, you know, what else? What's next? What more clothing shelter, right. That's kind of our next basic need. And so it was very obvious to me that eventually once you plant that seed of consciousness, it will ultimately grow. And that sort of the evolution from food to fiber and fashion was something that would be inevitable. And so when I, you know, when I coined that term and I started the first sustainable fashion and home brand in north America called under the canopy, which was, you know, the premise being that we all live under the canopy of the planet's ecosystem together, we're all in this together. 

And of course the canopy is the top layer of the rainforest, right. Where there's more life living under the canopy of the planetary forest than anywhere on our planet. So, you know, it just always, for me was a natural, like yes, you know, and that's where the book kicks off with the first chapter or introduction is all about yes, and, right. It's about the yes, and not or not, you know, buy it, choose it, wear it, live it because it's that live it cause it's everything you want and it's that right? So you can have everything then it's not about that sacrifice and deprivation. It's about getting more and that. So with eco fashion, for me, it was always about a movement, right? To style the world of change and change the world of style and bridge, you know, the tree hugger and the fashionista or the tribe and the boardroom. Right. Cause I was living in both of those worlds. 

Monica (5m 59s): Well, and I love, first of all, I love everything you're saying. And obviously that's why we're we're we have you here today. But the Maslov thing is really interesting to me because, cause I think most of us are sort of familiar with that concept, but Jennifer and I were talking a little bit before, like, you know, food, we, we we've been you're you're so right. Like we, we, we're very concerned about what we're putting in our body and we've started to get concerned about what we're putting on our beauty and our, on our body, like beauty, but yeah, that the next level, but that's an interesting way to say, this is why we haven't gotten to the fashion yet, or this is why the fashion is coming after these other things. It makes perfect sense now. Cause I'm like, well, why have we haven't we been, 

Jennifer (6m 42s): That's so true. I feel like it's been so slow that that uptick is so slow because journey of thousand miles. Right, right. That's exactly it. I think beauty's just kind of touching on the past. You know, I've been in beauty for 25 years, so that transition's been taking so long, but it's still taking faster than faster than the fashion. Now, now that you've talked about a lot, but really it's connecting those dots. I never thought about before. 

Marci (7m 5s): Yeah you know, it's interesting because kind of that aha for me was when I was, I think, 16 years old and I read a book called living in the light by Shakti Gawain and, and it struck a very deep chord in me and I at the same time that my girlfriend who gave me that book, who I talk about in my book, her name is Surya. She was a hairdresser. And she introduced me to Aveda when Aveda was one product. And I just was like, oh, that feels so it's just like on every cell of my body breathing in that, you know, that scent of the essential oils and then reading the label and talking about plant-based wisdom and you know, indigenous cultures and, you know, all of these amazing ancient traditions, but really at the end of the day, it was all about appealing to people at a visceral level and through, you know, horse, the record Docker, the founder who I met when I was still in my late teens, I just was so blown away by his vision. 

And it just resonated so much for me that we became fast friends. And actually he was my mentor for over twenty-five years. And, and we connected those dots on a regular basis between food and beauty. In those early years, when I was running the school. In fact, we opened the very first Aveda concept salon in New York in our school. And I used to teach at the Aveda Institute when it opened in New York and Horst actually wrote the forward to my book Eco Renaissance. 

And it was the last thing before he passed away. So food and beauty were kind of this like, yes, and then watching what he was doing in revolutionizing the beauty and personal care industry was kind of, for me that, you know, epiphany of, I got best dressed in high school. That's my big, you know, fashion background, but I always saw fashion. And having that understanding of food and beauty sort of led me down this, you know, wow, what I want to do, what Horst is doing and beauty, I want to do that in fashion because fashion is one of the largest polluters in the world. 

You know, you'll hear different statistics, but second to oil and, you know, 8 to 10% of the world's carbon footprint is coming from the fashion and textile industry. You know, when you add in like agriculture and transportation and all the components and the energy use 20% of the world's fresh water pollution is textile treatment and dying and less than 3% of the world's agriculture is cotton. But up to 20% of the most harmful insecticides and up to 10% of the most carcinogenic pesticides are being used on cotton. 

And that other, that other aha, when you talk about Maslow's hierarchy of needs, is that in agriculture, when you talk about organic agriculture, it's really about the methodologies about crop rotation to build soil health and build the nutrients in the soil. Cotton is a very important crop in the, in that equation. And in that rotation and 60% of a cotton plant goes back into the food stream. And this is something a lot of people don't know, 60% of the plant by weight is the seed and the seed gets broken down and made into cotton seed oil, which is used in, we start reading labels, bread products, snack foods, tons of foods that are on the shelves. 

So if you're not looking at organic cotton and agriculture, you're looking at an extremely chemically ridden seed and crop that is ultimately being eaten, right? So there's connection on, it's not just what you eat, it's what you wear, but it's also, there's so much there's so many layers of connection. And we had on the chief impact officer Jeff Katch of Rodale for the last two weeks. And I know that you have been very tied into them for years and years and years. Was that something that you found back in the nineties and started that relationship then? 

Because I feel like I run into people every day who have no idea who Rodale is. And so I've become like their little brand evangelists. I am, it’s so important. And I had this, we had this amazing woman that was in last week. Who's a physician and writing a book called On Healing. And I think that's okay to talk about it. It's coming out next spring. And she was incredible. She never heard about Rodale. And so, you know, we introduced her, that head of development was here and they, they got introduced. 

And so now they're going to have this whole relationship and come visit the farm because you know, it's just in Pennsylvania, right near you and super close to New York City. So she's just going to get on the train and pop on down there. So can we go back, okay. I want to go back to cotton for just a second. I'm kind of blown away by this. So you just threw out a ton of statistics there and I'm like, so one of the things with fashion right, is so organic, we go into like the grocery store and you just see the little label, the organic label on my carrots. 

And I'm like, I'm going to get the carrots over the conventional and for all the reasons that we know, but how do we know the organic, the cotton's organic in the t-shirt kind of question, what do we, what do we do there? Yeah. So in the nineties, I was on the organic fiber council of the organic trade association, which I also relaunched five years ago and was chairing the next chapter of the fiber council. And so now it's really, it's the fastest growing non food sector in the organic industry right now is textiles fiber fiber. Back in the nineties, we discovered through the OTA writing and organic cyber standard that would mirror the organic food standard. You know, the NOP standard, the USDA govern standard. We wrote our version of that for textiles and fiber. And then we realized that Japan had their version and the UK had their version and Germany had their version. And so we all came together. It was one of the first global collaborations that I was involved in in the nineties. 

And it was really exciting because we created a uniform standard that will cross all, you know, boundaries and, and country borders. And it's called the global organic textile standard. It's called GOTS. And so that seal, the GOTS seal is our counterpart in the textile industry, to what you see on food and beauty products. The NOP seal, we cannot use that on textiles because the 5% allowances, but the 95/5 rule, or even the 70/30 rule do not account for dyes finishes and sundries and all the things we use in textiles, they are very food specific. 

Monica (13m 49s): Well, so will you stop, wait, well over our listener, I'm going to assume that they're where I am. I know enough but, what's the 95/5 rule and what's the 70/30 rule? 

Marci (13m 55s): Yeah. So to call a product organic, this is law. This is federal law. This isn't like a, you know, marketing proposition of any kind. This is, this is the NOP governed by the US government, you know, US department of agriculture. So you have to be at least 95% certified organic ingredients to call a product organic. 

And the other 5% have to be listed on the approved substance list of the NOP or the national organic standard, right? That's when you see an organic food product that is a consistent rule. The 70/30 rule is if you have up to 70% or get certified organic ingredients, the other 30% also on the approved list, you can say it's made with organic ingredients and list everything that's organic. You cannot call the full product organic. 

Monica (14m 48s): I didn't know that at all.

Marci (14m 50s): We have a similar rule with gods. If we're 95% certified organic fibers, cotton wool, silk linen, right then, and the other 5% are on the allowance list, meaning in our world, no formaldehyde, no heavy metals. No, acetones, no optical brighteners, no chlorine bleach. Like all the things that you're not allowed to use. It's kind of like saying on the food side, you're not allowed to use certain preservatives or chemicals or additives and synthetics. 

So we have our version of that. So the 95/5, where we can say, this is an organic shirt and organic towel or an organic jacket, organic dress. It has to be at least 95% certified organic. And the organic fiber that we're using is certified to the exact same methodology as a food standard. Right? So at the agricultural level, they're the same. And it has to be NOP certified at the agricultural level. It's the finishing, dying, processing, producing of the finished product because we're not selling actually, if you're selling cotton balls and cotton squads, you can use the NOP standard because there's not nothing else in it except an agricultural product. 

But if you're going into a textile product, a home or an apparel, textile, that's where GOTS come in. 

Jennifer (18m 3s): Wow,I don't even know, like there's so much I want to ask, but, well, I'm just thinking about like going into the store and trying to figure out where these labels are. I'm going to go say something because I'm going to go back. But I'm even thinking about like all the bad things with fast fashion right now. Like just what you just said, all of a sudden, like I'm opening my eyes I was thinking all the things that are out there and be, you know, buy it because it's cheap kind of mentality is like destroying so much of our world. Like I don't even, there's so much to ask about that. And like, what does, what does that mean to you when you see like, things about fast fashion or I'm not gonna name names or anything, but like, how do you approach that? Or what do you say about that? 

Marci (18m 42s): Yeah, so, well, I'd start by saying we have to where the change we wish to see in the world, right? And when you look at what fast fashion has done, it's been, you know, proliferating, you know, like disposable fashion that is ending up in our landfills. It's ending up as you know, synthetics that are getting washed and washing machines that are then shedding microfibers into our washing machines, into our rivers, into our oceans, destroying the ocean ecosystems. 90% of fish today are showing traces of microfibers. 

These are tiny, tiny little particles that are endocrine disruptors because they're plastic that are coming off of every single synthetic garment ever made in the history of mankind because synthetic textiles do not biodegrade. So number one, to slow down fashion, we have to look at fibers and materials. So I'm a huge fan of organic cotton regenerative in transition to organic cotton. And now we're also offering biodynamic organic cotton through my company, Eco Fashion Corp. And we have, we have all three tracks. 

We have organic, we have regenerative and transition to organic and we have biodynamic organic. So then we all, I am also big fan of tencel lyocell and a lot of people don't know what tensel is. They think it's synthetic. They think it's technical. What is it? It's actually derived from eucalyptus and it's extracted, the cellulose is extracted. And the eucalyptus is grown on managed tree farms where you're not taking away any arable land, right? 

So it's, and it's FSC certified. It's grown without pesticides and chemicals grown without water. And the eucalyptus is like a weed. It grows very quickly, right? Broken down with a nontoxic recycled detergent or solvent made manufactured in a closed loop system. And all the byproducts are used efficiently. So it's a really great story. We call it eco-lyptus at eco fashion, huge fan of that fiber. And then the third fiber that is kind of, you know, of the three, my least favorite, but it there's a time and a place for it is recycled poly, which is not polyester that's been recycled. It's actually plastic bottles taken out of landfills and then broken down and turned into the fiber source, turned into the arms and used for functional products. So there, there is, you know, again with the microfiber ish two, we haven't found the solution fully yet. So I'm still, you know, I still try to avoid synthetics whenever I can, but for functional fabrics, you know, and for fill for things like pillows, things like that, you need, you know, you need that kind of fiber. 

Monica (21m 28s): And when you say functional fabrics, are you talking about like our, like, like what, what, like, and you need them to run and work out, not just leggings that are comfortable cotton leggings, because at our brand seed to style, which is our QVC brand, we, we have amazing organic cotton leggings, you know, and I, and I look, and I see what else is on air. 

And it's, you know, it's almost all synthetic. And, you know, I think if, if you're looking to work out, you know, there is again, sort of a function component to that, but if you're not, then I always would opt anytime you can for organic cotton. Of course, it's more breathable too. Wow. And that's interesting because this, this material thing, right. And, and you, I heard you on a clubhouse talk and I've told you this, you know, where I learned about sort of the bamboo versus tencel or tencile, tencel

Yeah. You were advising, a woman had asked a question. She wanted to start maybe like a linen, like a, you know, bedding company or something. And she wanted to go into bamboo and you were like, well, you know, very kind. And you know, I think a lot of us have been taught that bamboo is the answer that, that, that, but your conversation about that was like, no, no, no, no, no, this one's much better. And then I don't know if it was on that talk that you had, but I've been like, you know, doing a lot of research on the plastics. And I learned about the microplastics and I just sort of fell over because your, to your point, like all of our workout clothes and we won't name names, like all of our favorites, right have plastics in, and I didn't even think about this, but that's why they're stretchy. Or maybe even our denim has that in it. And then we put them in the washing machine and then all of those microfibers break out and then they end up in the, in the water, which to your point, and they end up in the fish and then we're eating them again. And now we have to your point, we, we, there's a whole health conversation we won't even get into, but obviously part of the storytelling. So I just think it's, it is so interesting to see if you can find that fabric again, is that labeled, like, how is that labeled? 

How would I know if I went to target or I went to like, is everybody using it? How pervasive are these new better for us fabric materials? 

Marci (23m 49s): Yeah. So, so we are required by law to on a care label to talk about what the content is inside of the garment. Right? So never a garment that you should, you'll never see a garment, unless it's like some, you know, black market garment, that doesn't have the content label on it where it will tell you exactly the makeup of the fiber. 

And so, and to get through customs, if you're importing again, that's, that's law, you know, your duties are all based on that. Right. So, and, and going back to what you said about the fish and microfibers and the same thing with organic, you've got 83% of Americans eating organic food today, at least occasionally. Right. And the biggest buyer of organic food in this country today is Costco, right? It's not Whole Foods anymore. Right. And you know, of course we have Target and Walmart and Amazon everybody's joined the party, right. So, you know, you have, I lived at the intersection of connecting food and fiber. 

I think that is something that is really important for people to understand. Then you talked earlier about, we're not just what we eat, we're also what we wear. And I would say, you know, the metaphor that I love to share is this, the soil is the skin of the earth. And it's meant to protect us. It is meant to absorb, right, in a good way. It's meant to absorb the atmosphere. When soil is healthy and its biodiversity is thriving. The soil acts like a sponge and actually sucks carbon out of the atmosphere and protects us through, you know, we don't have all the carbon up in our atmosphere, the greenhouse gasses that are being released. 

And, but when you have conventional methods of agriculture that deplete and destroy our soil health, right through GMOs and chemical cocktails that go into the soil and break down all that biodiversity. Now the soil no longer absorbs. And has that, protects us. Right? So on the same note, our skin is the largest organ in our bodies. It's our primary organ for absorption. If you're, if you're, you know, a beauty person, you know, you know, right. You talk that, talk about the skin, kind of eating everything that's on it. Right? So textiles are so written from farm to finished product with the finishes, the dyes, and all of the things that are used in the growing and sewing and manufacturing are going on our skin. And nobody's ever stopped to think, Hey, wait a minute, 70 million people have asthma allergies. And a third of the population has chemical sensitivities. And we always talk about what we're putting in our bodies, but we're wearing and using textiles pretty much 24/7, when you start talking about your sheets and your towels and your robes and everything else. 

Right. So, you know, you pull the curtain back. Once you unveil the human and environmental impacts of, you know, the textile industry, it's, you can think of textiles to me as a food, right? So connecting food and flavor to me is, you know, your and think of we're made of energy. Everything we put in on and around our bodies is an extension of ourselves and the way it's also made of energy. So I would say, you know, the first thing that changes when you change your diet is your blood and the way it flows and the energy in your body. 

And the same thing with, to me, you know, it's, it's, it's bigger than, you know, this, like let's protect the farmer and worker welfare, which is super important, super important. It's also, you know, we talk about health and wellness. It really is about a holistic view of all of this protecting our earth and the ecosystems, protecting our global community, protecting the air and water that we depend on and protecting our own state of health and wellbeing out of our family. Well, and that's really interesting that you say, so I worked on a large package goods company that, that, that is a, a sustainable company, or like, you know, one of the biggies out there, right. 

And one of the big, during research as we were going out to do advertising for them, you know, how do you talk about the brand? And, you know, we started out with, you know, thinking, oh, it's all about saving the fish. And what you put down your drain is super important. And dah, dah, dah, dah, dah, it did not resonate with anybody and what we realized was, and it was, you know, the female or the moms were the ones buying this product. Right. It was all about the health of the family and their children and themselves. And that was the key, you know, that's what we had to speak to. 

And I've always held that. I think it's so interesting. And I think you saw this early on is that, you know, not that we don't care about a lot of these external factors. Right. And I'll just keep going with the fish, but you're like, I don't, I don't know where the fish are. I don't understand. I don't, you know, and yeah, I don't want the fish to be hurt, but it just has really kind of nothing to do with my life. And so how do we make it, you know, resonate for people. And I think so much of the environmental movement has been this sort of like thing out there that we're saving. 

And even when they talked about like ozone years ago, I mean, still, you know, but like now the ozone, the hole's gone or whatever, you know, it's like, I don't even understand, you know, what, it's this nebulous and people are talking about carbon and everybody's like, well, what is carbon? Right. I mean, think about it. And they're like, well, if, if we do X, Y, and Z with transportation, we'll be sequestering so much carbon and we can buy these offsets. And I'm like, oh, I kind of get it. But it really goes down to health and wellness. And I love that you connected that so many years ago, 

Jennifer (29m 14s): You can't see, like you can't unsee what you saw. So like you discovered, I love it. You discovered like the food and then the beauty. And then you keep, you know, the research and you want to learn more and more. And the more you discovered, the more you can't unsee what you discover and you have to go, I need to be that driving force of, hey, we have to be better for ourselves and for the planet, like we have no option. Like we all make a difference. Everyone. 

Marci (29m 39s): I was just going to say, I mean, the premise of my book Eco Renaissance. Co-creating a stylish, sexy and sustainable world is that through the lens of design, we can change the world. So when you talk about art and you talk about the language of the eco Renaissance, because we're all creators, right. And then I go into food and beauty and wellness and fashion and business, right. Because they're all spokes in the wheel of change. And the common theme across this, or what I call this Eco Renaissance is the rebirth of humanity through the lens of that. 

We're all part of a collective ecosystem. You know, those pillars are creativity, consciousness, connection, community, and collaboration. Those are the principles of each of these sectors and how we can shift their paradigm. Yeah, no, and I, and I think, you know, you had a quote that, that I wrote down before is “nature often offers us the most picturesque examples of art forms.” And I love this part. “And frankly, I think that the stigma in environmentalism comes from the fact that some activists have separated ecology from the creative human spirit.” 

And I love that. And I think, you know, when we talked, like we did like our pre-interview, it's like you, you've been doing biophilic work for all these years and, and you live in biophilia and you're just using different language, but, but you've been sitting here and like been really championed the movement since the nineties. And I just think this is incredible. And so what have you seen change this year with COVID like, what, how have things shifted and where do you think things are going due to this awareness now much higher awareness of health and wellness? 

Yeah. So, you know, my mission 30 years ago was to make the norm the alternative and the alternative, the norm, right. And meet people where they are and never judge them or, or impose things on them. Right. It was always about, you know, teach by example, even with my children. Right. And one of my favorite quotes is native American wisdom that we do not inherit this land from our ancestors. We borrow it from our children and I've raised my kids who are now, you know, in their mid twenties, both of them. 

And I raised them with a level of not do it because I say, so, understand the why, when you really do, it takes on a whole different sort of life form. You know, you don't feel that sense of sacrifice. It's all about no compromise. It's getting more it's value added, as I mentioned earlier, right. So what's happened with COVID and, and I don't, you know, make light of, of all the suffering and the deaths. I mean, it's, it's heart-wrenching and I, you know, we do, we have an office in India and so right now, you know, we're navigating a lot of heartbreak and challenge and what's happening there. But, you know, the, the gift of COVID is that, you know, people weren't able to go outside and they were able to go inside, right. And inside again, sort of metaphorically to sort of reset their priorities and reevaluate what really matters and, you know, open back up to family and love and, and, and health and wellness being so paramount because the healthier you are the stronger your immune system, likely the more, you know, you know, the less vulnerable you are to germs to bugs, right. 

Which is the whole same philosophy with organic agriculture, right? The stronger we make the soil, the stronger the plant is, the stronger the plant is, the more it's resistant to bugs, right? The bugs want to invest on the weakness, right. The germs, right. That's the same with us. So I think there's this, like awakening that's happened, which of course my book being, you know, about a transformation, you know, Renaissance is a rebirth, right. And this awakening that we all are connected globally. 

Like we, I mean, if you would have told anybody two years ago that the entire world would be on lockdown together, right. Like connect, I mean, it's just surreal, but I think what it's done is it's, it's, you know, forced people to reset their parties and recognize that what really matters. And, you know, as a, as an entrepreneur, I've always said, you know, people, planet, profit, passion, and purpose, right. We all know, you know, the three or the five Ps. And I think, you know, on a personal level, so many people have been living their lives so splintered, their professional values on their personal values have been disconnected. And I think people are now bringing those together and recognizing that you need to be in alignment in your values in order to be balanced and grounded and fulfilled deeply because we're not outside of nature. We're a part of nature. Right. We have a symbiotic relationship with nature. Talk about carbon. We breathe out carbon and nature brings it in and nature brings out oxygen and we breathe it in. So we have this relationship and I think people are realizing finally that, you know, it does matter. 

And so, and the next generation is, you know, changing the game, right. They’ve been raised with all this like political, economic, and environmental collapse across everywhere they look. And it's, there's so much negativity out there. They're just hungry for something positive and transparency of course, is the new name of the game because they can ask the questions. What's in my food, who made my clothes, how are they being made? You know, who's making them and they want answers. They want to vote with their dollars. 

So I think it's, it's game on now, what's the future look like then, like for clothing. Right. So, so I'm seeing more about the fiber, the fiber shed, you know, where it's coming from, but the ingredients are, if you will of clothing, right. Because to your point, it's not just like, oh, here's a carrot out of the ground. And these guys are organic. You know, this, whatever I have on here, God forbid, now I'm like, Ooh, I gotta go look at the label. You know, it's got the fiber, it's got the thread and the thread might've been dyed. 

Right. And then I don't know what else kind of went into it to make it softer or more resistant or I don't even know. Right. So is there going to be, you've got the care label. Great. So kind of the number that things are on there, but I don't even know what those things are sometimes. Like, to your point, if I, if I hear tencel, like maybe I thought that that was a, not a natural fiber. Sure. So what's the future? Is there going to be like a nutrition label? 

Marci (36m 16s): Yeah. So there's a couple things happening. First of all, it's, what's very exciting about what's happening in this, in the global sustainable fashion and textile industry is there's a lot of collaboration and innovation underway. Right. You know, it used to be, and I laugh about this, you know, in my early years coming into eco fashion, you know, in the sort of late nineties, I used to feel a bit schizophrenic. Cause I would go from like the natural product industry trade shows where it's like, I've got your back, we're all in this together, you know, we’re shared vision. And then you'd go to the fashion trade shows and it would be like, watch it back. 

And there was so much like fear and like, you know, and just like your negative energy and, you know, and I used to just be like, okay, again, how do I bring these worlds together? So now what's happening is not only, you know, in this country, but globally, some of the biggest companies in the world are sitting at the table together. And you know, I'm on the board of an organization called the Textile Exchange and was one of the founding members, you know, 20 years ago and had been on the board and, you know, since the day one and still vice chair of the board now. 

And, and it, I love that. I love TE because we're all together talking about solutions, right. And that it's like what Albert Einstein said we can't solve today's problems with the same consciousness that created them. Right. So it really takes a shift in consciousness. And the fashion industry systems are so broken a shirt, a jacket like you're wearing can change hands 7 to 10 times in a supply chain. So going back to what you said, there are so many touch points to look at it's fiber, materials processing, it's, you know, minimizing water use and, and energy use looking at renewable or transportation, carbon offsetting. 

You know what I mean? Like we are looking at every which way we've made a commitment through the textile exchange, an industry-wide commitment in the textile world that we're going to reduce our carbon footprint 30 or 45% by 2030. That is an industry commitment that we've made. So now it's, you know, all the biggest companies out there, you know, whether you're Target or Amazon or H&M or, you know, Kerring so high mark high-end market luxury to, you know, mass market, everybody is now, you know, recognizing that it's not about staying ahead anymore. It's about not being left behind. If you are not embedding social and environmental accountability into your business models, you're going to be out of the game. It's really, I mean, you could see already how many retailers during COVID have folded and it's unfortunate. They just didn't keep up with the times, they were no longer relevant. And this, you know, level of accountability is, is no longer just an add on it's actually being demanded by today's consumer and that’s only going to get bigger. 

Because if you know, last year that OTA came out with, you know, 52% of organic shoppers are millennials. And the number one reason that people often embrace an organic lifestyle is when they have kids. And a lot of them, most of the millennials haven't had kids yet. So you think about the trajectory lifestyle it's only going to grow. The next generation is already showing that they want sustainability as a mandate. That makes so much sense because that's exactly when we started really focusing on organic more was when we had kids. Like, we were always pretty healthy, but we really dialed it in when that happened. 

But that's so interesting so they're just so, so what, where I am, right, like we sell houses at Serenbe, right? And so the millennials are buying like crazy right now because they're all coming of age. I think the top age is around 40 now. And they're all starting to buy their first home or even moving into their second home. And they're starting to have those kids to your point. And so the nature-based need, I mean, we're seeing it across the country of like, I want a single family home. I want something to feel safe. I want to connect with nature. I want, you know, connected to people, but you're right. If they haven't started having the bulk of their children yet just wait. Wow. 

Marci (40m 17s): Yeah. And the only upticks in agriculture, in the farming communities in the last handful of years are from the millennial generation that are kind of moving back out to the farms and reinventing the farms to be organic. And you know, that we did a study called the hotspot study that showed that where there are pockets of agriculture, organic agriculture in America, household incomes are up over $2,000. Poverty rates are decreasing. 

Communities are thriving. Farmers are making on average 35% more money. I mean, it's a system that has a good business economic model, not just good for people and planet. So that's the win-win, it's good business to do well by doing good in the world. Right. Like, and that's why, you know, my brands that Eco Fashion Corp, we really hang our hat on organic agriculture, connecting organic, you know, agriculture to popular culture. Yeah. 

Monica (41m 10s): So where do we find your brands? Like where, where, where can we shop? Because we know everything that we can buy from you will be the smart choice. So tell me, you mentioned QVC, tell me everything about where we can find you. 

Marci (41m 22s): Yeah, so, so first of all, we have a B2B manufacturing arm to make sustainability easy for other brands, retailers, companies looking to create, cancel, they can call you. So you want to make t-shirts or hoodies, or you want to make a full fashion collection. You want to make a home brand, whatever products in tech sales, we're equipped. 

We have an office in India, a whole team on the ground manufacturing platform, and we can make any kind of apparel or home private label, all customized and certified with full transparency in, from source to story. Think of it as like the Intel inside of sustainable fashion. And what's the name of the company MetaWear. So MetaWearorganic.com is how you find more about that. And, you know, we make, we make product for, you know, all kinds of companies from, you know, Dr. Bronner's and Garden of Life and, and 4 Ocean all the way to some of the biggest retailers in the country and therein lies where QVC comes in. My first meetings with QVC were just concept, you know, we want to make the Martha Stewart of an Eco Lifestyle, we want to, you know, really build a platform that taught that where you can educate and activate our, you know, our viewers and our, you know, our customers. And, and it's almost like, you know, for me a dream come true to be able to go on air in front of a hundred or 200,000 people a minute or whatever the number is, and, and talk about GOTS and farmer welfare and, you know, free of all the harmful chemicals and good for you ethically made, you know, in front of like on air nationwide. 

So we have two brands that we created for QVC that are recently launched. One is called Farm to Home, and it's a hundred percent GOTS certified organic bedding and bath, all affordable, accessible, and authentic, fully traceable to the GOTS standard. And then we have a sister brand called Seed to Style and Seed to Style is the most size inclusive, affordable, sustainable fashion brand you'll find anywhere. 

And so we go from sizes, extra, extra, small to three XL. Everything is between the price right now of $30 to $70. Nothing's more than $70 super accessible. So it's super affordable and accessible, really high quality. So the really great fabrics we do all modern, you know, contemporary prints and tie dyes and animal prints are really in now. And so we're on trend, but we're, you know, season-less, timeless, ageless, inclusive and affordable. 

So it's not, why would you buy organic fashion? It's why wouldn't you buy organic fashion? You can have everything you want. 

Jennifer (44m 5s): I’m just really glad that QVC gave you this platform to really kind of intimate awareness. How long have you been on QVC now?

Marci (44m 11s): We launched Seed to Style on January 29th. And so we launched Farm to Home just before COVID hit. And we had all these logistical issues during 2020 because our factory shut down and lockdowns and whatnot, and then came back on air again at the end of 2020. And then, you know, with farm to home, new collections rolling out right now as well, if you go to qvc.com. You could either watch it on air, or you could go to qvc.com as well and search, Seed to Style and Farm to Home. And you'll see all the products you can even watch me on air in the little box. 

And then we also have a contemporary direct to consumer brand at eco fashion Corp called Yes And, again, inspired by my book and the URL is joinyesand.com. And at joinyesand.com, it's all about the movement. And we do a lot of co-creation and collaboration. We actually call it eco-creation and we collaborate with other organizations. We just did a collaboration with the Rodale Institute. 

Monica (45m 18s): I saw those t-shirts I love that. Really, really cute. 

Marci (45m 22s): And so MetaWear designed and developed with Rodale and Hannah Eddie, the artist, and Yes And is retailing them side by side with Rodale in their store. So, we go all the way from farm to consumer with Yes And, and again, it's all about no compromise. Yes. Everything you want, style, quality, fit, color, comfort, hand price, and certified organic ethically made fair trade, circular, recycled, all the good stuff. 

Monica (45m 52s): Oh my God. Well, Marci, this has been a joy. I feel like it's a fire hose, but I loved it. I learned so much. Yeah. Is there any last thing you want to add before we go? 

Jennifer (46m 1s): I could talk to you for another few hours Marci. I really wish we had the time with you to sit and chat. 

Marci (46m 8s): Yeah. Thank you. I mean, it's really about if you're not a part of the solution, you're part of the problem. And, you know, you know, it's, it's, it's being joining this movement and having fun and, and, you know, that's why the book is really meant to be very user-friendly and tips and tricks I have 41 people I highlight in the book that I call my Illumina artists. These are people that are, you know, also paving the way and leveraging their own platforms to affect positive change in the world. So we're all in this together. One plus one equals 11 and Horst’s birthday was 11/11. I got married at his house on his 70th birthday at 11, 11, 11 power of that. It really symbolizes for me, co-creation, we're stronger together than we are apart. Right. 

Jennifer (46m 47s): 100%. Thank you, Marcy. This is beautiful. Honestly, like what a fire hose of information that I'm just overwhelmed with. Like, I'm going to have to go back into understanding the cotton even more, because my mind is really kind of blown right now, but thank you for sharing your wealth and your depth of information and your years of experience and knowledge in the subject has really been so, I can't unsee what understanding from you. And I think that's the most powerful part, right? Like we have to continue this torch of information and that's why I'm so thankful you came on with Monica and I today to discuss everything. 

Monica (47m 17s): Thank you, Marci. 

Marci (47m 19s): Thank you both for having me, super fun. I can't wait to come down to Serenbe and visit. 

Monica (47m 22s): We're ready for you. We need to do a pop-up. Yeah, absolutely. All right. 

Marci (47m 28s): Next chapter. Okay. Thanks guys. Have a great day you guys. Thanks. 

Monica (47m 42s): All right, Jennifer, how do we wrap this one up? 

Jennifer (47m 43s): I truly don't even know where to start.  

Monica (47m 45s): I know. So what was something that you learned that you didn't know before? 

Jennifer (47m 48s): Okay. I guess the thing about cotton is what comes to mind. It has a reputation as being a natural fiber, so therefore it should be good. Right? In actuality, the majority of cotton is grown non-organically with pesticides. So it's really harmful in terms of water usage, chemicals, and human impact. And then, because there's so much water waste in the process, the chemicals come back to us via the water supply. I need to do more research for sure. But there are all these levels of impact from, you know, a single cotton t-shirt that we think we're so insulated from, but we're really, absolutely not. 

Monica (48m 19s): Yeah. That totally stood out to me as well. And it speaks to the larger point that Marci made. She talked about how we need to have a more holistic view about how all of these things impact each other and the environmental impact, the human and community impact, and the impact on our own health and wellness. 

Jennifer (48m 34s): Right. You know, the problems with fast fashion seems so immense. Like how will we ever divest ourselves from that level and consumerism as a society. But I also think she is totally right. The consumers themselves are demanding more accountability, especially we are seeing with millennials and younger from the brands and from our business perspective, cutting corners is just a bad practice at this point because people will simply stop buying your products. 

Monica (48m 57s): Yeah. And it reminds me of her Yes And mentality that Marcy talked about, you know, we don't have to sacrifice style to be environmentally conscious and you don't have to sacrifice environmentalism to be fashionable. You really just have to educate yourself about the clothing brands that we choose to invest in. And more and more people are holding companies to a higher standard, which is really great. 

Jennifer (49m 17s): Well, per usual, this was a fire hose of information. If you want to learn more about eco fashion or check out Marcy's brands and book, head to our show notes. 

Monica (49m 25s): Yeah. And I'm going to have to go dig through my closet and see what's really in there.

Jennifer (49m 31s): Me too. See ya. Bye