How the new extreme cut-out jeans can save the planet
Millennials have a big responsibility on their shoulders. We inherited a planet that is on the verge of collapse. And fashion is the fourth most polluting industry on the planet. Taking that further, the denim industry is particularly hard on mother earth. According to Greenpeace, those distressed jeans you rock are the result of chemical-intensive washes involving heavy metals like cadmium, lead, and mercury.
Sounds ominous? Have no fear. LA-based brand, Carmar Denim, might have unknowingly worked towards saving the day with its “extreme cut-out jeans”. There is so little cloth used that this new style has probably reduced the fabric need by 90 per cent. Don’t believe me? Take a look.
Fashion has always been a bit bizarre. I remember wearing a shrug as a teenager and my father looking at it quizzically. I felt the need to explain. “It’s called a shrug daddy. It’s a short sweater.” My father retorts with, “Is it because it looks like a shrunken rug?” Touché.
Grandmothers particularly like to pick on ripped jeans. They grew up at a time when you mended holes in your clothes, not deliberately created them. Maybe it’s the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis. If you’re going to be underpaid, overworked, and almost always broke, you might as well make looking homeless a fashion statement. In came the ripped jeans. Homeless chic was officially a thing.
The new “in” thing, at least amongst celebrities, is the naked dress. Think Lady Gaga at the 2018 Grammys, Bella Hadid at Cannes in 2016 and the Met Gala and its afterparty in 2017. (Bella Hadid is the queen of wearing something that looks like nothing.) Why can’t we, the average Jane, also rock the style? Forget that we probably don’t have personal trainers, dieticians, and amazing stylists at our disposal, we will rock that naked dress and do it with the panache of the emperor in that fairy tale we all laughed at as children. Fashion has made the story of The Emperor’s New Clothes a reality. The emperor paid a fortune to wear nothing.
Carmar Denim’s extreme cut-out jeans cost a staggering $168 (that’s a little more than 11,000 rupees).
As expected, social media had a field day. One Instagram user wrote, “Lmfao this designer out here stealing homeless people clothing styles.”
“Please somebody tell me this is a joke shop and there aren't people dumb enough to pay $168 for this,” wrote one on Twitter.
One even made a pun saying “It probably costs you 30 cents to make this such a ‘rip off’.”
The brand really took the “cut-out” part seriously. They cut out pretty much everything but the seams, including the bits you’d consider kind of necessary, like the bit of fabric that covers your backside. Even the model wearing the jeans wore shorts underneath.
But they remembered one crucial thing: pockets. Much has been written about the lack of pockets in female clothing, especially in mid-range fashion, which is male dominated. Men don’t think of the practical needs of the woman wearing the clothes. But these jeans look like they have big pockets. You’d know the moment you look at them, because you can literally see the pockets. No X-ray vision needed.
So the next time you’re feeling broke and worrying about the future of our planet, break the bank and buy these jeans and strut that (very visible) backside. And if you want an extra kick out of your new purchase, visit your grandma wearing them.
Just hope she doesn’t literally kick you in sheer shock.