April 1st, 2008 · No Comments

Salvation Army watch out! Barneys New York is moving into the used clothing collection space. Starting next week, April 13-27, the upscale clothier will be gathering old T-shirts – that’s right, your old T-shirts – to be “re-fashioned” by the ecologically minded Loomstate clothing brand.

Loomstate designers Rogan Gregory and Scott Hahn use 100 percent certified organic materials in their clothing, and Gregory says the redesigned, re-dyed and/or reprinted T-shirts will be “taking eco fashion to the next level.” The transformed shirts will be sold at Barneys during the 2008 holiday season as a way to show how the parameters of luxury clothing are moving to include items that make an environmental statement.

“There is a fast growing environmentally based fashion movement that we feel is the New Cool,” said Julie Gilhart, senior vice president, Fashion Director of Barneys New York, in a statement. “It is redefining what luxury is all about. We must work together, educate ourselves and inform people of how to participate. Everything we do now must have a conscious thought to it.’’

Barneys will have T-shirt collection bins at all of its stores, in New York City, Dallas, Boston, Las Vegas, Beverly Hills, San Francisco and Seattle. A spokeswoman says they’ve already gotten good reaction to the concept and are prepared for a big response from customers. Those who donate will get a 20 percent off coupon toward a Loomstate purchase and will get first dibs on the specially re-designed T-shirts issued at the holidays. Proceeds of the recycling awareness campaign will go to 1% for the Planet. The project is a collaboration by Barneys New York, Loomstate and The Sundance Channel, whose programming devoted to green living called The Green kicks off its second season this week.