IMAGINE GreenWear Relocates to New Eco-friendly Facility in Fairfax, VA.

IMAGINE GreenWear, a young, vertically integrated organic children and adult clothing company, is now one of the few apparel man

IMAGINE GreenWear, LLC, the organic division of Sundog Productions, LLC, announced today that it is presenting its Spring and Fall 2013 fashion collection in Sundog Productions’ new 40,000 sq ft. facility. It is one of the few clothing manufacturing operations in the world using green energy to power its production. At the same time IMAGINE is introducing a new proprietary process which uses “seaweed based dyes” for the screen printing of images.

Hundreds of invited guests, including Fairfax City Mayor Scott Silverthorne and members of the City Council, marveled at the newly reconstructed building packed with sewing machines, screen printing, dyeing, and embroidery equipment, enabling vertically integrated decoration and manufacturing under one roof. The facility has solar heated water which creates a substantial saving of energy used in the dyeing process. The low carbon footprint and energy efficiency is a model for textile factories in the future. With 55 employees, it brings back textile jobs to the USA, where only 2% of the clothing worn in the America is manufactured domestically.

“IMAGINE GreenWear’s goal is to set a new standard for attractive printed and dyed apparel made of 100% organic cotton, blending cutting-edge design with a process that is likely the most environmentally friendly on the market,” said Elaine Fishbein, owner and co-founder of the company. “We are changing forever the process of screen printing. Rather than using plastic based (plasticol) or water-based inks commonly used in the printing industry, IMAGINE GreenWear uses seaweed based dyes that are colorfast, safe, soft, and allow the garment to breath.”
Clothing manufacturing is among the largest of human enterprises and is now on the radar of environmental organizations. Currently one-third of pesticides used in agriculture are used on the cotton plant. Organic cotton is grown as it has been grown for centuries, without using chemicals which impact the soil and water systems Of further concern to IMAGINE GreenWear is the processing of materials, including the use of plastics and chemicals used in fabric finishing. Their idea is to combine organic cotton material with eco-processing in decoration to create a truly “green” garment.

“Above all it’s fashion first,” added Ms. Fishbein, who has designed graphics for over 30 years. At the factory tour, the guests were enthusiastic about the collections of adult and children’s sportswear items as they were presented samples with velvet soft printed images. IMAGINE GreenWear’s signature clothing designs incorporate bold graphics on both the front and back of their apparel, complimented with colorful hand tie-dye patterns. “Only with great fashion can we hope to be a force in the general textile market. So many people love our very distinctive styles, and we are very excited about our future. We’re thrilled to be making it here in the USA- we call it Smart-Trade™- bringing jobs back home.”

In addition to growing its signature collection, IMAGINE GreenWear plans to expand its new unique process to partner with licensors and private label manufacturers. “Screen printed images are everywhere on clothing. Most prints are the stiff, rubbery plastic ink that cracks with washing. Tens of millions of screen prints are made annually with these solvent based high impact inks. We have a green alternative. Every advance is important in our collective goal to save our planet.”

Owners Elaine Fishbein and Curtis Alton Shiver (CAS) both see a big future for this enterprise.

“We need new technology and processes in America to bring some of the apparel business back where the decoration of t-shirts began,” said CAS, who has been decorating t-shirts with dyeing and printing for 25 years. “We have put the effort into making a whole new way to print, and everyone thinks our designs are so cool. When people hear about the green process and making it right here in Fairfax, they all say the same thing; ‘that’s amazing!’ ”

information(at)imaginegreenwear(dot)com.

Contact: mark fishbein / (703) 978-0041
IMAGINE GreenWear
11091 Main St
Fairfax, VA 22030
United States

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