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Small Business Spotlight: Reuse Jeans

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    REUSE debuted its collection of eco-friendly jeans in the spring of 2010. Where are they now?

  • Duration 4:49
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Nevertheless small lives and do it on their own without government up and all these garbage although they do have to worry about these -- care costs.

George crowds with a straight now CEO of reused jeans George -- not ominous before.

But if you could explain to everyone what your genes are so basically recycled material things that you correct what we do is we we taking the waste from the garment manufacturing facilities were clean and -- our running -- a shredder.

Turned it into a -- like substance we then combine it with some cotton in lycra.

Spin and all the way back into a brand new -- and we don't do fabric.

And start all over with the design cutting its own process with cotton prices where they are right now this clearly is a homeland for you guys because you're not as.

Affected as much we are very very fortunate that we've -- taken this approach we absolutely did not raise prices this year.

In the face when most people in the cotton business garment business raise prices anywhere from ten to 15% we we are dense that we're where we were a year ago -- -- is not good reason.

The congress -- -- the reason you started this now.

Started it to help clean up the landfills that are -- filling up very rapidly in mainland China as well as to conserve water because growing cotton is a very very thirsty business.

So when you combine those two things were having a major impact if you will.

On the sustainability of our our own environment you are not always in recycled -- now.

Actually I I have done production for most of the major brands as well as -- -- of the large box retailers under their own private label production so.

I branch of you know out stepped away from that because I saw this as a niche as a new play.

And down and -- it said it's been tough to get started.

But we have -- gained a lot of momentum in fact last week we're very fortunate we opened up a flagship store retail operation.

NN Laguna Beach, California.

Right now let's talk about that because the last time you hear you were just getting the word out and if you're -- -- -- -- at reused jeans.

Was the turning point when Hollywood started to wear them and there's the web -- right now.

Yes -- Obviously anytime you get some of the stars walking around in the -- -- you you pick up some of that residual.

Fashion -- and and trend.

But actually speaking it's been the hard work.

The salespeople.

Out knocking on the doors in telling the story because it's it's really an intimate approach with with the retailers to tell the story to enlighten them so -- we've got some good sales people out.

You know going door to door and knocking on the doors of the mom and pops worried about 350 stores now across the US.

Predominantly west of -- the Iraqis but right as we headed and I am more yeah we do we we need a bigger footprint bigger presence here so now is it just.

Are women -- biggest our governments as well well here's what's interest -- any we've been in the women's business you know we -- -- -- about a year and a half ago just six months ago we released the men's line.

So what in women's we have about fifty different styles in men's we have five.

So it's a much smaller footprint but we open up the retail store and so we have these fifteen different styles of women's around in five of meant.

We sold a disproportionate.

Amount of product men's over -- -- grand opening weekend than we did do women's.

But that's a little bit typical because men you know we need a good -- we need to straight -- we do need to skinny are relaxed.

And we tend to -- in multiples.

So when men come in if they like the product I think they -- three day by four when he got bought off five.

You know women what one of these one short one jacket and they're out.

So we were -- -- police.

With the amount -- men's product that we moved in fact in general we were were blown away we're about five times our business estimate confound our opening my second of pizza.

I'll be upset wasn't enough.

-- the website if he gives you some traffic if people go to it.

But if they were -- new brand and so I decided that I needed a place that -- gets a lot of traffic.

I'm right on Pacific Coast Highway just south of downtown Laguna Beach.

With a great deal of traffic -- drives up and down and the traffic -- drives up and down in May June July August September and September.

Is both local traffic which we've gotten a tremendous amount of support from local Laguna Beach.

But we also get a lot of traffic coming from all over the United States -- people get out of school and they come to the West Coast for the Disneyland and whatnot they travel up and down is it because -- About a third of the customers that came in our international customers.

So one of the reasons I started this was not only do I want -- footprint that is important to the brand for the US market but for the international market.

We've already been contacted by a group but -- Japan that once the exclusive rights to the product for all of Japan.

Based on initial contact it at a store level so.

It is going to have the desired effect of helping to increase the brand awareness.

We've been written up and a number of newspapers now I get a big interview with the Orange County Register when -- get back home.

That shows like this and tell me all -- you think.

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