4-rth

4-rth is an American sustainable fashion clothing company founded by Doug Donehoo. 4-rth specializes in 100% organic cotton clothing manufactured in the Fashion District, Los Angeles, California. The company's name is pronounced 'for earth.'

Mission

The Mission of 4-rth is "to combine the most comfortable and durable eco-friendly fabrics with unique fashion design for superior fit and style." 4-rth achieves this by using organic cotton, which is free of toxic chemicals and synthetic insecticides. The United States Environmental Protection Agency‎ considers seven of the top fifteen pesticides used in the US to be probable or known carcinogens.. 4-rth has developed clothing lines using bamboo fabric, which is seen as a green fiber since it develops quickly, reduces green houses gases during its life cycle and can be a cash crop to sustain the lives of many in the developing world.

The company has received support from two celebrities: Wilson Cruz models the clothes on the website, and reporter and environmentalist Lisa Ling attended an inaugural event for 4-rth.

Context

4-rth enters itself into the controversy surrounding the idea of sustainable fashion: is it better for clothing companies to reduce their carbon footprint while still providing an array of constantly changing fashions to be consumed. Or, should the whole idea surrounding fashion and consumption of clothes be rethought to further reduce the carbon footprint. The founder of 4-rth refutes this claims by showing how growth of certain greenhouse gas consuming fibers, such as bamboo, tied with eco-friendly companies purchasing carbon credits to offset their footprint, while at the same time as donating a part of their profits to environmental causes and the quality jobs created can actually be good for the environment and good for society. As of yet, there are no sustainable fashion lines that have achieved this zero emissions goal.