Dirtball-Green-Jean.jpg The leaves are changing, which means autumn fashion trends are suddenly a hot topic. Shoppers may be looking for sweaters, scarves and, of course, a comfortable pair of jeans to brace for the colder weather. An eco-friendly jeans option are Dirtball Fashion’s recycled jeans. North Carolina-based Dirtball Fashion creates American-made apparel products such as T-shirts, pants, shorts, hats, sweatshirts and socks. The company practices sustainability with its 100% recycled products. It also works to reduce carbon emissions by employing American workers and reducing shipping distances. Dirtball was created in 2008 by former professional racecar driver Joe Fox, who was inspired when an ex-girlfriend called his good friend a “dirtball” during a breakup. The aforementioned friend jokingly started printing the name on hats and distributing them to Fox and other friends. After realizing they were very popular conversation pieces, Fox decided to build what started as a bar insult into a domestic, environmentally conscious apparel brand. What exactly are Dirtball’s products recycled out of? Cotton, polyester and plastic water bottles. Billions of plastic bottles go into U.S. landfills each year, but Dirtball uses a fantastic technique to reduce the materials that harm the environment by reusing the bottles. Growing cotton uses plenty of valuable fresh water, and when Dirtball was founded, the South was in the midst of a terrible drought. Fox said he wanted to help create a solution rather than add to the problem. These recycled products save gallons of fresh water that would otherwise be dedicated to cotton crops. According to Fox, for every 100,000 T-shirts Dirtball sells, the company keeps 700,000 water bottles out of landfills and 400 tons of carbon emissions out of the air. Dirtball also saves 500 barrels of oil and five manufacturing jobs (North Carolina had a diminishing economy in 2008). Best of all: This is only what the company accomplishes with its T-shirt production. Dirtball’s new product, “green” jeans, are comfortable, high-quality jeans for men. Despite the name, the jeans do not actually come in the color green. They are available in regular (blue), rigid, khaki and enzymed at $100 a pair. What is green about the jeans, however, is their environmentally friendly qualities that follow the traditions of Dirtball’s other products. Each pair is made up of about 70% recycled cotton and 30% recycled polyester. The company states these jeans will last “100% longer than your average pair.” The jeans are constructed in sizes 28 to 38 with inseams ranging from 30 to 36. The features include a chain-stitched waistband, lock-stitch cuff, two-needle fell stitch on the inner seam and two-needle safety and top stitch on the outer seam. Each pair contains between eight and 10 recycled water bottles. All of the jeans’ facets are built in North Carolina, Georgia and Kentucky. If you’re looking for comfort and sustainable style this fall, this is definitely the pair of jeans to check out.