The House of Sustain: Rogan Gregory

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IN 2004, Rogan Gregory created Loomstate, a cool brand of denim and tees made of organic and sustainable fibers. Suddenly, eco-chic could actually be called chic. The New York designer — winner of the prestigious CDFA/Vogue Fashion Fund Award in 2007 — is also the power behind Rogan, an upscale line sold at Barneys Co-Op and the like. On May 18, he'll prove sustainable style can also be attainable as he becomes the latest designer in Target's GO International Collection.

Your other designs are pricier, but in your GO Collection, I can score organic short-shorts for $27. How did you cut costs?
Target's sourcing enabled us to do this. The company's economy of volume and their manufacturing leverage really helped keep the costs down. We'd been talking to them for a while, but we didn't want to do this collection of super-commercial, super-cheap clothing. I think the collection is now something you can invest in and wear for a while.

What are the biggest misconceptions about sustainable or organic style?
I know that I once perceived that to be eco, something had to be hemp and be created by some granola dude. But six years ago, I discovered you could get organic cotton and even convince mills to make it.

Any other eco-chic myths?
The major myth is that if something is sustainable or organic, it looks that way. You can make anything out of organic cotton.

What about color? Sometimes low-impact dyes equal low-impact hues.
To be honest, we concentrate more on the sustainable-fiber thing. Low-impact dyes do exist, and we try to use them as much as possible. But we still use indigo for Loomstate, and it's not perfect.

Isn't making cheaper clothing, aka "disposable couture," the antithesis of eco-friendly, though?
I struggle with this. My sister is an environmentalist who doesn't make a lot of money. And when I started Loomstate, she said, 'This is great, you're doing this fancy, expensive clothing that's sustainable, but what about me?' Now Target — she shops there. So, you have to speak to both sides of the market to be responsible. It seems only democratic.

What inspired your GO Collection designs?
I call it safari-surf with a splash of punk. Like a pretty predator.

What's your favorite piece in the collection?
What was really nice is that I've really never been able to design swimwear before. So, I really like the leopard-print bikini. Target let me do it in the fit I wanted — it's small, like Brazilian ones. Some of the cover-ups are also cute. And there's a linen/organic cotton cardigan my girlfriend has been wearing a lot.

What's more important — how something looks or whether it's earth-friendly?
Aesthetics are the most important thing to me. Design comes second, and sustainability third. I don't want to buy something if it's not good-looking.

Are there any other sustainable brands you're a fan of?
Patagonia really tries to think of ways to use recycled materials. They do brilliant functional clothing.

You do a line of wood, metal and leather furniture, Rogan Objects. What's it like?
We use salvaged wood, which is the most sustainable way to go. With the steel, we use recycled the best we can. And the leather is buffalo, which is more sustainable than other hides.

What about your personal style? What are you putting on these days?
Well, I've been wearing the same pair of jeans for about five months. I think I've washed them once in that time, and I did it when I was taking a shower. You don't need to wash your clothes that much! I also wear a lot of vintage clothing, too. Whatever I wear, I don't throw it out. That's kind of my way of going about it.