Bamboo U, a clothing line that began in 2008, is looking to ease their way into college campuses around the country.
Jeff Fulmer, a resident of Brentwood, Tenn. and co-founder of this eco-friendly company first launched his regular T-shirt making business with a few corporations and college bars in Atlanta, Ga.
Fulmer finally decided he "wanted to do something more positive, more green." As he began to research his way into the green movement, he came across bamboo, a plant over flowing with abundance; and thus came forth his new T-shirt line, Bamboo U, a name that shoots to attract college students in a ‘Bamboo University' kind of way.
The T-shirts are made of 70 percent bamboo and 30 percent organic cotton, with prices ranging from $19 to $30. The shirts come in all sorts of colors with logos reading ‘Bamboo U' and as the prices go up, the artistic designs become more intricate. Some shirts even have bamboos favorite pal on them, the pandas.
All of the logos and designs are made with water-based ink, meaning more water soluble, allowing the shirts to be even more eco-friendly.
"The material feels softer than cotton; it feels silky," Fulmer said. The company is simply just trying to promote good quality clothing as one would find in Macy's, but with a better strategy in how the clothing is actually being made. Their big factory is located in China were almost all bamboo comes from. Once the shirts are made, they are shipped to Los Angeles.
The company's clothing is sporadically located throughout the United States, mostly in small boutiques and eco-friendly stores. Many of their purchases are done online off their Web site at Prostores.com.
They also have a MySpace and of course facebook under the name Jeff Fulmer, where customers can visit.
Fulmer stresses that it is a lot better for the environment to use plants such as bamboo or hemp, rather than polyester, conventional cotton or fur.
"Polyester is petroleum based and conventional cotton uses tons of chemicals; cotton is considered one of the dirtiest," Fulmer said. He also states that a "third of a pound of cotton is used to make one T-shirt. One pound is used to make one T-shirt and a pair of pants."
"I'm not a hardcore environmentalist," Fulmer said. "But people need to get educated about the environment."
When asked about what will happen to all the pandas if companies begin following this trend of bamboo instead of cotton, Fulmer assures that "there are 1500 different varieties of bamboo, we use the type that pandas don't eat."
The company is not in a rush to get big, they just want to target the right people and change their mindset a bit. Fulmer doesn't mind staying small. His company is "geared more toward the college age girl. College girls are more environmentally conscious," Fulmer stated.
He believes they are definitely more apt to try new things. "We don't want to be a fashion statement. We want to make people more conscious about what they wear," Fulmer added.
Although Bamboo U is only selling T-shirts as of right now, Fulmer tells us he is thinking of expanding and creating hoodies and casual exercise wear as the company excels.
As more people begin to feel more conformable, literally, the company will make the exception of creating more clothing for different sexes and age groups.
"We want to keep our cost down," Fulmer stated. Since bamboo is considered one the fastest growing plants, it's possible. To Fulmer, it's not all about the money and managing a thriving business, although that is main goal in most businesses. It's more about promoting the good and the green for the better.
Fulmer is looking to expand into more college stores, although finds some trouble in doing so. "It's really tough to get into them. They are owned by big corporations."
Bamboo U has been featured in other college newspapers such as Hofstra, St. Louis University, Florida State University and University of Houston among others. Hopefully, with the positive feedback from colleges across the country, Bamboo U will succeed in becoming a staple in college life.
The Web site also features direct testimonials from devoted fans of Bamboo U. "I got my shirt in the mail today and I'm wearing it right now. I can honestly say it is the single most comfortable thing I've ever worn in my entire life! It's like heaven in a t-shirt. "A+! I totally love it!" Kaelah Beauregarde said. She was the 2009 Goodwill Spokesperson for Tennessee and was chosen as one of Seventeen Magazine's best dressed girls of America and is now an avid fan of the environmentally friendly clothing line.
We should all follow Fulmer's example and start thinking about how we can begin to give our little share back towards Mother Nature even if it means buying a shirt made out of bamboo. As Fulmer states, "show the world you care with what you wear."
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