[Photo by ACUKUKI]
BY ASHLEY MYERS Orgotton is a Philadelphia clothing company focused on creating stylish clothing and awareness about sustainability and the organic movement. Established in March of this year, Orgotton takes its name from the combination of ‘cotton’ and ‘organic.’ The t-shirts are printed using only eco-friendly inks and chemicals on organic material from Alternative Apparel, a sweatshop free company. Orgotton is entirely owned and operated by sisters Kristy and Stefanie Emery [pictured, above] who design and screen-print all of the shirts in their basement.
One of the main goals of Orgotton is to make people aware of the need for sustainable clothing, and the importance of buying local products. Cotton is one of the most highly sprayed crops in the world. In the United States alone, the commercial production of cotton accounts for over 25% of pesticides annually. Cotton spraying is not only harmful to the environment and wildlife, but also to people. Unlike commercial cotton, organic cotton is cultivated through sustainable methods without the use of heavy chemicals. Kristy and Stefanie hope through their designs to create awareness in the community and let others know it’s worth it to participate in the organic movement.
The idea behind an organic t-shirt company came from a need the sisters saw for sustainable clothing in the 
Philadelphia area. To address this issue the sisters fused together Kristy’s knowledge of fashion and Stefanie’s creativity to start Orgotton with hopes to “fill a need and inspire change.” Through printing solely on organic material the sisters hope to fill the need for affordable, sustainable clothing in Philadelphia and hope to inspire change by creating awareness and getting people interested in what they’re doing, and the importance of the organic movement.
There are big plans for Orgotton. Right now the shirts are available online, different festivals around the city, and at The Solebury Club in Buckingham. However, the ultimate goal is for a storefront in Philadelphia where Kristy and Stefanie can sell their line and inspire change. Stefanie said eventually they would like to start printing on bamboo and hemp, because neither are sprayed by damaging chemicals. One of the ways the sisters inspire a need for change is by hanging signs around their stand at various festivals they attend. The signs contain information about cotton and its damages. The purpose behind this is to help create awareness among those who normally wouldn’t care about sustainability or who just don’t know enough about the movement to actively participate. The sisters also run a blog to get information out there and to “show off sustainability” through providing news on the latest green fashions and developments. The Fall/Winter Collection is now available online at www.orgotton.com and the sisters will be at A Very Kensington Christmas at Greensgrow in December.