As if being an international rock star, a recognized crusader for human rights, a husband and father of four weren't enough, Bono has now declared he is a garmento. Say what? At New York's Saks Fifth Avenue on Friday night, Bono unveiled an "ethical" clothing line called Edun.
(See photos from the Edun launch here.)
The seventh floor of Saks was transformed for the occasion. The lights were dimmed, hors d'oeuvres were passed, requisite willowy models postured coolly atop platforms while the photographers in the press line jostled for position behind a velvet rope.
When Bono emerged from the elevator with wife Ali Hewson and Gregory Rogan, the designer of the clothing, a blaze of flashbulbs incited the murmuring crowd to surge in their direction. Even the models lifted their gazes to watch them enter. As Bono moved toward the stage, the crowd — which included Jay-Z, Christy Turlington and even Robert De Niro — crushed in the same direction.
Bono joked with the crowd that his only other contribution to fashion thus far has been the mullet he sported in the early days of U2. "You all know what a mullet is: Party in the back and business up front," he said, laughing.
Though it may at first seem like just another musician's side project, the Edun line is made from environmentally friendly materials, including chiffon, knit jersey and organic denim. Each piece is made in a developing country that desperately needs the introduction of sustainable commerce.
The name Edun is "nude" spelled backward, as well as a play on words referencing the biblical garden where nature and man were innocent. Snaking their way through the crowd, Bono, Ali and Rogan stopped briefly to explain their philosophy.
"Look, the world doesn't need another fashion brand; we understand that. But we don't think that this is just another one," Bono said. "It's different. At the very heart of it we have the idea of four respects: respect for what your clothes are made of, respect for who is making them, respect for where they are made and respect for the people who are going to put them on."
Since Bono and Ali first ventured to Live Aid in1985, the couple have worked tirelessly to raise awareness of various humanitarian issues. But now they're reaching out to consumers and Bono isn't talking about charity — he's talking about a for-profit venture that could help produce real revenue.
Ninety percent of the line's cotton and denim clothing is made in Lima, Peru and Monastir, Tunisia, and more than half of the cotton comes from unsubsidized sources in Africa and South America.
"Shopping is political because you vote every time you spend money. People watching MTV can shut down giant corporations just by deciding not to spend money there," Bono said. "It's very powerful, so it's not revolution, perhaps, but evolution."
If knowing all that isn't enough to keep shoppers happy about their purchases, the clothes have special inspired details, such as Rainer Maria Rilke's poems embroidered inside the pockets of the jeans.
The items cost from $45 to $300 and will be available at the 46 Saks stores as well as boutiques like Fred Segal in Los Angeles. Edun will also pop up on U2's tour, in the form of concert T-shirts and of course the clothes on the bandmembers' backs.
