The textile industry, once integral to the fabric of North Carolina business, has frayed as companies moved production overseas for lower costs and cheaper labor.

To consumers, that manufacturing process is out of sight and out of mind but it leaves a lasting environmental stain. Making denim – specifically the process of dyeing fabric with deep, rich blue color – produces a lot of waste. Jeans production doesn’t have to be that way, said Alana Vaughn, chief operating officer of Cary startup MeFiver. The company has developed cleaner textiles technology to produce clothing that uses fewer resources and is sourced and manufactured entirely within the United States.

“We really wanted to keep it in the Carolinas,” Vaughn said. “One of the goals is to revitalize the textile industry in this area.”

The dyeing process that gives indigo denim that deep, rich color uses a lot of chemicals and water. Indigo dyes don’t stick well to cotton, which means that jeans must be dyed multiple times to force the dye into the fabric, Vaughn explained. According to a 2012 Greenpeace report on the environmental impact of the clothing industry, dyeing and finishing textiles requires 200 metric tons of water for every metric ton of textiles produced. Greenpeace also documented the release of dyes and chemicals into waterways.

“There are literally rivers in China that run blue due to all of the indigo dye,” Vaughn said.

Greener, cleaner

MeFiver’s technology was developed by company co-founder and President Carly Giammona while she was doing research at Cotton Incorporated. The Cary-based nonprofit doesn’t make products, though it does support companies making products from cotton. Cotton Inc. also researches solutions for textiles problems and Giammona spent five years there doing R&D on greener, cleaner and more efficient way of dyeing cotton fibers.

Giammona worked with a process for printing color onto fabric, a technique called digital textile printing. Conceptually, it’s not that different from the way an inkjet printer that prints on paper, Vaughn explained. But instead of printing on paper, MeFiver’s “printer” prints on fabric.

MeFiver did not invent digital textile printing and in fact there are some designers who use it to make very expensive designer clothing – one piece of clothing at a time. But Vaughn said that what MeFiver has done is make this printing process scalable, which brings the down the cost of the end product. The cost of manufacturing is in line with other premium denim products, maybe even a little cheaper, Vaughn said. Instead of spending $2,000 for a dress or jacket made by digital textile printing, MeFiver can produce premium denim apparel that sells for $200 – in line with comparable premium denim products.

Patent pending process

Vaughn declined to go into too much detail about MeFiver’s process, which has a patent pending. But she said that designs are made on a computer then sent to the “printer,” which is a large machine that takes up half of a room and looks nothing like a printer for paper.

“We use a fraction of the chemicals, the water, the labor and the energy of traditional jeans,” Vaughn said. “So it’s very green.”

MeFiver is a technology company first and foremost and Vaughn said there are no plans to open a retail store any time soon. But the company recently launched a clothing brand to demonstrate what its technology can do with colors and fabrics. It’s called SRGB, short for “Simulated Red Green Blue.” Right now, SRGB sells direct to consumers online but Vaughn is working on building relationships with retailers to get its products in stores. As the company grows, it could add other brands offering different products at different price points.

MeFiver’s three founders – Giammona, Vaughn and Chief Design Officer Veronica Tibbitts – started the company a year ago. The trio are the only full time employees; MeFiver also employs a part-time designer. The past year has been spent refining the technology and the process. Along the way, MeFiver has also garnered some recognition. The company, which is supported by investment from friends and family, won some additional support with an NC IDEA grant. MeFiver was also named one of the top five startups in the Startup Open, a competition that is part of the annual Global Entrepreneurship Week. MeFiver made the cut out of 500 startups from around the world. That honor did not win MeFiver any money but the company did receive a mentor who has opened some doors and made business introductions for the company.

Aiming big for 2014

In 2014, Vaughn aims to build relationships with retailers to get SRGB apparel into high-end retailers. She has her eyes on stores like Neiman Marcus and Barneys New York, though she’s also talking with smaller boutiques. The company employs social media to drive shoppers to its online store.

In the future, MeFiver could expand by adding other brands with styles and price points different from the SRGB brand. Vaughn said MeFiver could also use its technology to make products for clothing companies in a private label arrangement.

“We’re focusing on denim now because it’s the biggest opportunity,” Vaughn said. “But it will work on other things. It’s got a lot of applications.”