Oak & Acorn Is a New Sustainable Denim Line Proudly Made in Harlem

 

When I log into Zoom with Miko Underwood, she’s sitting in front of a large striped indigo canvas — matching obsessee denim and the founder of Oak & Acorn, a sustainable brand made in Harlem. “It’s Mossi (or Dogon) indigo from West Africa,” says Underwood, who has a fondness for jeans since her childhood. “I’ve been crafting denim since I was a kid. I’m going to make old Levi’s and Wrangler jeans that I can find at thrift stores.”

Before launching her own label in 2019, she worked as a design director for brands like Baby Phat and Jessica Simpson Collection. While working in everything from children’s wear to menswear, she says she’s always loved denim design in particular. “The thing that excites me most about denim is that it’s always changing — you have to keep learning,” says Underwood. “There is a lot of technology going on in the factory space, including plant dyes. It’s a great canvas to work with — you can do anything with it. ”

Underwood has traveled extensively from China to Pakistan working with various global manufacturers to develop various textile and laundry items. However, while visiting a denim washing factory in Pakistan in 2007, she was inspired to start her own line business. “I think the way we wash [denim] and the amount of chemicals we’re using on the products, we have to do it differently,” says Underwood. “That started my journey.”

Oak & Acorn officially debuted in 2019, when she performed the first show in the framework of Harlem’s Fashion Row. With its label, Underwood is trying to innovate denim production, in a less harmful approach. “We approach sustainability from a 360-degree perspective,” says Underwood. “Who the fabric and our fabric partners are, is really important.” For her most recent collection, The Meditation Collection, she worked with artisans in Turkey. “Buldan fabric [made from] native organic cotton from Turkey,” says Underwood. “It is woven on the traditional loom of a women’s collective. They weave this fabric, then wash it in the Dead Sea and use vegetable dyes for color.”