Nau Is Then

The hip green clothing label with an unconventional approach to style, materials, and retailing calls it quits. What went wrong?

BusinessWeek, May 16, 2008 — When the founders of Portland (Ore.)-based Nau first came together in 2005 to lay the groundwork for a sustainable fashion company, their strict eco-principles and innovative e-tailing strategy appeared to be ideas whose time had come. Its stylishly minimal clothes in muted colors, made of sustainable materials such as organic cotton and recycled polyester, went on sale in 2007 and appealed to outdoorsy types and city dwellers, tapping into the growing green fashion trend. Nau's few bricks-and-mortar stores were eco-friendly showcases for products, but customers were encouraged to buy online with a 10% discount. And as part of the company's social enterprise initiative, 5% of all sales—from a $38 tank top to a pair of $138 "lean jeans"—were handed over... continue reading

Leap Of Faith

Meet Nau, the ultimate over-the-top, high-concept business. It makes striking, enviro-friendly clothing. It gives away 5% to charity. Can it save the world--and give us the perfect twill capri?

Fast Company, June 1, 2007 — Somewhere between the Oscar for Al Gore's planetary-disaster epic, An Inconvenient Truth, and the canonization of Angelina Jolie by the United Nations (in association with People (NYSE:TWX) magazine), the message started sinking in: The cultural conversation around the environment, social change, and human rights is approaching maximum velocity. What is arguably urgent has become inarguably hip

Retail 2.0

BusinessWeek, January 31, 2007 — Nau, a new apparel brand, offers sporty, chic clothes and a novel online/off-line business model, along with a focus on community action