The demand for organic cotton is growing. But the farmers who grow it need support to get there.

At Kuyichi, we've been pioneering organic denim since 2001. Organic cotton is healthier for the planet, and healthier for farmers. But there is a challenge: only around 1.4% of the world's cotton is organic. Demand is rising faster than supply can keep up.

A solution is to support more farmers to make the switch. That's exactly what cotton in conversion does, and why we've made it part of our material mix.

Why does the transition take three years?

Switching to organic isn't as simple as stopping the use of chemicals. It requires a complete shift in how the land is managed.

Farmers need to restore soil health, rebuild natural ecosystems, and learn new techniques like crop rotation, composting, and attracting beneficial insects to control pests naturally. The soil needs time to recover from years of intensive farming before it can produce healthy yields without synthetic inputs.

This transition period can be tough. Yields may drop initially, and the cotton can't yet command organic prices. Many farmers struggle to push through these challenging years without support. 

Read more about why farmers struggle with switching to organic cotton.

Why we use cotton in conversion

We use cotton in conversion because we believe in supporting farmers through the hard part, not just benefiting from their work once they've made it.

Together with our denim mill Bossa, we've set up a cotton in conversion project that gives farmers a fair price during the transition years. This makes the switch to organic financially viable, not just idealistic.

It's simple: if we want more organic cotton in the future, we need to invest in the farmers growing it today. By sourcing cotton in conversion, we're helping to expand the global supply of organic cotton, and rebuilding direct relationships with the people at the very start of our supply chain.