Until recently, style and sustainability have not always been thought of as going hand in hand. Caught between your ethics and your aesthetics? Fret no more! Today there is enough variety hitting the eco-market that we should all be able to find something that falls neatly into our beliefs about sustainability and style. As a staple found in most wardrobes, jeans are a good place to start going green. Some of the brands below seem to be getting the combination right.

Loomstate has been a pioneer in organic denim that is high on the hip list. The company takes inspiration from American manufacturing methods used at the turn of the 19th century, in an age where craftsmanship, function and quality were standard

Levi's recently announced that they would be coming out with “Levi's Eco” organic jeans. The highly anticipated line is set to launch next month.

Among the styles made with 100% organic cotton are the Red Tab Vintage Straight Jean for men, and the women’s Skinny Jean and Skinny Knee Knocker Short. In the brand’s super premium line, Levi’s Capital, a selvedge denim Shrink-to-Fit 501 Original Jean, and forward fits like the men’s Wrapped Skinny Jean and Skinny Slouch jeans, and the women’s Twisted Skinny and Twisted Cropped jeans will be made from 100% organic cotton. Other elements of the Levi’s Capital lines including the use of recycled buttons, rivets and zippers and natural indigo to dye some styles of jeans were employed for their minimized impact on the environment.

Serfontaine is a vertically integrated brand for men and women out of LA that now has an organic line. Their jeans are made with a signature rope stitch and finished with enzyme degradation, which is not only less detrimental to the environment than typical washing techniques, but supposedly leaves the jeans with a softness that rivals natural aging, a.k.a. you breaking in and wearing out your jeans.

While Linda Loudermilk uses some denim in her current collection, such as the Liverpool Denim Pant above, she recently announced that she would be launching a 26 piece denim collection.

Loudermilk uses a corn-based fiber called Ingeo from Italy and sasawashi, a Japanese leaf that has antibacterial properties, in addition to bamboo and organic cotton blended with 1 percent spandex. Treatments, too, were developed to be environmentally sustainable. The washhouse recycles its water; sandblasting is done by hand, and washing machines use ozone to oxidize jeans for a sun-baked look. (via WWD)

Arne & Carlos are a Norwegiean duo adding s strong dose of style to the eco-fashion marketplace. Their rope-dyed, Japanese organic denim pieces have won me over along with their whole collection.

Kuyichi is a brand headquartered in the Netherlandcommittedas been commited to making organic cotton jeans for the last five years. They buy their cotton from Peruvian farmers and strive to be socially and environmentally sound. Their designs for men and women are scheduled to reach our shores early next year.

Last, but definitely not least, is Del Forte Denim. Quickly becoming every eco-gals favorite due to their figure flattering cut and the touch of lycra added for comfort. The jeans are made from organic cotton that is grown, milled, cut and sewn all in the U.S. Designer Tierra Del Forte has partnered with The Sustainable Cotton Project and donates a portion of her proceeds to the organization which builds bridges between farmers, manufacturers and consumers.

Some of you who also read Inhabitat may have noticed an edited version of this post on that site. I have started providing eco-fashion content for the site in a "Sustainable Style Sunday" feature. Inhabitat focuses primarily on architecture and green design and they were interested in expanding their coverage to fashion. I love their site and the people behind it, so was flattered by their request. Please take a moment to visit them. Thanks!