SustainU
BY BLAIR DOWLER. Headquartered in
Morgantown, WV, SustainU is an apparel
company dedicated to changing the way
clothes are made in order to improve the
environment using post-industrial cottons
and post-consumer polyester to create
comfortable fabrics and timeless clothing.
The company, established in 2009,
prides itself on making clothing from
100 percent recycled material manufac-
tured entirely in the U.S. Under the di-
rection of Founder and CEO Chris Yura,
SustainU is also committed to reinvigorat-
ing America’s manufacturing sector and
educating people on how honest and au-
thentic clothing can have an impact on
people’s lives.
In just eight short years, the company
has seen tremendous growth, working
with a network of factories with expertise
in cutting and sewing garments in Penn-
sylvania, North Carolina, South Carolina
and Tennessee. Today, with 20 employ-
ees working directly for SustainU in sales,
printing and distributions, SustainU can
be seen across the country, partnering
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WEST VIRGINIA EXECUTIVE
and working with elite events and orga-
nizations such as The New York Times,
Bloomberg, White House Small Business
Council, Ben & Jerry’s and the Made in
America Festival.
SustainU is also known for working
with top sports organizations like the
MLB and NBA. Most recently, this inno-
vator in recycled clothing launched The
MLB® T-shirt Club. The T-shirt Club
features all 30 MLB teams and allows
baseball fans to “wear the season” with
precisely curated shipments of officially
licensed apparel delivered to their door-
steps throughout the year.
“For us, this is a really cool undertak-
ing,” says Yura. “We want to be a trail-
blazing brand in sports and do things other
brands are not doing—exclusive graphics
with a unique story behind products that
are being curated and delivered to your
door is new. We are excited to be the ones
to deliver that.”
For Yura, a native of Morgantown,
SustainU is about more than just sports
apparel and fandom. It is also a platform
for changing the clothing industry while
showcasing what the Mountain State is
really all about—its people and their in-
credible talent.
Photo by SustainU.