Fewer than ten Aspen High School 2015 graduates reported to taking a gap year. Now, over two years later, some of those graduates may be in their sophomore year of college, while others may be traveling the world, leaving the idea of college behind. As for Alexander Reagan, he has become an entrepreneur.

At the age of 18, Reagan merged his interests of business, art, and the environment into one idea: Environmentally Conscious Outfitters, or rather, ECO. ECO’s mission is “to create a simple yet stylish and timeless fashion brand for the younger generation who care about responsible manufacturing.”

ECO uses fabrics that are all machine washable and made from 100% recycled materials such as water bottles, bamboo, polyester, organic sap trees, tencel, and hemp.

“The collection is ethically and conscientiously made from plant-based and recycled materials. Locally sourced and sewn, we have left behind the smallest footprint possible,” Reagan captions an Instagram post promoting his business.

ECO’s Instagram page, @ecoutfitters, gives various facts about the fashion industry and environment while promoting the clothing.

“An estimated 20% of global industrial water pollution comes from the treatment and dyeing of textiles. We use plant based dyes for our coloring process,” reads one post. “Hemp can be produced on the same land for 14 consecutive years without yield or soil reduction,” says another.

Reagan ensures every aspect of his business is as ethical and sustainable as possible by researching the shipping distances, fabrics being used, and how the excess fabric is put into use.

“Most people who are in the fashion industry are ignoring all those aspects and that’s what makes the fashion industry the third most polluting industry on the planet,” Reagan said.

He is creating clothing that is not only environmentally sustainable, but manufactured in an ethical manner as well.

“I have to think about ethical labor standards, so I have to make sure that my workers are all from the U.S. and get paid fair wages– so over minimum wage,” Reagan said.

Having the clothing manufactured in the U.S. also benefits the environment as every other aspect of Environmentally Conscious Outfitters does.

“Only 3% of clothing is manufactured domestically, the rest is imported from overseas. A simple cotton t-shirt from China creates 1 pound of carbon dioxide emissions,” reads an ECO Instagram post.

Reagan didn’t like high school, but the subjects that he started gaining interest in back during his Aspen years have carried out into ECO.

“I always liked the environment growing up. I was always immersed in the outdoors, so I was always an outdoor person. That was a huge part of growing up in Aspen; the environment,” Reagan said, “Most of the things I was interested in school were about the environment and the human effect of consumption.”

Growing up in Aspen was not the only factor that contributed to the founding of ECO. The young entrepreneur also owes thanks to the household in which he was brought up.

“Being surrounded by my family, business was something I found really interesting,” Reagan said. “I’ve also had a passion for art my whole life. I always did art, and there are art genes in my family as well. I wanted to tie all those together, so starting a fashion company seemed like that could be really interesting.”

However, Reagan explains that as an entrepreneur he must think differently in what could contribute to the uniqueness of his brand: a key factor in bringing success.

“I’m an entrepreneur as well so I wanted to make my company stand out. How did I make myself stand out? I did research to figure out how to be the most successful in the fashion industry, and I saw it was the third most polluting. I saw an opportunity at an early age,” Reagan, now 20, said. “It’s such a niche market so if I start making a big company now while it’s a niche market, I can be successful in the long run as well. It’s all about timing for an entrepreneur. It’s timing and luck, a little bit of both.”

As seen in patterns of graduating Aspen High School classes, the majority of graduates transition into college. Reagan defies this life path, now living in Los Angeles, California on his own, and working constantly on his business. He viewed college as too mainstream when he wanted to be unconventional. This thinking outside the box is a necessary trait of an entrepreneur, according to Reagan.

“What makes people successful is getting out and actually getting a hands-on experience. Self-directed learning is the most important thing. That’s what I’m all about. If you’re really passionate about something, you’ll go out there and teach yourself the information that you need to learn,” Reagan said.

While Reagan addresses that college is not for him, he acknowledges that it is the right path for others.

“I do think college is very good for the average person. I’m just saying gap years are good for people who maybe don’t necessarily know what they want to do at the time of being a senior,” the ECO founder said.

Alex Reagan is continuing on his path as an entrepreneur and is excited for his newly launched brand. Environmentally Conscious Outfitters opened its website doors on October 29th. Items are starting at $40. Buy yours today at https://www.shopecoutfitters.com/.