Nau, the environmentally-aware clothing line that closed in May, has reopened. The company closed its doors unexpectedly when it was unable to secure late-round financing in the face of the credit crunch. Horny Toad, another California-based clothing company committed to sustainability, bought Nau's remaining assets and made an effort to keep some of the key players involved.

"We saw in Nau an innovative brand—representing the perfect blend of outdoor, urban fashion sensibility with an unwavering commitment to sustainability," said Gordon Seabury, the CEO of Horny Toad, in a press release. "The relationship between Nau and Horny Toad has been highly synergistic: Nau benefits from Horny Toad's status as an established business while Nau's creativity and commitment to overturning traditional business norms continually challenges us to grow as a company."

In its first iteration, Nau focused on selling sustainable outdoor apparel online and supporting positive change through its Partners for Change program. These commitments remain in the new version of Nau, but have been modified. Prior to closing, Nau donated five percent of its sales through Partners for Change. With the relaunch of the company, Nau will give two percent of its sales to Partners for Change. Despite the reduction, Nau's giving remains 28 times higher than the national average for corporate philanthropy when considered as a percentage of sales.

Nau's approach to sales has also changed. Previously, the company relied mostly on online sales along with a few of its own brick-and-mortar retail establishments. While Nau will still rely heavily on web-based sales, the company will also be partnering with a number of retailers to sell its lines — Paragon in New York City, Uncle Dan's in Chicago and Lizard Lounge in Portland, Oregon are the first — rather than operating its own stores. This eliminates one of the largest costs that the older version of Nau faced, and instead allows established partners to handle retail sales.

The company's Fall 2008 apparel line has just launched, along with a brand new website. The line will begin appearing in partnering stores in November. Ian Yolles, Nau's head of marketing, expects this launch to be just one of many: "We anticipate this will be but the first in a long line of successful product launches. With our retooled business plan, Horny Toad's support, and our commitment to social and environmental justice, we believe the sky's the limit. This time, it's for keeps."

Image — Nau