When pitching their idea to a potential supplier, Jonas Clark and Amanda Rinderle heard back: “You don’t eat your shirt.”

This type of misconception is what proves there’s a need for Tuckerman & Co. in the clothing market. Launched out of a Yale startup incubator over the summer by Clark and Rinderle (who are also engaged), Tuckerman & Co. is a line of high-quality dress shirts made from 100 percent organic cotton and free of pesticides, chemicals and toxins, in order to make clothing safer for the environment – even if it’s not going in our bodies.

And if you want more proof that the clothing industry needs a sustainable line, just look to the company’s Kickstarter: With only three days left, Clark and Rinderle have raised $26,125 from 221 backers so far, breezing past their goal of $20,000.

According to Rinderle, the couple began their Yale fellowship program (the two are both Yale School of Management students) knowing that they wanted to launch a mission-driven startup. Tuckerman & Co. was born from that idea, as well as from their past experiences.

“For us, in part, it stems from a personal frustration or need,” said Rinderle. “We both used to go to work Monday through Friday, so we would have to dress up, and we were surprised that it was so easy to find organic food, soaps, cleaning products … but there were no sustainable alternatives in the mainstream clothing market.”

So they started digging, and they began to realize how big of a problem the lack of sustainable clothing is for the environment. After oil and gas, the textile and apparel industry has the largest environmental footprint of any major industry, and cotton is of the most chemically intensive crops in the world.

And somehow, during a time when everyone is looking to buy organic, and “go green,” clothing is largely being overlooked – especially in everyday dress wear. In addressing how they can change that, Clark and Rinderle referenced the organic food movement, and how it came to the forefront thanks to the force of a few small brands, like New England-based Stonyfield, the company behind the sustainable and edible WikiPearls.

“Once you have the initial brands talking about it, then the bigger brands start to take notice,” said Clark. “You can go to Costco these days, and walk down the aisle and see lots of Costco-brand organic options. That just didn’t happen ten years ago.”

Clark mentioned that in the apparel space, Patagonia has been the “prime mover and shaker” when it comes to the issue of sustainability, as the company has been transparent about cleaning up their supply chain. But Patagonia is an outdoor apparel brand; Tuckerman & Co. wants to introduce the sustainable model to the mainstream fashion industry – a movement he believes is “right around the corner.”

Clark and Rinderle said they recognize that in order for a sustainable clothing company to succeed, the product they’re selling has to be of the same – or better – quality that someone would buy from their favorite store. So, they sought out premium materials, ending up with buttons made from natural corozo (known as “vegetable ivory”) and Italian fabric made from 100 percent organic cotton. The two also teamed up with a manufacturer in Fall River, Mass. to craft the single-stitch shirts, marked with a signature green stitch along the top button hole, as a reminder of their mission.

Beyond using premium materials, Clark and Rinderle redesigned the classic work shirt by improving the fit: Tuckerman & C0. shirts have raised hems, so they can be worn either tucked in for the office or untucked for afterwork drinks, and raised top buttons, so the shirts can be worn with or without a tie.

The two are proud of their finished product, but admitted it wasn’t an easy process. For instance, they looked at about 300 mills before settling on three of them for their manufacturing process.

“I think that’s one reason why no one’s tackled [sustainable clothing], because you have to be pretty passionate about what you’re doing,” said Clark.

But cutting corners in clothing production leads to what Clark and Rinderle refer to as “an environmental mess” in the textile industry. Fast fashion, the trend that popular retailers like Forever 21, H&M and Zara rely on to push products, is a disaster for the environment: Mass amounts of clothing are made using subpar materials, and they don’t last, resulting in major waste.

Clark and Rinderle said that Tuckerman & Co’s shirts aren’t the kind that you’ll get a few wears and washes out of before discarding. The shirts, available on Kickstarter in gingham and light blue (white and blue striped shirts are part of the reach goal), retail now for $110. Once they launch their e-commerce site, that price will jump to $120, but they also have plans to release more casual lines of shirts, like chambray, for $85-90, as well as a women’s line.

So far, the duo knows that they have the support of consumers who already keep organic and sustainable items at the forefront of their minds. But they believe it’s their actual shirts that will win over anyone who might be hesitant about organic clothing.

“A good mission with a lousy product isn’t going to go anywhere,” said Clark. “We’re product focused, but mission driven. the mission gets you excited to do what you’re doing, but you have to nail the product.”

You can learn more about Tuckerman & Co., and support their Kickstarter campaign, here.