Sustainable fashion has emerged into mainstream conversation over the last few years, more and more people are starting to think about their own fashion footprint and where best to spend their money in the future.
For someone who is new to the world of sustainable fashion, it can seem very overwhelming on what sustainability actually means, let alone how to get started and start tracing your own impact.
Rest assured, I’m here to help! In this post, I will be outlining what sustainability actually is and why fast fashion is so toxic for our people and planet, and most importantly how you can be more sustainable.
So what is sustainable fashion?
By definition, sustainable fashion is “a movement and process of fostering change to fashion products and the fashion system towards greater ecological integrity and social justice.” But what does this actually mean you may ask?
In the simplest form, sustainable fashion is fashion designed for longevity and reuse that is good quality that takes into mind the environmental impacts and social justice.
Why is fast fashion so bad?
Many oppose the idea of sustainable fashion because it is usually more expensive than your fast fashion counterparts. This is for a good reason. Most fast fashion companies favour a linear business model that rewards those at the very top of the pyramid, while the people actually making the clothes reap very very little.
These people are garment workers who are exploited on a daily basis. They earn way below a living wage for them and their families, and often work in sweatshops - factories built on very poor infrastructure and that expose carcinogenic chemicals (chemicals that can cause cancer). Some factory owners don’t even allow toilet breaks or any kind of breaks for that matter, forcing staff to work more than 16 hours every day. These are just a few of the examples of how badly garment workers are treated.
Many fast fashion brands choose to make their clothes in countries like Bangladesh and the Far East because it's cheap to run and export. This is what fuels the fast fashion industry to thrive because they can maximise their stock and profits for a very small cost.
With reality stars and influencers promoting fast fashion all over your social media, many of their followers are ‘influenced’ into buying way too many clothes than they really need, or want. Many decisions in the buying process are often impulse buys without considering whether you really want the item just because you saw your favourite influencer flaunting it on the gram.
Fast fashion clothes are often bad quality too, meaning many of the clothes are sent back to the brand’s warehouses where they just send them to landfill because they are deemed “not worthy of reselling”.
Fast fashion’s environmental impact is probably the most daunting of all. Did you know that the fashion industry is the 2nd most polluting industry in the world after the fuel and oil industry?
What can I do to help?
My most important tip at the moment, especially as many of us around the globe are in lockdown, is to reduce your consumption as much as you can, meaning trying not to buy brand new clothes wherever possible.
With the exception of loungewear, which many of us have plenty of after the first lockdown, there isn’t much point in buying any more clothes as we’re not going anywhere! Quarantine is the perfect time to slow down, step back and shop the clothes already in your own wardrobe, which brings me to my first tip…
Shop your own wardrobe
The idea of “shopping your own wardrobe” sounds as boring, tedious and pointless as this whole lockdown has been, but trust me on this one, it is more fun than you think. With all this extra free time why not get everything, and yes I mean everything, out of your wardrobe and see what you actually have. With the amount of clothes everyone buys year on year, you’ll be surprised to see what you own.
I did this during the first lockdown and it was like walking into a brand spanking new store that was exactly my style (what a surprise). Although some items had probably been crammed into the back of my chest of drawers for years (and for good reason), it is refreshing to rediscover clothes you may have forgotten about which you can style in new ways or even upcycle if it's not quite your style anymore.
I’d also recommend trying on all your clothes to filter out the pieces which may not fit anymore and take pictures of outfits you style. You can then save them in a folder on your phone called something like “my wardrobe” or “outfits”. This is a huge help for those days when you can’t for the life of you seem to put a cohesive look together, it will save you a lot of time!
Buy, sell and swap second hand
In my opinion, second-hand clothes are a million times better than new clothes, why may you ask?
Second-hand clothes are different, they have a story (especially vintage items), they had a life before you decided to welcome them to your own wardrobe, which makes them so unique and special.
Here are the best places to buy, sell and swap all things second hand!
Swap
● Swish Up (Instagram handle @swishupuk)
● Big sister swap (Instagram handle @bigsisterswap)
● She swaps (Instagram handle @she_swaps_)
● Facebook swap groups - the one I’m apart of is called Swap Family Finds
● Your friends and family!
Buy and sell
●Charity shops
●Vintage kilo sales (check if your local area or uni hosts any)
●eBay (specifically the vintage section or preloved clothes)
●Facebook Marketplace
Rent clothes and accessories
Despite the lack of opportunities to dress for a special occasion in our current climate, for your next Zoom cocktail party or virtual birthday bash, you may want to consider renting your outfit. From dresses to handbags you can rent almost anything nowadays. It could be for a special occasion or even just wanting to try a designer handbag out before you make the big purchase to see if you like it.
Here are some of the best platforms to rent clothes and accessories...
● Hurr Collective (Instagram handle @hurr)
● Catwalk Club (Instagram handle @catwalk.club)
● The Devout (Instagram handle @wearethedevout)
● By Rotation (Instagram handle @byrotationofficial)
● Rotaro (Instagram handle @rotaro.uk)
● My Wardrobe HQ (Instagram handle @mywardrobe_hq)
Research the good and the bad fashion brands
By seeing what brands are out there who are actually sustainable and not greenwashing (when a brand says they are sustainable when they’re really not) it is so much easier to choose where you make future purchases.
The website and app Good On You is my favourite platform for finding out exactly how sustainable and ethical a brand is. Good On You determines a brand’s sustainable values through an “out of 5” rating, assessing categories in labour, environment and animal welfare.
Unfollow and unsubscribe
Want to know the easiest way to start becoming sustainable? Unfollow and unsubscribe from any fast fashion brands’ emails or Instagram, this way you won’t even be tempted to buy something from their sales ever again!
Support small sustainable businesses
It is so important to be supporting small businesses in our current climate, not only does it help them grow, but you also get a product that is made with lots of love and thought put into it.
Here are some of my favourite small sustainable fashion brands:
● @izia.hk
Follow sustainable bloggers, influencers and activists
If you are wanting to know more about sustainability on a daily basis then I’d recommend following sustainable influencers on Instagram, and unfollow anyone who’s content doesn’t agree with your values.
By following individuals who care for the future and wellbeing of our people and planet, not only are you educating yourself, but you are also supporting small creators who promote the greater good and helping them spread awareness.
Here are a few of my favourites:
Tell others
So now that you’ve educated yourself, it's time to spread the message and build the movement. Tell your friends and family about sustainability and the little things they could be doing better, tweet, sign petitions, and most importantly use your privilege.
And take your time!
Becoming a completely sustainable individual isn’t something that happens overnight, it is something we can all work and build on as a process. We all have things that we can improve on, so if your current fashion footprint is a bit dirty, to say the least, don’t feel guilty.
What matters is what you do now with all this information; whether you choose to take any of these tips into practice is completely up to you. But remember your small changes can make a big difference.
For more fashion sustainability content and posts, check out my personal blog stylecliche.com and follow my Instagram too, @stylecliche.
Great article. Very informative