Let’s talk about Sustainable Fashion
This outfit is sustainable because it was thrifted. Everything fin this outfit (except the neck scarf) is second hand from either Avalon Exchange or Plato’s Closet. Even my coffee is from a sustainable coffee shop!
What is Sustainable Fashion?
Sustainable fashion isn’t so much a thing as a movement. The idea of fashion being sustainable means fashion production being eco friendly and socially just. Similarly, Eco Fashion strives to minimize the impact on the environment while also having a positive impact on the working conditions of workers. The opposite of Sustainable Fashion is Fast Fashion, which is inexpensive clothing produced in mass quantities quickly to express current trends.
The mass production of clothes creates a huge amount of pollution and waste. According to the U.N. Environmental Program, the fashion industry is the second largest consumer of water and creates 92 million tons of solid waste each year. All the scraps of fabric that don’t get used while making garments simply get thrown away or burned.
This bralette is from Yogavated, an ethical and sustainable yoga apparel company. They use their scraps to create their bralettes instead of throwing them away, minimizing their waste.
Why is sustainable fashion so expensive?
The short answer: you pay for quality. Often sustainable fashion is made from low impact organic crops that is used to create a fabric that is made to order. Meaning that fabric is produced in smaller batches and not at bulk prices. Most importantly, the workers who make sustainable fashion are paid a living wage and work in good conditions. So when you buy sustainable clothing you are helping pay for a worker to be comfortable both at work and financially at home.
As someone who creates garments, I charge about $25 an hour for my labor. So when I buy a blouse for $12, I know the person who made it is being underpaid. The catch is that the more people that buy sustainable fashion, the higher the demand. The higher the demand, the lower the prices. So until more consumers buy sustainable fashion regularly, the prices will stay high.
How can I create a sustainable closet?
There are multiple ways to be more sustainable in your style, and not all of them break the bank!
Buy Secondhand or Vintage - it’s a great way to still wear those fast fashion brands without directly supporting them monetarily and giving the garments a second life
Swap or rent clothes
Repair, redesign, and Upcycled clothing - Don’t just throw away clothes when you’re tired of them. If you or a friend sews, try refashioning them! Check out my Instagram at @atrombo.creative for some ideas.
Buy ethical and fair trade brands
Buy commissioned, tailored, and custom clothing - invest in yourself and local businesses by buying custom and tailored clothing
<— This blouse used to be a romper that I never wore. Now I wear it all the time!
What sustainable brands are out there?
There are actually more sustainable and eco clothing brands than you might realize. Some may not be 100% sustainable but they are growing in that direction. I’ll delve into individual companies in a future blog post, but for now I’ve accumulated a few brands worth looking into:
Everlane
Yogavated
Able
Levi’s
Alternative Apparel
Uniqlo
Madewell
I hope this post makes you think about what fashion you invest in and how you can give back to the world by your outfits.
Stay Creative!
Annie