IS YOUR STYLE SUSTAINABLE ?
New Years ‘Resolutions’ generally used to consist of ‘Stop Smoking’ and ‘Losing Weight’. That may have not changed for some of us, but now we are more informed about the world we live in, our New Year Goals may look slightly different… cutting down on our ‘Fast Fashion’ habit might be one of them.
What is ‘Fast Fashion’?
Fast fashion is a term used for product where the designs move from catwalk to store to capture the latest trends at a pace, purchased by the customer and then, to landfill as our shopping mindset is to buy something new on a regular basis, to wear for a short period of time and then casting it aside because the next new trend is in the store. Due to the products short life span and demand for cheap prices, fabrics tend to be the ones that have the most impact on the environment. With over 60 percent being synthetic, these synthetic fibres end up in land fills, with 85 percent of textile waste unable to decay.
What is 'Sustainable Fashion'?
Many people confuse 'sustainable fashion' with 'ethical fashion', the concept of sustainability in the industry refers to the effects of the production of clothing on the environment where as ethical fashion are concerns of the way clothing is made, encompassing everything from how the cotton was grown to how the garment workers are treated.
Sustainability of the fashion industry is becoming more and more high profile in the last few years as the negative implications of fast fashion has increased awareness and for good reason as the industry accounts for 20 per cent of wastewater and 10 per cent of carbon emissions globally and that clothes account for half a million tons of non-biodegradable micro-fibres reaching the oceans every year.
As a result, several fashion brands like Stella McCartney are leading the way in making a conscious effort to focus on how to produce ethical clothing, but the responsibility to champion sustainability doesn’t just lie solely with brands. We are the ones investing in the clothes that will shape not only our wardrobes but the environment as well. The more we shop, looking for the latest trend, the more the brands will react, they analyse our buying habits and respond to our sales.
We can still love fashion while being aware of the environment at the same time. Changing shopping habits doesn’t happen overnight as it needs a real change in mindset but we can all make one or two changes to become more sustainable and here’s a few ideas.
1) Question Your Shopping Habits
Ask yourself if you really need an item of clothing in your wardrobe before you buy it. When you try an item on in a shop changing room ask your self the following questions:
What’s the exact reason you want to buy it?
What fabric it is made of ?
Whats the quality like, therefore will it last?
Is it similar to something you own already or does it add something new to your wardrobe?
How often you will wear it?
Does it go with other items in your wardrobe?
Maybe even take some time to thing about it so it doesn’t become an impulse buy. Do that, and you’ll start cutting down on cheap and cheerful hits of clothing pleasure and start building up a base of high-quality items that you get plenty of wear out of, so everything you own, you love wearing and feel confident in.
2) Choose Pre-loved Clothing.
By buying an item of clothing that’s pre-loved, you are giving that item another lease of life, you wont bump into someone who’s wearing the same thing and you’ll pay a fraction of the price for it. There are many ways to shop second hand, in charity shops, visiting local markets, vintage shops and swapping clothing with friends. Secondhand stores are almost all charitable, local or family-owned, so your cash is going to a worthy course or a small business rather than a larger one.
3) Always Carry a Tote Bag
By using your own bag during a shopping trip, not just fashion, it means you’re automatically cutting down on plastic.
4) Prioritise Buying Clothes Made of Sustainable Fabrics
Avoid non-biodegradable fabrics such as nylon, polyester and materials treated with toxic chemicals such as viscose. Polyester is made from oil (it’s basically a plastic thread) and most synthetic fibres shed micro-fibres into waterways. Acrylic is even more toxic to produce than polyester. Viscose rayon (this includes bamboo rayon) turns plants into a textile through a toxic, polluting process and is contributing to the disappearance of rain-forests. Conventional cotton relies on pesticides which are improperly, excessively, and dangerously applied in underdeveloped countries. The typical leather tanning process is so toxic that 90 percent of the people who live in the leather-tanning neighbourhoods in Bangladesh die before they reach 50.
Instead, invest in fabrics such as linen and organic cotton that use less water in production than their non-biodegradable contemporaries. Materials such as hemp and bamboo are also all eco-friendly because they use less energy, pesticides, fertilisers and water than other fabrics. Others like Tencel which is a viscose rayon alternative, are produced using wood pulp from sustainably sourced eucalyptus, which grows fast and doesn’t produce a lot of pollution. It can also be combined with a range of other fibres such as cotton, polyester, acrylic, wool and silk. It’s pretty hard to avoid polyester altogether, especially if you enjoy ath-leisure clothing, swimwear, or anything with stretch, so look for polyester that’s made of recycled water bottles, fishing nets, carpet, and other post-consumer products. These products financially support the recycling industry and help to keep plastic waste from the landfill and ocean.
For those of you keen to make sure all your fabrics are cruelty-free as well as environmentally friendly, make sure you look out for brands that sell animal welfare-friendly materials like organic wool, vegan leather and vegan silk.
5) Clear Out Your Wardrobe Regularly
When it comes to creating a sustainable collection of clothing in your wardrobe, take every single item out of your cupboards and lay them all out and ask:
Do I still love this item?
Does it still suit my lifestyle?
When was the last time I wore it?
Do they still fit and flatter me? (Try them on)
Add it then to the pile to go to charity or for recycling or it goes back in the wardrobe. In addition, pile anything that is damaged but you think you will wear in the future, to take to a tailor to be fixed (try your local dry cleaner). Always think about keeping essential items and a few statement pieces in your wardrobe, as well as considering new ways to update clothing, either a bit of customising, new ways of styling or adding different accessories.
6) Show Your Favourite Brands You Care.
Not ready to pass up on that cute viscose top? Curious where it’s made? Email the brand! Messages and questions asked in stores, if frequent enough, get back to head office and will be listen to. Also, look through the About section or the sustainability section of a brand’s website to see if they say anything about how items are made. If they don’t, it’s a bad sign so send them an email!
If you are interested in designers who have a passion for quality natural fabrics, an eye for unique design, who care about the impact they are having on the planet and produce ethical fashion then check out Bic Bim at https://www.bicbim.co.uk/ethical-fashion-brands