Sustainable Fashion

Wed 11 May 2022

I have talked about sustainable fashion in previous blog posts, but I wanted to write some more as it is really important to continue to think about how we can do our bit to change the way we shop and help the environment.

The fashion industry is trying hard to improve the way they work, and some retailers are doing it better than others. However, it is quite difficult from a consumer’s point of view to really see which ones are truly sustainable.

Greta Thunberg stated in Scandinavian Vogue last year:

“Many are making it look as if the fashion industry are starting to take responsibility, by spending fantasy amounts on campaigns where they portray themselves as ”sustainable”, ”ethical”, ”green”, ”climate neutral” and ”fair”. But let’s be clear: This is almost never anything but pure green washing.”

There are a number of ways we can shop as individuals to ensure that we are doing our bit.

Buying preloved or vintage clothing is one of the easiest things we can do, and there are so many second hand shops on the high street that you can go into and find a gem. Equally there are lots of preloved sites online that you can follow who regularly have new products coming in which may be just what you are looking for.

Here are a list of some of my favourite ones:

Wear Not Want Not - https://www.ebay.co.uk/str/wearnotwantnot

Your Preloved Stories - https://www.yourprelovedstories.com/

Edit Second Hand - https://editsecondhand.com/

My Wardrobe Mistakes - https://mywardrobemistakes.com/

My Circular Wardrobe - https://www.mycircularwardrobe.com/

Thift + - https://thrift.plus/

Depop - https://www.depop.com/

Vestiaire Collective - https://www.vestiairecollective.com/

Renting, lending or swapping clothes is another option. Peer to peer swapping is fantastic, especially if you have a friend or relative who is the same size as you! Or could you go one step further and set up a swapping system in your local area? You will often find local “swishing” events where you can swap clothes, so keep a look out for those.

I’ve written a previous blog about renting clothes, those companies are still going, and I have found some more that are worth a look at. Renting clothes is a really good option for a one off event that you may have planned, perhaps a wedding, christening or black tie event. You would like to wear something new, but don’t want to buy something brand new that you are only going to wear once. Renting is also a fab way of wearing something more premium or designer that ordinarily you wouldn’t buy for yourself.

Taite Ro - https://www.taitero.co.uk/

Wardrobe Hire - https://wardrobehire.co.uk/

Loanhood - https://www.loanhood.com/

The Nu Wardrobe - https://www.thenuwardrobe.com/ is a great app for swapping and borrowing clothes.

Looking at the fabrics of clothes that you are buying is also important. The production of some fabrics, both natural and man-made, have huge environmental implications. Below is a list of fabrics that are more sustainable.

Organic cotton

This is grown without using chemicals or pesticides, and uses less water in production than conventional cotton.

“Green” silk

Production of normal silk kills the moth and pupa during the process, green silk doesn’t do this and is often softer as it hasn’t had harsh chemicals added to it.

Bamboo

Bamboo fabric is a natural textile made from the pulp of the bamboo grass. The bamboo fibre is made by pulping the bamboo grass until it separates into thin threads of fibre, which is then spun and dyed for weaving into cloth. Bamboo is the most eco-friendly fabric available.

Wool

Wool is 100% natural, renewable and biodegradable.

100% modal

Modal is an eco-friendly material, made in an eco-responsible way. Modal fibres come from naturally grown beech wood pulp. This pulp is then turned into fibres and spun into yarn to make this soft flowing fabric.

Lyocell / Tencel

Lyocell or Tencel is a natural, man-made fibre and an eco-friendly fabric. It is a cellulose fibre made from dissolving pulp using dry jet-wet spinning and it is 100% biodegradable.

Recycled Fabrics

These are important as they are using plastic and other materials that would ordinarily be thrown into landfill.

Ensuring that you are thinking about circularity of the garment or company that you are buying from is also an important consideration. Circular fashion is minimising waste and making the most of resources. It challenges fashions linear production line, which ends with clothes being discarded in landfill. Every part of the life span of the garment needs to be cyclical, does the design have longevity? Are the materials sustainable? Is the production of the garment fair & ethical (this is sometimes difficult to ascertain if you can’t find all of the company’s credentials)? Once the piece is tired, it should be repaired or redesigned rather than being binned. Or it could be swapped, rented or sold on to second hand retailers.

There is a great company called The Seam which offers repair services and alterations.

https://www.theseam.uk/

Alternatively you can find local seamstresses who will be able to help you.

Fast fashion really is costly for the environment it is one of the biggest polluters, we must think before we buy. Stop those impulse purchases and hire a personal stylist, like myself, who can help you with your wardrobe and find your style. You are worth investing in.

Thanks for reading and if you would like any more information on this subject or how I can help with your wardrobe, then please get in touch.

Nerys