An Important Fashion Trend for 2020 - Sustainable Fashion
What is Sustainable Fashion? I’m exploring this questions in my post today…I think it’s an important one and I hope you’ll read to the end! My information comes from several reputable web sites that I’ll give credit to at the end of the post. Here we go…
This post originally started out as a post about fashion trends for 2020. Sustainable fashion is a “trend” for this year and when I started to research, I stumbled on several articles that were very captivating so I decided to do a full post on this trend.
In one of my latest blog posts, I shared ways to shop your closet because it’s stuffed with things that I don’t wear very often. We’ve all heard, reduce, reuse and recycle,…in that order, and it makes perfect sense. The more we keep out of the landfill, the less we impact our fragile environment.
I once asked when I took a load of unwanted clothing to our local thrift store where the things went that no one bought. The answer was…we put them on a boat and ship them overseas. I remember wondering why that would be but didn’t ask probably because I was in a hurry. When I started writing this post, I did a little research and here’s what happens…”The majority — 45 percent — of the clothing that ends up in thrift stores is either re-sold within the United States' clothing industry or shipped overseas. While this may sound better than getting sent to the landfill, "re-selling clothes into the U.S. secondhand market just encourages them to make the cycle all over again" and "sending clothes overseas can majorly hinder the textile industries in developing countries, robbing locals of jobs and income.”
Sustainable fashion can be a difficult topic. It’s so much more environmentally friendly to purchase something that will last for many seasons, but everyone can’t afford that option. Should people bypass feeling well dressed and stylish because they can’t afford to buy the designer brands? I talk so often about fashion being a creative statement that we make when we go out into the world and how you just feel better when you have on an outfit that you love! Sure, you could scour thrift and consignment stores and go on websites like Poshmark, but doing that is very time consuming. Most women (and men) are very busy raising children, working full time, preparing meals and just keeping up with life and they simply don’t have time to put that much effort into getting dressed!
We are however, sent mixed signals when it comes to sustainable fashion. Just what is it anyway? Is it local production, renting clothing, clothing made with organic cotton or recycled bottles. It can be overwhelming!
Did you know that fashion contributes over 8 percent of all greenhouse gases (that’s the same as the beef industry just in the US according to the New York Times) and if things continue, by 2050 that number will be 25 percent? Probably not…I had no idea! And, just in case you’re not up to speed…greenhouse gasses cause global warming which causes climate change.
“MUCH OF THE FASHION INDUSTRY IS STILL A FLAMING HOT MESS WHEN IT COMES TO HUMAN RIGHTS, TOXIC MATERIALS AND CLIMATE POLLUTION.”
In order for a company to be sustainable, they must be lowering the carbon footprint of their mills. That means making the mills more energy efficient and changing the energy supply to renewable energy. More than 75 percent of the carbon footprint in the entire lifecycle of our clothing takes place in the mills. Levi’s and American Eagle are among the few companies making a commitment to change their carbon footprint.
Eco-friendly luxury brands like Stella McCartney, Mara Hoffman and Eileen Fisher have been dominating the space, and their clothes don’t come cheap. Even Reformation, which uses recycled fibers to make its clothes, can be pricey for the average consumer. These companies are great, but they’re not the most accessible.
“The vast majority of the industry’s climate pollution is hiding in global supply chain networks – manufacturing products in factories and mills and shipping goods across the world. Many of these factories are often in places like China, Vietnam, and Bangladesh, where the majority of the energy grid is powered by coal. If we're going to tackle global climate change and keep the world below catastrophic warming, we must transform the entire fashion industry.”
Most garment workers are women and are some of the least paid laborers in the world. This is yet another reason to support companies that are trying to lower their carbon footprint. For a list of the companies who are trying to do their part, read this article.
“The average consumer bought 60% more clothing in 2014 than in 2000, but kept each garment half as long.
Americans are throwing away 81 pounds of clothing per person per year.” ~ New Standard Institute
Another mixed message that we’re being sent is that shopping stimulates the economy, creating jobs and therefore making the world a better place. This might make you feel better as you’re making your purchase, but the truth is that even sustainable fashion has enormous environmental and social impact worldwide. And it still doesn’t address our carbon footprint or the issue of underpaid workers in bad working conditions.
Here are a couple of ways that you can make a difference and support the sustainable fashion trend in a positive way.
THRIFT SHOPPING AND DONATING (IT’S STILL A GOOD OPTION EVEN WITH THE PROBLEMS)
Thrift shopping and donating keep clothing out of the landfills, which obviously is good. Also, many thrift stores support local charities which is another benefit. If you have the time, you can update your thrifted items with new buttons, or tailoring. Selling and shopping on websites such as Poshmark is also a good way to recycle perfectly good clothing.
You can also shop designer brands through websites like The Real Real, Vestiaire Collective, What Goes Around Comes Around and Rebag.
CAPSULE YOUR WARDROBE
Capsule wardrobes have become very popular over the past couple of years. The idea is that you can make multiple outfits from a few pieces of clothing that you already own and reinvent them by switching up the way they’re styled. The best way to do this is to buy high quality basics that will last longer since you’ll be wearing them more frequently..
Hopefully, by continuing to bring light to the problems in the fashion industry we can come closer to a solution. Every little step taken to become more environmentally aware is a step in the right direction.
I’d love to know what you think of this post! Please leave a comment below and let me know…are you a thrifter, do you use capsule wardrobing?
Information from Harpers Bazaar - https://www.harpersbazaar.com/fashion/designers/a30185938/sustainable-fashion-explained/
https://www.harpersbazaar.com/fashion/trends/a4361/best-vintage-consignment-websites/
The New York Times
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/25/climate/cows-global-warming.html
https://www.stand.earth/sites/stand/files/StandEarth-FilthyFashionScorecard.pdf
Measuring Fashion - Global Impact - https://quantis-intl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/measuringfashion_globalimpactstudy_full-report_quantis_cwf_2018a.pdf
Stand Earth - https://www.stand.earth/sites/stand/files/StandEarth-FilthyFashionScorecard.pdf
NSI Fashion 2030 - https://www.instagram.com/nsifashion2030/