Introduction
Fashion empowers us all through giving us the means to express who we are to the world around us. It provides a glimpse of our personalities and allows people to gain an insight into our character. Clothes can be worn as a tool to express our emotions, in addition to being used as a means of protecting ourselves.
When I was a child, my parents would always make sure I had the best clothes. My wardrobe was practically overflowing, even when I was unable to comprehend what fashion was. I must admit, my obsession with clothes started from a young age. As a teen it didn’t get much better, I always wanted the newest styles and felt my best when keeping up to date with fashion trends. However, it was only when I began to start studying fashion that I realised that there is a negative side to this industry that many people are not aware of.
Over recent years there has been seen to be a rising awareness around fashion and how it is having an increasingly negative impact on our environment. However, many of us are still unaware of the impact caused by fast fashion brands and I believe we have a right to know what is going on behind the scenes in order to help make a change to the damaging effects caused by these organisations.
What is sustainable fashion?
Have you ever heard of sustainable fashion? No? Well, you’re in luck.
Sustainable fashion is a slow-paced method of manufacturing clothing, which differs from other brands who tend to release new clothing collections four times a year. Sustainable clothing is made from organic, natural and environmentally friendly materials that will ultimately completely decompose one day. However, these clothes are designed to last for long periods of time unlike fast fashion brands who use harmful and low-quality materials.
Why sustainable fashion matters
Sustainable fashion should be a priority to everyone when buying clothes as it provides an alternative solution to fast fashion and has the potential to help us restore our eco system to its full potential.
You wouldn’t believe it, but the fashion industry is the second largest industry that causes the most pollution to earth, coming in sharply behind the oil industry. This statistic definitely made my jaw drop. How about you?
Fast fashion has been seen to have a detrimental effect on the environment with over 13 tons of wastage being created annually from textiles that could be reused or upcycled. As well as this, textiles that end up in the ocean can cause water pollution, therefore endangering wildlife. It only got worse when I discovered that 93% of these fast fashion brands aren’t paying their workers a wage suitable to live on, in addition to subjecting them to unsafe working conditions.
Sustainable fashion can provide many benefits such as:
- Reduction in wastage due to higher quality clothing items
- Helping to minimise air, land and water pollution
- Improving the quality of life for workers as sustainable brands pay a fair wage
Future of Sustainable Fashion
It is likely that the future of fashion could become sustainable as recent studies have shown that 88% of consumers want brands to be more aware of the environment. In addition to this, with technology consciously growing, apps where you can buy and sell pre-owned clothing have become increasingly popular.
Brands such as Levi’s, Tentree and Patagonia have been leading the way in sustainable fashion by being conscious of materials used and water wastage accumulated. Tentree also gives back to the environment by planting ten trees for every product purchased. So far, they have managed to plant 50 million trees!
Go Eco Love
Do you want to make a change to your wardrobe? You can always start by checking out our website where we sell a range of sustainable clothing items and accessories. Don’t hesitate, take your first steps to bettering the world today by visiting goecolove.com.
Sources:
https://www.thegoodtrade.com/features/future-of-sustainable-fashion
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