How to be Sustainably Fashion Forward
By Sarah Kim, Account Manager
You’ve got a long-awaited beach vacation coming up and are looking for some new outfits and swimwear that will outwardly reflect your tropical state of mind. You log on to that website whose ads have been following you around on social media since the THOUGHT of vacation entered your mind. You check out with full outfits for each day of your trip and then some, for a cost that doesn’t make you feel the need to scour the internet for a promo code. Sound familiar?
Fast fashion is a design, manufacturing and marketing method focused on rapidly producing high volumes of clothing using low-quality materials in order to quickly bring inexpensive trend replications to the public. Perusing through and purchasing from fast fashion websites became my routine for every vacation, short getaway or special event in my life. And while the low cost to me was undeniable (and to be honest, a little addicting), I couldn’t help thinking that someone, somewhere was paying a much larger metaphorical price for this.
What’s the problem with fast fashion?
Speedy production time + decreased costs = major negative impact on the environment. The fashion industry overall is one of the largest global polluters of clean water, and the fast fashion industry specifically, uses cheap, toxic textile dyes which are a major contributing factor. Additionally, the speed at which these garments are produced means that more clothes are disposed of by consumers, creating a huge amount of textile waste (most of which could be reused) that ends up in landfills each year. Not only does fast fashion have a negative impact on the environment, but also on the workers who produce it, especially women and children. Workers receive unlivable wages for working long hours in extremely dangerous environments with no benefits or protection.
To summarize, fast fashion is polluting our environment, exploiting workers and producing massive amounts of waste. Yikes. How can we continue to enjoy and refresh our wardrobes without buying into fast fashion? Enter, sustainable fashion.
What is sustainable fashion, and why is it important?
Sustainable fashion refers to clothing that is designed, manufactured, distributed, and used in ways that are environmentally friendly. There are many forms of sustainable fashion, all offering unique benefits for consumers and the planet. For example, eco-conscious designers may use organic materials and biodegradable dyes to help reduce pollution, or consumers may utilize rental services or consignment stores to help reduce waste. In all cases, for the people who make these garments, sustainable fashion means better, safer working conditions and fairer pay.
I think we can all agree that we shouldn't pollute our planet or endanger someone’s life to produce a t-shirt, right? Shopping more sustainably is something we can all do to work toward a safer and more environmentally friendly fashion industry.
What can I do?
The great news is, there are so many forms of sustainable fashion! The bad news is, there are SO MANY forms of sustainable fashion. It can definitely become overwhelming, especially when you begin to consider all of the issues surrounding fashion. You are not going to be able to address all of these issues at once; think about which social or environmental concerns are most important to you, and then choose achievable ways to focus on these as you foray into sustainable fashion. As a still-recovering fast fashion addict, here are some simple things that have helped me be more sustainably fashion forward:
Buy less
Let’s get the least fun one out of the way first. This one’s pretty much a no-brainer. Keep yourself in check by truly thinking about the amount of clothing you are purchasing; do you really need the sweater in all three colors? Or as I recently had to ask myself before vacation, “Sarah, do you really need a new outfit for the airport?”. The answer is always no.
Buy and trade used clothing
I love buying used because it addresses two major fast fashion issues at once: you are not introducing any new clothing into production and ultimately the waste chain, AND you are decreasing demand for companies to keep up their rapid production at inhumane costs. Even better, is that most thrift stores allow you to trade in your used items for “new to you” items in the store. I do major closet purges twice a year (Fall/Winter, Spring/Summer) and have two thrift stores near me where I trade in items I no longer want for refreshed seasonal items at a fraction of the cost of buying new. There are also tons of online options for buying used. Three of my favorites are Poshmark, Depop and thredUp.
Buy responsibly
When you do buy new, do a little research to find companies who are pursuing the production of clothing with more environmentally and humanely friendly methods. One of my favorites is BYTAVI, located in Franklin, Indiana. All of their clothing is made under fair trade principles by women in Cambodia who are provided with fair wages and a safe work environment. I love BYTAVI for ethical and affordable basics like their soft, high-quality tees.
And my personal favorite...Rent it!
This option is perfect for that tropical vacation, special events or even just for fun. Rent the Runway has been a game-changer for me. Instead of buying a new dress for every wedding I attend or outfits for every trip I take, I select one of their many monthly subscription options, and I’m set for all my upcoming events. They also do one-time rentals if you are looking for a statement piece for a special occasion. Garments are delivered to you in a reusable bag versus a box and are responsibly dry-cleaned once you’ve returned them.