Sustainability is the buzzword of the moment, being bandied round by everyone and anyone. But how much do we really know about being sustainable, and is it possible to be sustainable while shopping for the summer months, a time we’re often told we ‘need’ a new wardrobe? In an ideal world, we would reuse, repurpose, and recycle everything we own to create a cyclical consumerism that benefits the planet. At this particular moment in time, however, it looks unlikely that we are going to move away from shopping any time soon, and so it stands to reason that we really need to take a closer look at how to make our fashion lives more sustainable instead.
These days, it seems as though every brand is highlighting their eco-credentials in a bid to remain relevant whilst also appearing ethical, but very often this is more driven by greenwashing – creating campaigns and using buzzwords such as ‘sustainable’ to highlight their positive attempts and hide their negative ones, making companies appear more eco-conscious than they are. It is possible, though, to shop or freshen up your summer wardrobe in a more sustainable fashion without having to use such suppliers.
Go Indie, Go Bespoke
Bespoke creations and indie brands are the future of shopping. Not only are you likely to purchase items that are high-quality, handmade, and ethically sourced, but you also increase your chances of owning a true one-of-a-kind item designed especially for you. With sites such as artofoptiks.com, for example, each person undergoes a unique process of working with the designer to choose and create items that are customized according to individual needs resulting in bespoke products tailored to you. The high price point and quality of your purchases will ensure that you maintain good care of them whilst also purchasing less, driving down the greed that fuels the carbon footprint of the fashion industry.
Many such up-and-coming indie brands place sustainability and ethical trading at the heart of their business model, being totally transparent with customers and modelling the best ways to make new fashion sustainable.
It’s Vintage, Darling!
The revival of vintage fashion is a welcome one for many, particularly those who like to style themselves according to bygone fashion eras, but it’s also a welcome weapon in the fight against climate change. Vintage fully embraces circularity and helps to prevent clothing ending up in landfill, so while it isn’t necessarily reducing the amount of shopping we do or the amount of clothing produced, it does help to prevent items made from unsustainable materials being left to rot and break down into their tiny plastic parts.
And, with vintage shopping becoming available online – with some sites altering and updating items to make them more appropriate for today’s fashionistas – it seems to be a better, and more accessible, way to shop ethically.
Swap Shop
The idea of swapping your old clothes with someone else is a concept that a few startups have tapped into recently. But, whether you decide to use an app or website to swap your clothes or not, it is definitely a great way of preventing the fruitless purchasing of new items and breaking the endless purchasing cycle.
If you don’t fancy swapping your clothes with strangers, you can always utilize your social media to approach friends for swaps – the likelihood is that you will have a few friends wanting to clear out their wardrobes and wear something new, too. Why not give them the opportunity to own the dress they envied over just a couple of summers ago? Display your pieces in pictures and see if there’s anyone who fancies a change.
Individually, it seems impossible for us to make a difference regarding the impact of fashion on the world, but by embracing some of the changes we outline above, you can certainly help to do your part in minimizing the damage it causes.