New styles and must-haves come and go so fast it makes you wonder how companies keep up. We want everything to be fast these days, fast wi-fi, fast delivery. For the fashion industry, this can lead to some unethical practices. We see things everyday from manufacturing pollution to the mountains of waste in our landfills. Our love for fashion and all things fast may just be the main culprit to some key issues. This leads to a fork in the road, companies must choose between fast fashion and sustainable fashion.
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What is Fast Fashion?
Fast fashion is exactly what it sounds like. By definition, fast fashion is a process that takes high-end styles and mass produces them. This fast-production also drives the price down for consumers. Sounds great, right? Too good to be true? Unfortunately, fast fashion comes with a dark side. This mass production causes factory workers extreme stress and low wages. On top of that, we have massive amounts of pollution. Factory emissions not to mention the dumping of clothing that isn’t sold are just a few contributors to this pollution.
Where Do These Dead Trends Go?
These items start to pile up at garbage dumps. Heard of the “plastics” from the Mean Girls movie? Well that term may have a more relevant meaning in the world of fashion than you may think. Most of these fast fashion clothes are made of plastic materials. They may be more affordable, but how long do they last? What does that mean for our landfills?
A plastic or cheaper material means that you get less use out of it before it tears or fades. The ever turning trends don’t stop for clothes that are mass produced. When they don’t sell they go to the trash dump. When they tear or fade, we throw them away. It takes up to 200 years for these clothes to break down in our landfills. This clothing waste from fast fashion stays in our landfills stacking by the thousands. Believe it or not this comes at a huge cost! Around 10% of pollution and carbon emissions come from the fashion industry.
Sustainable fashion innovations create so many alternatives to the fast fashion boom. Why are we still supporting companies that are harming our planet and ourselves? Why are we not embracing the full potential of sustainable fashion?
The Fork in The Road
Every company has a choice. Sustainable fashion is a viable solution and a trend that I know we can all stand behind. Not all companies use fast fashion to keep up with the constant demands for the latest trends. The question is, would you pay more for quality and sustainability? Many consumers are making the switch.
Sustainable fashion is a term used to describe fashion that’s manufactured, designed, distributed, and used in environmentally friendly ways. What makes it sustainable is the use of biodegradable fabrics instead of the synthetic ones that are currently used such as nylon, polyester, and spandex. These materials that contain plastics and don’t last as long as many of their sustainable alternatives. Let’s look at these alternatives. I think you’ll agree their value is easy to measure.
Organic cotton
This is a biodegradable fabric that some companies already use. Organic cotton is naturally produced from plants, and as long as they aren’t genetically modified or grown with chemicals, it usually takes 1-5 months for the fabric to break down in landfills. This is especially environmentally friendly since once the cotton breaks down, it keeps the soil underneath it fertilized.
Hemp
Is the next biodegradable material on the list. Since hemp fibers naturally soften over time, they eventually will break down very easily. Hemp also comes from plants, which makes it environmentally sustainable. Hemp products have seen an increase in popularity once people learned about the sustainability of it. The clothes are super comfortable too!
Wool
Is a great material to use as it’s an easy process from harvesting the wool, to completion of a product. As long as toxic chemicals aren’t used on the wool, it’s easily biodegradable. It’ll also keep you nice and toasty for those chilly nights.
Oranges
Using orange fiber is popular in Italy. They use leftover waste from oranges and turn into fibers to then use for clothing. The entire process is sustainable. The fibers are biodegradable and the materials come from local or recycled waste products. It could be a possibility that this process can make its way to the U.S. scene. Orange you glad you learned about this fun alternative?
Linen
Is a plant-based fabric made from flax. It can be processed without the use of chemicals meaning it’s better for you and the environment. Linen is currently known as one of the most biodegradable fabrics in the fashion industry. This material also comes in a range of natural colors, meaning that there’s no need to add toxic dyes to this material. Those colors include ivory, ecru (a greyish yellow color), tan, and grey.
Abaca
Also known as the Manila hemp, it’s a very strong material that’s not harmful to the environment. Since abaca is so strong, any product made of abaca can last a person a long time. Meaning these pieces can be reused or re-gifted. Once the plant is stripped, pulped, and washed, it can then be made into fibers to use for clothing.
Lenzing Tencel
This is made from sustainably harvested wood materials. It requires less waste than cotton and it’s anti-bacterial. This material is also super breathable which makes it perfect for exercise clothes.
Jute
Jute is made from vegetable fibers and can be made into strong threads. It’s also one of the most affordable natural fibers, making it good for business, good for the environment, and good for your wallet.
Goat Silk
You heard that right. Silk harvested from goats. How is this possible, you may ask? Well, it starts with farmers gathering the silk gene found in spiders. Then they inject that gene into the goats. When the goats are milked, you can gather the silk from the milk. Don’t worry though, the goats have no other differences in their health or behavior.
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There are already several brands that use biodegradable material. They also work to inform the public what they’re doing to make their brand more sustainable. Fashion stylists are also becoming more aware of the environmental impact that comes from the industry.
“I frequently work with sustainable products. All of our fashion editorials and cover shoots for The Frontlash exclusively feature sustainable designers and the biggest challenge I face is editing which of the amazing designers I’ll use.”
Laura Jones, a fashion stylist and founder of the sustainable fashion magazine, The Frontlash said.
Jones also commented on the turning point in her life when she knew to make the switch. This was during a meeting with the founders of Amour Vert. She received a quick education on the impacts that the industry has on the environment and decided to be a part of the change.
Where Do I Find Sustainable Fashion Brands?
Listed below are just a few of the many brands that use sustainable materials in their clothing. More brands can be found through The Good trade.
Ethyc 4 Humanity
This brand truly believes in the message of making products that are great quality and made by people who are treated humanely while also being sustainable for the environment. They’re a member of the Global Organic Textile Standard(GOTS) which is a standard set that includes ecological and social criteria that are backed by independent certification of the entire textile supply chain. They are also certified by WBENC, which is the largest certifier of women-owned businesses in the U.S., as well as being a member of the Chicago Fair Trade. They also have masks that are breathable, and since they’re made from organic cotton and silk, people don’t have to worry about how the skin will react to the fabric. These masks come in a cute bag that can be reused for lots of purposes such as holding sunglasses, cosmetics, a phone, or a small wallet.
Boden
Is a London-based brand that is a part of the fair trade apparel and uses eco-friendly practices.
Patagonia
Is a brand that uses recycled materials and works with U.S. factories to reduce carbon emissions.
Levi’s
As an ethically produced brand, they use recycled denim as well as ethically sourced cotton.
Show Your Support for Sustainable Fashion
Big brands aren’t the only people who can make the change and support sustainable clothes to help out the environment. There are ways you can help.
- The first way that anyone can help is by supporting sustainable brands, like the ones listed above. Being able to make the switch can lead to more brands getting on board with using sustainable materials, once they see that their consumer base wants it. Also look for the Bluesign certification on products to know if safe dyes were used on the clothes.
- The second way is to support local shops and brands. Doing this will decrease the carbon emissions that come with shipping the products as well as the factories they’re made in.
- The third way is to repurpose old clothes. Finding new ways to reuse old clothing items is a good way to cut down on fast fashion by not immediately throwing out clothes once they are no longer trendy. Sewing to make new fashion pieces, or simply using worn down clothes as rags to clean with are some ways to reuse old clothes.
Through these ways, we can all do our part to help better the planet by eliminating waste and choosing to follow more sustainable practices. Put your favorite sustainable fashion brands in the comments!
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