How to make sustainable fashion choices now

Sustainable fashion is not only about investing in premium clothing or selecting wardrobe pieces that have longevity, it also highlights a resistance against wasteful practices in fast fashion and an awareness of the clothing industry as a whole.

As mentioned in a previous blog called Shifting Mindsets - Cultivating More Educated Consumers, Dr Reiner Hengtsmann highlights the great disparity between the Great North and the Great South in terms of textiles. Asian textile workers are expected to mass-produce clothing for little financial gain simply because it's the difference between having a job and not.

This is a societal issue that outweighs and disregards the benefit in creating garments with a longer lifespan and higher quality. Issues such as basic living needs and ways to feed their families eliminate painstakingly created premium clothing.

The difference between Sustainable Fashion and Fast Fashion

Fast fashion is exactly that, mass-produced clothing that is quick to make (the quicker, the better) and includes a greater profit yield. Fast fashion is focused on trend-specific clothing that goes “out of style” each season and as a result, has a reputation for being wasteful.

Sustainable fashion focuses on timeless items of clothing that have an infinite lifespan. By wearing clothing that does not have a trend specific focus, items of clothing can be worn no matter the fashion season. Sustainable fashion is instead focused on high quality materials with style that is not tied to ‘the trend of the season’.

This may result in a higher price tag at the end of the day however it does make one think about the amount of clothing it potentially saves a person buying in the future.

Emma Watson, a stringent eco-ambassador, said, "Every new item of clothing made has a substantial carbon footprint attached to its manufacturing, but the amount of new energy needed to produce vintage clothing is zero.” The same can be said for sustainable fashion garments. Selecting clothing that has a lifetime tag means they never go out of style and eliminates the need to replace frequently.

Watson went on to say that sustainable fashion choices would help in “reducing a global footprint that includes the 132m metric tonnes of coal used yearly through the production of new fibres, dyeing and bleaching of garments and the 6-9 trillion litres of water used by the industry."

Did you know that over 1.3 trillion gallons of water is used every year to dye fabric used for clothing? That’s more water than a human can drink in over 3 decades.

The average consumer is also buying 60% more clothing compared to 2000 but keeping the garment for half as long. This can be attributed to fast-changing trends and low prices which allows increased consumption.

How to make sustainable fashion choices

The 30 wears test

Eco Age is a company that certifies all kinds of brands for their sustainability efforts. Their #30Wears campaign centred around clearing your closet or sparing your closet for future purchases by only buying clothing that would pass the ‘30 wears or more’ test.

This encourages you to only select clothing that you know you'll wear frequently and consistently.

Livia Firth, founder of Eco Age provides more insight, "The biggest message is every time you buy something, always think, 'Will I wear it a minimum of 30 times?' If the answer is yes, then buy it. But you'd be surprised how many times you say no."

Donate and eliminate need

You may have heard of the ‘one-in, one-out’ cupboard mantra. Start by donating all clothing that simply hangs in your wardrobe and does not pass the 30 Wears test. This is a sustainable fashion choice because it gives new life to clothing that is already in existence.

By donating your clothing to others, you eliminate someone else’s need to frequently purchase fast fashion. It also allows them to invest in sustainable fashion that they perhaps previously could not afford. This can reduce our carbon footprint dramatically with newer garments no longer needed as frequently.

Invest in quality in multiple ways

As mentioned above, by changing your mindset when shopping, you can purchase clothing that you know will suit a variety of seasons and occasions. Sustainable clothing is crafted for multi-use which means you can style it up, style it down, accessorise and still look ‘high fashion’ due to its superior craftsmanship.

It is also commonly found that sustainable clothing material has a significantly superior material quality which means it can also be sold on and you are contributing to the circular nature of sustainable fashion. Who knew an eco-warrior could start with the very clothes on your back.