Sustainable Fashion: Repurposing for a Greener Future
Sustainable Fashion: Repurposing for a Greener Future
78% of Millennials look to shop sustainably! The time for change is now.
A growing industry, worth over 6.5 billion dollars that prioritises the future. Sustainable fashion is here for battle. Fast Fashion prioritises rapid production and consumption of low-cost clothing to meet the constantly changing trends of the fashion industry.
Sustainability allows us to meet the needs of the present without damaging possibilities in the future. However, fast fashion is integrated into Western culture and all around the world, it is fuelled through social and mainstream media by celebrities, actors, and the general public.
Sustainable fashion promotes the reusing and repurposing of products rather than throwing them away. It's all about reducing waste, promoting fair wages, safe working conditions and equal opportunities for workers in the production change.’ – Nathan Dana
The production process of fast fashion items requires the use of vast quantities of natural resources such as water and other raw materials. The industry often violates human rights by exploiting cheap labour in developing countries, production and transportation generate vast amounts of greenhouse gas emissions which contribute to climate change. There is a further tendency to dispose of fast fashion items after only a few or one wear. This textile waste in turn leads to further environmental pollution as they often end up in landfills. This tendency has arisen with certain celebrities connecting this gesture to wealth.
Clifford Joseph Harris Jr, better known by his stage name T.I. took to Instagram in January 2019 and posted a picture of seven pairs of white Nike Air Force 1’s, captioning the post “1 wear & outta there”. The American rapper holds a net worth of over 50 million dollars and prefers to wear his shoes only once. Sustainable fashion advocates for recycling and reusing items, purchasing clothes second-hand, and purchasing them when you have a necessity for it.
Sustainable fashion is vital for the future of Earth, the global production of waste is expected to rise to 3.4 billion metric tonnes by 2050. Sustainable brands like Patagonia look to reduce waste generation by producing higher quality items that last for longer. These brands tend to copy seasonal fashion trends so there is no need to worry that you won’t be looking classy next summer. Sustainable clothing brands use biodegradable components in their clothing making them easier to dismantle for repurposing and recycling. These materials grow without pesticide or fertiliser use. They consume less energy and water, reducing the overall carbon footprint.
Sustainable fashion is not only eco-friendly and green there are vegan and cruelty-free aspects that fall under sustainable fashion. This refers to the manufacturing of products without the use of materials of animal origin or obtained without any cruel means. The industry most commonly uses organic cotton, hemp, mushroom leather, and kelp leather as the natural fibres needed to produce sustainable clothing.
Upcycling is a trend in Sustainable fashion that has attracted celebrities as they look to repurpose textiles and materials.
Other trends include Circular fashion which pertains to manufacturing strategies that aim to repurpose wasted materials through closed-loop processes. Various types of circular fashion innovations exist, but the most prevalent one involves recycling polyester and other plastic-based materials for use in the fashion industry.
Sustainable fashion is also about fair wages and a healthy working environment. Fast fashion companies, which produce low-cost clothes and regularly release numerous collections each year, mostly rely on sourcing their products from developing countries. The workers employed in these locations are often paid extremely low wages that are not sufficient to support a decent standard of living. Furthermore, they work under hazardous conditions for long hours without receiving proper safety measures or equipment. This type of environment puts immense pressure on the manufacturers to churn out more and more clothes at an alarming rate that contributes directly towards exploiting the labour force.
‘I think our generation are looking to shop more sustainably’ - Jacob
Major companies promote sustainability and recycling however, they use this as more of a façade ‘customers want companies to be transparent about their supply chains and manufacturing processes’. – Nathan Dana. Greenwashing is a problem in the fashion industry as companies look to make a profit off “trends”. Brands like ZARA offer around 24 clothing lines a year. eCommerce sites like Shein sell tops for $7, dresses for $12 and $17 for jeans. This makes ZARA seem expensive and slow but in reality, they have two new lines of clothing every month.
Greenwashing is a type of deceptive marketing technique that aims to persuade the public that certain brands' products, objectives, and policies are environmentally sustainable. In the fashion industry, this practice often takes shape through fraudulent certifications designed to boost consumer and retailer confidence in a particular brand's eco-friendliness. It is important for consumers to be vigilant when evaluating such claims as it may only take one organic cotton t-shirt for a company to earn an environmental certification, which can ultimately mislead shoppers into thinking they are making more responsible choices than they actually are.
To resolve the throwaway culture and fast fashion crisis, sustainable fashion must be embraced by both industry players and consumers alike. This involves a shift towards more environmentally conscious production methods, such as using organic and recycled materials, reducing waste throughout the supply chain, and implementing ethical labour practices. Consumers must also commit to purchasing fashion items that are designed to last and can be used over a long period, rather than opting for disposable fast fashion items.