Why sustainable fashion shouldn’t be just a trend
I have been finding more and more difficult for me to rationalize going to Forever 21 buy a $13 dress to never to be worn again after a night out. I even find it difficult to rationalize a thousand dollar purse or $500 belt or pair of shoes that I know was made from unethically sourced leather. Numerous times I purchased an item that will never fit into my regular wardrobe or the likelihood that the seam or stitching started falling apart from the first initial wear. I have always donated my clothes or made sure to recycle them or give them to friends who could find use in them, but not only is this wasteful of my time and money, but I had absolutely no understanding of the waste and stress that the clothing was straining on the environment. I realized that this “fast fashion” wasn’t just a trend started by brands like Forever 21 and Fashion Nova, this was a business decision by clothing companies – to make the clothing that we are buying less sustainable to not last consumers as long so we’re constantly in the buying and purging pattern with our wardrobe.
My first discovery of environmental impact
Last winter an article came out on Vox Media about large amount of plastic being found in our shellfish. Now this information was not necessarily new to me; however, I am a huge oyster and clam lover and this article was sent to me by several of my friends and family. We’ve all heard the saying going around that there will be “more plastic than fish in the ocean” in the coming years but I hadn’t thought about the idea of those plastics ending up in the fish we eat. When I continued to read the article (later watching the corresponding YouTube video) and within the first paragraph micro-plastics inside of a plankton from synthetic textiles. So, each time we do laundry, every time I re-washed clothing that I forgot about in my washing machine, I was apart of this problem. But washing our clothes isn’t something we can avoid? We are all smelly apes at the end of the day, so how does this article help anyone? How can we limit the amount of plastics ending up in the ocean from our clothing?
disclaimer: I am not an environmentalist
I want to make it clear that I’m not an environmentalist. Yes, I love animals (I even went vegetarian for almost a decade), yes I care about the global warming crisis; however, certain things to change my lifestyle are either economically or locally not possible for me to make certain changes that may be much easier for others to do. However, with that said I did want to experiment and see if someone like myself; in her 20’s who lives in a city, works in New York City, on a third floor walk up, and an inflexible schedule. What changes like someone like myself could I (realistically) make to be more conscious about my consumerism lifestyle?
clothing shopping is my nightmare
I’ve been working in a corporate setting since 2015 now, which now on top of the clothing I’m comfortable with wearing – which is normally a comic book t-shirt and a structured denim. But I had to double my wardrobe for clothing I’d wear to work, to the gym, clothes for at home, special occasions, and my regular wardrobe. And when the shirt I just purchased and all the buttons had fallen off and now I have to go buy a new shirt for work, is likely my least favorite thing to do.
In this experiment I wanted to have a better relationship with the idea of shopping and purchasing clothing, by getting items that I know I will like that is interchangeable between work and street wear and not struggling with my closet every morning cause there’s something missing from my wardrobe that I need. My lack of interest or poor relationship with clothes has always made me feel less “feminine” I could care less about what’s fashionable or what is cute until the occasion presented itself. I have always put a large amount of care into my hair, make up, and skin care products, but why not fashion?
Clothing shopping for women is all statement pieces with no basic cores, where could I find a long-lasting piece that would be interchangeable into multiple outfits and not just a one-off wear? I had to start researching brands, textiles, and other sources for sustainable fashion.
step one: thrifting
I’ve always loved thrifting maybe it’s just the idea or the concept, but I have always been a huge advocate for thrift stores. I love that thrifty smell and some of the unique items that you wouldn’t necessarily find in a big box stores. Without even knowing it I’ve been contributing to sustainable fashion by donating my clothes or recycling them, and for over a year I’ve been sending my clothes to ThredUp cause I couldn’t find any donations boxes local in Hoboken since they removed the one next to Trader Joe’s. So even if you don’t want to purchase pre-owned clothing. It is a really easy way to send your unwanted clothing in which will either be sold on their website for a commissary, donated, or recycled. If you have no where for your unwanted clothing I highly suggest doing this. They accept everything from women’s, children, accessories, and shoes. And they’ve accepted many brands including a Spencer’s gift t-shit with a hula-dancing skeleton on it.
They unfortunately do not accept Men’s clothing; however, I have snuck some Urban Outfitters BDG shirts in my donation bag and they were accepted by ThredUP’s commissary.
Step two: brand research
Once I find a brand I love, I will purchase their product until the day I die or they go out of business, either way I am very brand loyal. But, when it came to clothing I never had that relationship with any brand – since I’ve never been very passionate about fashion in the first place. I was essentially starting with a complete blank canvas and here are my discoveries. I also did my best finding the cheapest options as well as any discount affiliate links to save anyone money who wants to try any of these brands.
Eileen Fisher
Even if you don’t read the rest of this list Eileen Fisher needed to be spoken about. She’s expensive, and way more money than I would normally ever spend on any clothing item, but Eileen Fisher definitely in my opinion one of the leading brands in sustainable fashion. They aim not only to make their clothing last you, but sustainable materials like tencel fabrics and recycled cashmere! Their brand has also built their identity that they will take back any of their clothing items to be resold or resewn into new pieces. Shop the renew collection below and get an Eileen Fisher piece for a fraction of the price!
“At EILEEN FISHER, we design clothes to last. And when you're done with them, we take them back to be worn, and loved, all over again. Because making clothes is a lifetime commitment.”
Eileen Fisher Jumpsuit
Doc Marten’s
I really was surprised to learn that a brand that makes high-quality leather boots has taken multiple step to be sustainable and an ethical company. When I started working in the city I quickly learned I needed a good boot that would take me through rain and snow (even if the Doc Marten employee didn’t suggest getting these boots wet) they honestly can take a good punishing. All I needed or cared about was they were cute, comfortable, and kept my feet dry.
I will acknowledge now that I do understand that leather in itself is not a sustainable resource; however, neither is “vegan leather” since it is mostly plastic and likely not made from recycled plastic either since the process of doing that can be very expensive.
Doc Marten’s do have an animal derived material policy, which excludes harvesting leather from alligators or endangered species as well as environmental efforts that include their packaging being 100% recycled materials, LED low energy and motion sensor lighting in their storefronts, and harvesting rainwater for their restrooms and sprinkler systems for their distributions centers.
Shoes I will say unless being thrifted are one of the most difficult clothing purchases you can make when trying to be sustainable. And even through there is no such thing as a 100% sustainable shoe, I’d prefer to make my purchase with a company that is trying to make economical and ethical changes for the better.
Sorry, no discounts or affiliates, but I would definitely suggest giving their social responsibility statements a read.
The Girlfriend Collective
Not only is this another brand that will take your unwanted clothes back to recycle or reuse, but they are reasonably priced when it comes to athletic wear. It was a standard staple for many girls in my high school to wear Victoria secret yoga pants and sports bras and the girlfriend collective not only equivilates the structure and comfortability, but matches within the same price point. The girlfriend collective not only uses recycled materials like fishnets but claim that their leggings contain 25 recycled post-consumer plastic bottles and their bras are made from 11.
But even though their clothing is made from recycled plastic this won’t eliminate the result of microfibers getting into our oceans after each wash. The girlfriend collective do offer a filter for your washing machine or make some basic recommendations like washing your leggings in a washing machine bags to filter out the fibers getting into the water. Unfortunately if you’re like me who lives in a city without her own washing machine and I cannot exactly change out the filter of every laundromat. It does feel good knowing that the clothing purchased from The Girlfriend Collective was made from primarily recycled materials down to their packaging.
These are just a few of the brands I have tried so far when adding sustainable clothing into my wardrobe. I intend on creating a list of any items I will/plan to buy in the future.
step three: sustainability as a marketing ploy
I was unfortunately tricked during my research by a brand I can honestly say that I really love and enjoy – H&M. They are considered a “fast fashion brand” and I’ve definitely gotten some clothing items from them that have fallen apart after the first wash and made it straight into my rags pile. But, in 2010 long before I even considered sustainable fashion they launch an H&M Conscious Collection. Recently, I had to grab a new sweater quickly and saw the label “Conscious” on the sweater neck, thought nothing of it and took it home. It made me extremely excited to think that a brand as accessible as H&M would try to make sustainable or ethically sourced clothing, even if it was only a fraction of their line.
Since there is no regulations as to what a company can label as, “sustainable” there are many frauds in the market. Now I’m not completely stating that H&Ms conscious collection isn’t in anyway sustainable, but since there doesn’t appear to be any information as to how or where their resources are sourced from. H&M hasn’t had any transparency with their consumers. I do hope that H&M intends on expanding on their efforts for sustainability, since I still intend on buying their clothing. In a corporate setting it is very convenient to freshen up my wardrobe with pieces that they offer in an affordable way.
What i’ve learned
For myself based on where I live and my clothing needs 100% sustainability isn’t possible. There are many factors as the type of clothing I need and the cost that it takes to be sustainable. It becomes very expensive very quickly as well as time consuming researching and finding the right pieces to fit your specific style and needs. If I could be a baggy boho Hoboken girl 24/7 it would be possible, but unfortunately I cannot rationalize going into a meeting with a hodgepodge mix of clothing that I thrifted from ThredUp (I can surely try!). I do believe though where we spend our money to what brands or companies speaks volumes to these companies. I do intend on continuing to make more conscious purchases going forward and really love the brands I’ve discovered that are making an effort to make change.