Sustainable fashion is a trend that flooded the fashion industry in the last few years. This is what many people think but actually, sustainable fashion is way beyond a trend in 2023.
This becomes a business duty for the companies which are part of the fashion industry. Many worldwide clothing brands change their business ethic and concept towards increasing the impact of sustainable fashion.
These changes didn’t happen from today to tomorrow. The fashion brands run several surveys and research and the data that was collect help them to make this move.
According to a survey around 35% of U.S. buyers of clothes are fine with the idea of paying more and receiving more eco-friendly goods. This information is one of the main reasons why many companies are moving from fast-fashion concepts to more sustainable-produced clothes.
Reducing the environmental impact of the fast-fashion is a task that many people are recognizing as their goal. In this list, you can also see many famous people who find meaning in buying fewer clothes that they will use for a longer time.
What does sustainable fashion include
Sustainable fashion is not only buying eco-friendly clothes. This is an all-inclusive process that starts with producing fewer clothes and using fewer natural resources.
Besides this process, there are many other aspects part of sustainable fashion such as creating a carbon-neutral fashion sector where everyone is equal, there is social justice, animal welfare, and ecological integrity.
Sounds pretty complex and difficult to achieve, but there are many good examples of fashion brands that follow all the parts of fashion sustainability. Sustainable fashion involves using eco-friendly materials to make clothes and knowing their origins.
One very interesting goal of sustainable fashion is improving the healthy work environment. As many clothes are produced as many people work. As you probably know the clothes, we wear every day are produced in Asian countries by underage workers for poor pay.
Decreasing the use of that kind of clothes will also lower the demand for them. This might show the need of improving the work environment in order for processing less but more quality clothes.
What are the top brands for sustainable fashion
Any brand has values. Sustainability is a trend among the values of fashion brands. Even though almost every company claims about their programs for increasing sustainability most of these are just words.
However, there are some brands that are great examples of how to implement the value of sustainable fashion and to create the concept around this.
Let’s start with Patagonia. This is a worldwide fashion brand inspired by nature. The brand is one of the earliest defenders of environmental ethics in the fashion industry. Patagonia is one of the first brands that use recycled materials and organic cotton.
Pact is another fashion company that finds meaning in the mission of achieving sustainability in the fashion industry. The company creates simple clothes made with high-quality eco-friendly materials which give the feeling of silk touch.
The last brand we will have a look at is the Reformation. The company offers clothes that will be up to date long ago after their launch. Reformation also takes into its hands the fight for fair wages and a safe work environment.
Tips for how to avoid fast fashion and enhance the sustainable one
Because of the trend or because of ethical reasons many people turn to sustainable fashion. Besides buying clothes, accessories, and shoes from eco-friendly brands there are other ways to give your contribution to increasing the impact of the sustainable fashion.
Go for second-hand shops
Second-hand shops are full of fashion finds that are ready for a second life. Buying secondhand clothing is an excellent way to reduce your environmental impact. The reputation of these shops has changed a lot last few years and now they are the hubs of many sustainable fashion followers.
Give clothes to charity
We all have many boxes full of clothes we will never wear again for one or another reason. Instead of keeping them, you can do two impactful things when you give them to charity. First, you will make happy someone who can’t afford to buy new clothes and second, you will contribute to reducing the environmental impact of producing new clothes.
Invest in high-quality pieces
The quality comes with a price. If you want to be part of the impact of more sustainable fashion, be ready to pay more for the clothes you buy. Well, this comes with advantages like better quality of the pieces you buy and longer time of usage.
Repair and upcycle
If you have some skill or you just like to create new things repairing and upcycling could be a great hobby and sustainable fashion practice at the same time. There are a few ideas on how to start – you can transform old t-shirts into tote bags or turn old jeans into shorts.