Sustainable Fashion: Why, What and How…
Words by Dhivyaa Chelvan
Here’s the trillion-dollar question, literally! Should we care about sustainability in fashion?? Yes, and if you have any second thoughts about it…please don’t. And here are my reasons as to why...
Now, we millennials do care a lot about transparency, waste reduction and often even build a culture around sustainability, but do we walk the talk when it comes to fashion? The truth is, only less than 37% actually consume sustainable fashion. Why this gap? First, there are no sufficient choices and second, they are expensive mainly because of the low production scale and less consumption.
But if we could change that, if we think about the environmental and social impact of these fast fashion, if we can demand our brands for sustainability, and if we could consume consciously, and shop from sustainable brands, I’m sure we can wear our clothes with much more love.
Well, that’s what I hope to bring to you through this blog- avenue-de, which will feature slow fashion and sustainable brands from around the globe and provide an opportunity for conscious consumers to shop in a sustainable way.
- Fashion is the world’s second largest polluting $3 trillion global industry (next to big oil). Read here for facts.
- The fundamental point of fashion is self-expression and to help us feel comfortable and confident in our skin, and really to be ‘ourselves’. But think about how many of our wardrobe choices do that, and how many just take up space in our wardrobe and drawers? The fast fashion has an enormous impact not only on the environment but also a huge negative impact on fashion industry workers all over the world.
Now, we millennials do care a lot about transparency, waste reduction and often even build a culture around sustainability, but do we walk the talk when it comes to fashion? The truth is, only less than 37% actually consume sustainable fashion. Why this gap? First, there are no sufficient choices and second, they are expensive mainly because of the low production scale and less consumption.
But if we could change that, if we think about the environmental and social impact of these fast fashion, if we can demand our brands for sustainability, and if we could consume consciously, and shop from sustainable brands, I’m sure we can wear our clothes with much more love.
Well, that’s what I hope to bring to you through this blog- avenue-de, which will feature slow fashion and sustainable brands from around the globe and provide an opportunity for conscious consumers to shop in a sustainable way.
What is Sustainability in Fashion?
I’m not going to give you a complicated lecture about sustainability, because I keep reminding myself of those years in architecture, the buzzwords like sustainability, green, eco-friendly were thrown around like a candy and it never really made sense to me- so I made a little effort to understand it further and challenged myself to explain it in the simplest way possible.
First of all, sustainability is not a trend. A truly sustainable fashion needs to balance between the people, planet and the economy. That is,
- They must respect the rights of workers and accommodate the community’s needs.
- They must produce products while minimizing the extraction of non-renewable resources.
- A truly sustainable fashion needs to be affordable to consumers, as well as profitable to business.
Our Role as Consumers
We consumers play a huge role in sustainable fashion too, in fact a major part. We are so used to the fast fashion prices, and the low scale of production of sustainable fashion makes them expensive (that’s, demand vs supply). So, how can we consume in a sustainable way?
- Don’t shop on impulse
- Recycle/ Upcycle your old clothing
- Start with a capsule wardrobe
- Buy new clothing only from sustainable brands
- Slow down your shopping cycle
- Ask your favourite brand, #whomademyclothes, and ask them to be transparent about their impact on people and planet.
If you decide to take on the road to sustainable fashion, you are not alone! At every step, I commit to help you stroll through this path with ease. If you have questions or comments, feel free to email me at dhivyaa.avenuede@gmail.com.
Brace yourself and let's get started!