Sustainable Fashion Is The New Trend And It’s Here To Stay
Fast fashion is an easy option for consumers because its fast and affordable. The downside being, it only lasts for a season as it tatters and rips after a few wears. Today it is estimated that the average American will discard roughly 81 pounds of clothing every year, which results in 3.8 billion pounds of post-consumer textile waste landing in landfills.
Affordable Sustainable Brands And Where Can You Find Them
Ranging from the category of clothes and where it can be purchased from, here we have a couple of brands that make shopping an ethical, sustainable and affordable experience.
1. People Tree
Based in London, People Tree is known as a pioneer in the fair-trade clothing industry. For more than 25 years, they have partnered with fair trade clothing producers to make ethical clothing. Their products are created using organic cotton and eco-friendly materials. They offer a variety of clothes from shoes, to dresses, to activewear and basics.
2. Know The Origin
Also based out of London, Know The Origin is all about full transparency from farm to clothing. They use organic and fair-trade cotton from two farmer-run cooperatives in India where 18% of our world’s cotton is grown. They can be one of your favorite go-to brands for basic shirts and intimates. They also make men’s clothing and a variety of graphic tees as well.
3. Everlane
Based out of San Francisco, Everlane’s ethically made clothing and affordable basics come with a twist, whether it’s a little flair in an A-line dress or box-cut tees in stunning colors. Easy to dress up or dress down, they sell both men and women’s apparel along with women’s shoes; their Day Heels are known to be some of the comfiest pumps around.
4. The Summer House
Based out of Bangalore, The Summer House designs and retails responsibly made clothing and wares for mindful living. All of their fabrics come from an environment that doesn’t abuse the earth and all of their clothing is made in their own production studio. From homewares, to basics, to swimwear to work-wear outfits, they’ve got a whole lot to offer at affordable price points.
5. Doodlage
Based out of New Delhi, Doodlage creates all pieces from the leftover and discarded fabrics by huge manufacturers, instead of letting them expire in a landfill. It is the brand’s mission to generate zero-waste. They have a variety of products, from dresses to shirts for both men and women.
Care Instructions For A Sustainable Wardrobe
An important part in creating a sustainable wardrobe is how and where you buy your clothes. The other would be caring for these clothes. Here we have a few care instructions for every fabric type to make your clothes last longer, giving your closet longevity.
Cotton/Linen: Cold wash, Separate colours, Machine wash on normal cycle, or hand wash; Hang Dry; For Linen — Iron when damp, For Cotton — Iron on hot or steam.
Silk: Cold wash, Separate colours, Gentle hand wash; Do not wring, Reshape and hang dry; Iron on low, Iron inside-out; Don’t use dryer, Don’t use bleach.
Khadi: Cold wash, Separate colours, Machine wash in a mesh bag on delicate cycle, Or gentle hand wash; Do not wring, Hang dry; Steam iron, Choose iron temperature according to the fiber; Don’t use bleach.
Celebrities Supporting Sustainable Fashion
The latest buzz in the fashion industry is fair-trade, sustainable and environment-friendly products thanks to many celebs who are bringing attention to these issues ensuring that sustainable fashion, the new trend is here to stay. Take a look at who all are promoting and supporting the sustainable movement:
1. Emma Watson
Emma Watson is also a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador, promoting fair trade and ethical standards in fashion closely aligned to her personal values. Back in 2010, she launched her Feel Good Style site dedicated to sustainable fashion and natural beauty helping the British fair-trade brand- People Tree create three collections consisting of organic and fair trade clothing.
2. Olivia Wilde
Olivia Wilde is all about ethical fashion. On what sustainable fashion means to her, Wilde says, “It means that ethical decisions are taken at every stage of production. Garments are made from more sustainable fabrics, whether that means they are recycled from organically grown fibers or made from more sustainable materials such as tencel, an extract of cellulose found in wood pulp. There are wider issues too, such as the rights and welfare of the workers who make the clothing and the way the garments are transported around the planet.”
3. Gwyneth Paltrow
Actress and lifestyle guru, Paltrow is taking a stand for environment-friendly fashion. Paltrow’s company Goop has partnered up with Amour Vert to create an eco-fashion line of shirts that are made from organic fabrics, silk dyed and printed with low impact dyes. The shirts also promote sustainable practices with one tree to be planted in the Tahoe National Forest for every shirt sold. She has also collaborated with many fashion figures including Stella McCartney and Ecoalf to create other eco-friendly fashion lines.
4. Jessica Alba
Jessica is also the CEO and founder of Honest, valued at over $1 billion in 2014 and only continuing to grow.They sell organic and ethically made personal care products, and have recently moved into beauty products.
5. Miranda Kerr
In 2009, Miranda launched her beauty brand, Kora Organics. Miranda believes in creating health and beauty on the inside and out. She is a fan of home cooking and living life as purely with zero impact on the environment.
Styling Your Everyday Wear With Sustainable Clothing
When it comes to styling sustainable clothing, the lesser clothes you have in your wardrobe the better. Your sustainable wardrobe should only consist of your everyday essentials, timeless pieces that never go out of style, versatile workwear options and a few looks from luxe brands.
It’s easy to style sustainable buys with what you already have in your wardrobe since almost anything looks good and pairs well with it. But what you mainly need to keep in mind is that sustainable clothing is mostly associated with giving you the maximum amount of comfort and ease because of the fabrics used, so make sure you pair your cotton/linen pants with a clean & crisp button-down from your closet.
Lately, with more and more sustainable brands popping up, you can now have a head-to-toe sustainable ensemble entirely curated for you, from custom designing, to sizing and detailing. Styling your basics aren’t that difficult but if you do need a bit more help with styling your timeless basics, head over to our blog .
From the IKF desk
Sustainable fashion is the new trend and it is here to stay for sure. With fast fashion now slowly moving out of the picture, sustainable clothing is being paid keen attention to and is playing a major role in saving our socio-economic and environmental crisis one step at a time. We hope This blog helps you and encourages you to do your bit towards sustainability.
Originally published at https://iknockfashion.com on July 19, 2019.
