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The Culture of ‘Wear-It-Once’
“Clothes mean nothing until someone lives in them.” Marc Jacobs Music festivals have become one of the biggest contributions to cultural life since the 1970s. With annual events, such as Glastonbury, Coachella and Burning Man, popular throughout the USA and UK, it has established an experience that people anticipate towards. A stage that they need to prepare for. People willingly invest in outfits that extend far beyond their daily wear, with the value of importance placed on these occasions. As a result, 350,000 tonnes of outfits end up in landfill every year, equating to the cost of £140 million in total. This increase the carbon footprint of the already eco-anxious…
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Festival Fashion: 5 Ways to Not Give a F***
It’s April 2021 and I can almost sense a faint whiff of “eau de toilet” flourishing from a rural portaloo. This can only mean one thing… festival season is fast approaching. But are you already panicking about what to wear? Are you currently saving images of flower-crowned females on Pinterest? Have you excessively browsed H&M? Well stop. I’ve been there so you don’t have to. I genuinely want you to have the most carefree, liberating, and human experience at a festival this year. Therefore, I am going to tell you why you should not give a flying f*** about what you wear. But first, some context… Let’s go back to…
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Circularity: The Fast Fix to Fast Fashion
Fast fashion has become a detriment to the eco-system of the planet. With new clothing being more accessible and cheaper than ever, we as the consumer need to change our apathy into action. How can the industry tailor to our new needs? Circularity. Every year in the U.K alone, Britons throw away an estimated 3.1 kilograms of textiles. This places us as the 4th highest textile waste producers in Europe (circular.co.uk). However, there is a possible solution to this; use of a Circular Economy. First things first what is a Circularity? It is based off the idea of a Circular Economy. It starts with the principles and ideas that, rather…
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Not All Heroes Wear Capes – Some Wear Thrifted
How thrifted clothing can counter the fashion industry’s growing problem I think it’s fair to say that the fashion industry has a problem with sustainability – and now is the time for a much-needed intervention. With environmental destruction and pollution being a part of our daily lives, there is a growing sense of collective responsibility to address this climate emergency. The damage as we know, has been a result of unsustainable practices, including the wide use of plastics, landfills, non-renewable energy, scarce resources, and more. This real threat to our environment, however, has been met with many encouraging interventions. Supermarkets have turned the tide on single-use plastic bags, eateries are…
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A Fashion Revolution is Coming (If You Want it)
Circular fashion has the potential to change the world. It’s a revolutionary method to maximize the life cycle of our clothes that challenges today’s unsustainable fast fashion market. If I told you that 62% of women in the UK bought clothing online in 2020 would you believe me? Well, probably. We were (and still are) stuck at home, the high streets are closed, and apparel has become a new symbol of hope: “I bought a dress for when the pubs open again!” and “I can’t wait to show off this outfit after lockdown.” Clothing is the light at the end of the tunnel for so many. Unfortunately, the reality where…
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Time to Reuse
Shopping renewably and locally has never been more important. Now more than ever, we are relying on fast fashion. I too, am guilty of ordering countless lockdown parcels – but it’s also now more than ever we should be looking for a more sustainable way of clothes shopping. A circular economy focuses on eliminating waste and reuses resources we already have. It is something that has benefited the fashion industry greatly in the past, and could further help now, and in the future. Already we are seeing a step in the right direction. My home city, Sheffield, has many reworked vintage shops, and brands are following suit. Urban Outfitters, established…
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To Buy or Not to Buy – the Concept of Circular Fashion
Over the recent years, the detrimental effect on the environment exerted by the fashion industry, overproduction of clothes, and, consequently, consumerism, has been commonly addressed in the media. For this reason, a community that is making new sustainable purchases on an ongoing basis without potentially threatening the environment deals with no guilt. It is even considered a manifesto of some sort or, in some cases, a sacrifice. What is this about? I am referring to a quite novel concept called circular fashion. “Circular fashion can be defined as clothes, shoes or accessories that are designed, sourced, produced and provided with the intention to be used and circulate responsibly and effectively…
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It’s time to throw out throw-away culture!
Arguably the principal issue facing society is climate change. Our environment is under threat with fast fashion and throw-away culture advancing the issue. One-use items are so commonplace nowadays. People’s go to when buying items are from the big brands; whose carbon footprints are jaw dropping. The fashion industry accounts for a whopping 10% of carbon emissions each year (IPCC). The waste produced by the industry places it just second to oil on the worst polluters. However, there are alternatives. Independent vintage sites and clothes are making a resurgence and seller sites like Depop are growing in popularity. Also, recycling clothes is one way to tackle the growing trend of…
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Sustainable fashion: The community you want to be a part of
2020 has been a chaotic year; politics has become so polarised, the world has gone into lockdown, and our climate is descending into madness. But in reality, this could be our future if we don’t act now. 2020 was the year to save our planet and to hold the big industries accountable. 2020 was the year to redeem ourselves, but the pandemic has diverted our gaze to the immediate threats we’re facing. It’s time to make our consumption sustainable. Climate crisis Environmental activists have been flooding the media with statements trying to draw the world’s attention to our planet’s cry for help. We are rapidly depleting our resources and most…
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The Horror Story of the Fashion World
Simply put, we are killing the planet. And one of the big contributors to this is the fashion industry. It is the third biggest pollutant on the planet and it continues to rip through our natural resources on a daily basis. We have the solution right under our noses, yet we still do nothing. We, as consumers, need to become more aware of the impact this industry is having. Our money is single-handedly funding our planet’s demise and the majority of us have no idea how. The life cycle of fashion The life cycle of your typical fashion garment is probably a bit of a mystery to most – other…
