Fashion sustainability in Holloway: top ways to be sustainable

By Jade Lennon

With fast fashion on the rise, many are moving towards obtaining clothes while being sustainably ethical.

Fast fashion brands are often characterised by an incredibly quick turnaround of design, (cheap) production and marketing, encouraging a throw-away consumption model that often relies on environmental damage and unsafe and unsavoury labour practices.

Let’s take a dive into the best ways to be sustainably conscious when sourcing clothes.

Second-Hand Shopping

Second-hand shopping is one the rise, especially among young people, with research from Triad showing that over 80% of young people (18-34 yrs) have shown a strong passion for wearing pre-loved clothing.

With online shopping being very popular among the younger generation, apps like vinted and Depop have created an environment where you don’t even need to leave your house to source second-hand clothing. Second-hand shopping is a cheap and affordable way to start your sustainable journey.

Zalan Horataogullari, an Aviation Management student at London Metropolitan University, gives her old clothes to charities. With an estimated 300,00 tonnes of clothing being thrown away by households, donating to second hand shops is the perfect way to declutter your wardrobe while being sustainable as it helps to combat landfill while helping charities to raise money for important causes.

Upcycling

Upcycling is a great way to reduce waste while unleashing your inner creativity. Instead of buying new clothes, upcycling prevents overconsumption and cuts down on water usage.

But what is upcycling? According to Habitat for Humanity, this is the act of taking something no longer in use and giving it a second life and new function.

Research from the UN environment programme shows a shocking estimate of 3,000-4,000 litres of water is used to produce just one pair of jeans, with the least efficient process using 10,000 litres of water.

Upcycling would cut down this number indefinitely, encouraging people to be more conscious. Investing in good quality clothes goes hand in hand with upcycling as you’re less likely to have to buy more if you’re clothes are good quality.

30Wear Challenge

Think to yourself before buying, how many times will I wear this item? This is the 30Wear challenge. If you don’t see yourself wearing the item 30 times, then it should not be in your wardrobe.

And higher quality items aren’t always expensive.

Horataogullari explained how she tries her hardest to avoid fast fashion clothing brands, opting for alternatives that have the versatile items that she’s looking for, compared to the past where focused on following trends.

She encourages people that want to be sustainable to “try it once”, and to always look at the different materials used to make the pieces.

“Fast fashion is the second-biggest consumer of water and responsible for about 10% of global carbon emissions – more than all international flights and maritime shipping combined,” Earth.Org says.

“Unfortunately, the industry’s problems are often overlooked by consumers.”