By Florentina Mirela Cercel and Olivia Snaith-Cairns
The movement of sustainable fashion is now on the rise, expanding the level of support needed to make the planet much more eco-friendly.
The Sustainable Fashion Collective, which provides “holistic guidance and expert advice for aspiring ethical fashion entrepreneurs”, explained that the “environmental debate in fashion hasn’t emerged overnight”. It says that it is an event in the making, dating from the 2010’s, that led to today’s changes in fashion sustainability.
From Alexander McQueen to Zara, many different fashion brands are making their clothing more and more sustainable. In 2013, H&M became the first clothing brand to launch a ‘global garment collection initiative’, giving customers the opportunity to hand in any unwanted clothes to any H&M stores.
Fashion brand Veja developed the new material ‘B-mesh’, made entirely from recycled bottles that have been picked up from the streets. According to Veja, on average it takes three plastic bottles to transform into a pair of sneakers.
Veja explained that they “chose to create sneakers, because they are a symbolic product of our generation and our time”. It is also a product which “crystallizes the challenges of globalization through its production, distribution and use”.
“It is light, breathable and waterproof,” said Veja.
Another step in the right direction involves the international French-British fashion publication, Marie Claire, which partnered up with Vanish and Garnier to launch its first Sustainability Festival, taking place virtually, on the 27th of March 2021. The Festival challenges everyone to join in the conversation, with a lot of leading voices and brands within the global sustainability movement.
Experts in sustainability such as Adrien Koskas (Garnier Global Brand President), Barbeline (Designer, Barbeline), Ayah Alfawaris (Energy Policy Manager and One Young Ambassador) and many more will share tips and tricks on how to live all of your aspects of your lives more sustainably focusing on fashion and beauty choices, starting from the comfort of your home.
‘Covid and Me: Do We Still Care What We Wear?’ was an event held by London Metropolitan University last night. During the event, guest panellists expressed their thoughts about sustainable fashion, answering questions from London Metropolitan students.
The Industry’s Editor-in-Chief, Lauretta Roberts said: “Fashion is about expressing yourself, but fashion needs to be more exciting than loungewear; we need a bit more variety.”
“People will run to the shops after lockdown, but shops need to do something interesting to keep them coming back,” said Roberts.
“Ethical is about the way things are made, while sustainable is usually focusing on the materials.”, says Sabinna Rachimova, founder of fashion brand Sabinna. “The demands will change in fashion; the way we approach shopping will change.”
“A sustainable brand is one that keeps educating itself and understands that new solutions are always becoming available […] It was a no-brainer for me that I wanted to create a sustainable brand,” she says.
Rachimova also added: “But just because something is locally made doesn’t mean it’s ethically made […] Ethical is about the way things are made, while sustainable is usually focusing on the materials.”
How can you make more sustainable choices from the comfort of your home?
- Go paperless
- Save energy
- Recycle and reuse your items
- Switch to eco-friendly products
- Support and wear more sustainable clothing
- Donate preloved and unused items
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