Not to miss the pun, it's worth saying that sustainable fashion is not a fad. The concept of recycling clothes and giving them a long life is an old one, but it has come back to the fore due to the changes in thinking we are experiencing today.
With the increase in consumption and industrialization, mass production made everything disposable and short-lived. Clothes used to be durable goods, but with fast fashion you buy a blouse just for one event and never wear it again. This ends up generating a bigger accumulation of garbage and parts with no destination out there.
For you to have an idea, a survey carried out by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation revealed that more than two thousand kilos of clothes are wasted per second in the world. Shocked? So hold on to this data: 2.700 liters of water is the amount needed to produce a single cotton shirt.
In order not to be part of this scenario, many people have turned to conscious consumption and sustainable fashion. The idea of buying clothes from thrift stores online, for example, making the cycle of some clothes longer, makes you less dependent on mass production.
If you're researching this now it's because you're finally awake! From English, the term means waking up and is widely used in social issues to symbolize lucidity on a subject.
Step by step to adopt sustainable fashion
If you're convinced you need to live on less, but have no idea where to start, we can help. Adopting sustainable fashion has to do with small habit changes. So let's list below some attitudes you should have to be more aware:
- Stop abusing fast fashion: do not buy clothes for the sake of buying or because they are on sale. Desire the piece and date it until you're sure you're actually going to wear it. Always experiment to avoid deceit and waste. Also, try to buy good quality clothes. Poor quality parts last less and often go through the worst production processes.
- Take care of the clothes you already have: clothing is very durable yes! Those who care know that a pair of jeans can last for years. Wash your clothes respecting the label, in fact, wash clothes of the same type and color together to avoid damage and stains. Store clothes in good condition, neatly folded or hung.
- Learn to sew: repairing older clothes can help the planet in two ways. If you know how to sew, you will reduce the number of clothes that go to waste and reuse used pieces and fabrics in new creations. If you don't know, you can help generate income for seamstresses with small businesses. But trust us, having a cutting and sewing kit at home to press buttons and make small repairs already saves you money!
- Bet on thrift stores: Nowadays, buying clothes at thrift stores is a political act. Not to mention that you can find vintage and retro pieces to complete that stylish look.
- Make exchange market: Do you have friends who wear the same size? Invite them to a swap market. You gather the clothes you no longer want and exchange them with each other.
- Donate clothes that won't sell: you know those pieces that you don't have to give or sell? Donate to associations or sweater campaigns. Donate even if the piece is not in its best condition. Many institutions repair these clothes before handing them over to those most in need.
- Sheets, towels and other fabrics: don't throw it away! These fabrics can be transformed into clothes and beds for street animals, in linings for comforters and other things (use your imagination).
- Share this text: help others to become informed about the subject. It is through communication that we can improve the world and avoid waste.
How to make the change?
First, the change needs to come from each one. Forcing someone to alter their ways of life is not the best way to wake them up to the reality around them. The awareness that you are part of this industrial logic is the most important step. Change begins when we realize that we can be better!
Decreasing purchases is one factor, but not the only one. Sustainable fashion is about treating your clothes with love and care. Fixing the pieces and giving them new uses is also respecting nature. With this you avoid waste and even learn to create different pieces for your wardrobe.
What can we learn?
It may not seem like it, but the fashion industry is one of the most polluting and harmful in the world today. Ever notice how most labels on your clothes say “Made in China”? Well, that means that these pieces were made by people working in a semi-slavery regime, earning pennies per hour.
In addition, the mass production of clothing for large fashion corporations uses natural resources, such as water, for example. Millions of liters are wasted so you can have a tank top or even stylish panties. But calm down, you don't have to panic and never buy anything again. The secret is to learn how we can gradually reduce our impact, after all we cannot escape the capitalist system at all.
Online thrift store: know where to buy and sell your clothes
Other ways to apply sustainable fashion
As you've already seen, there's a lot you can start doing today to be part of this sustainable fashion universe. And no thinking that these small actions have no impact, see?! They do and you start to feel it in a short time. Want to help more? So check out these ideas on how to recycle some pieces we found!
remove prints
Does your T-shirt have a print peeling off? No stress! A little alcohol and you're back to a plain T-shirt. Just be patient and love your clothes and you can find ways to make them good again.
Find other purposes
Is the part badly degraded? We can find other purposes, like turning it into a potted plant ornament, making a magazine rack and so on. There are many things you can create from fabric.
Planner: what is it, how to do it and where to download it?
Buy from local and natural producers
Natural products, which do not have chemical additives and are handmade, have a much less polluting production process. With the internet it is easy to find this type of product and producer near you. There are many women's collectives popping up out there, including the kind that teach you how to make your own panties using 100% natural cotton. There are also those who reuse the hair that falls from pets to produce natural wool, for example.
Feminist books by current writers that you MUST read!
Reinventing
The slipper is a product made of rubber. The matter is difficult to decompose, as it comes from the natural extraction of rubber trees or oil derivatives. That is, the slipper is a product of the exploitation of natural goods. The good news is that it is 100% recyclable and you can make it more beautiful using your creativity.
