Edited by: Malavika Suresh
Note: if you’re not really in the mood for the technicalities, scroll and skip straight to the list with sustainable shopping brands. Have fun!
For the most part, fashion is a way for people to express their individuality, as well as their unique style and perspectives on the world. To serve this purpose, people always look towards clothing that meets their personal preferences and distinctive sense of style. Fast fashion is the most convenient way to satisfy this need. And as it turns out, that is not the best way to go. Fortunately, for us, sustainable fashion is the imperative solution.
Sustainable Fashion is a term that is increasingly being used, amongst the general populace as well as the fashion industry, visible on several social media platforms and sustainability campaigns. It refers to clothing that is designed, manufactured, distributed, and used in ways that are environmentally friendly. A related term, known as ethical fashion, calls attention to clothing manufactured in ways that emphasize social welfare and worker rights and is popular in the conscious consumer society. As people become more aware of the environmental impact of clothing items— owing to the fact that the fashion industry contributes towards 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions each year—cutting CO2 emissions, tackling overproduction, minimizing pollution and waste, promoting biodiversity, and ensuring that garment workers are paid a fair wage and work in safe circumstances are all critical steps on the path to sustainability.
But first, let’s talk about precisely why fast fashion is harmful. It is a buzzphrase in the world of sustainability. It refers to clothing that is purposefully created to be consumed quickly at ‘reasonable’ rates, leading customers to regard clothing as disposable, wearing it only a few times before discarding it or moving on to newer and trendier things. Because of its affordability and availability, it contributes directly to the worrisome levels of textile waste produced. A large portion of the clothes that are sold out in minutes winds up in landfills quickly, generating massive amounts of garbage. In the process, factory workers are also exploited. Labor is acquired cheaply from underdeveloped countries, and workers are frequently underpaid and exposed to harmful substances due to a lack of sufficient safety precautions.
In simple words, consider this: you recently heard there’s a new collection at Zara or H&M. The new stock comprises clothes that correspond to the latest fashion trends and even though they’re not as cheap, they look pretty good. The next day, you end up buying quite a few pieces from the same collections and keep them ready for any upcoming parties. Over the next few months, you wear and show them off at several different events. Fast forward another few weeks, you hear about another new collection, keeping in mind forever changing trends. You end up stashing your previous clothes in the back of your closet and head to the store for new purchases. Those clothes never see the light of the day, ever again, rotting in the darkness. The best thing to do here would be to donate, be kind!
Slow fashion is a viable alternative in response to fast fashion. It was coined by Kate Fletcher, an activist, and author, in an article for The Ecologist, wherein she highlighted the need to consider how we view the fashion industry. Slow fashion, she believed, was quality-based instead of quantity-based. It is considerate and all-encompassing and encourages customers to invest in well-made, long-lasting clothing. It also serves as an argument for putting a stop to overproduction and mindless consumption. Slow fashion mixes a brand’s practice with customers’ shopping behaviors and provides scope for better treatment of workers. Since it offers mindful manufacturing, uses natural materials, and ensures labor rights, it advocates for a cleaner environment as well as healthier shopping practices.
Thrifting, or buying secondhand clothing, is one of the simplest ways to indulge in a sustainable fashion. While Sarojini Nagar in Delhi remains to be the OG thrift marketplace, thrift shopping has regained appeal as a result of the current surge in Instagram thrift shops. For a long time, thrift shopping was regarded as a negative activity worthy of ridicule. It is quickly becoming a popular choice nowadays, thanks to discussions about eco-consciousness. Thrift buying allows clothes and their components to circulate for a longer period of time. This decreases the need for new ones to be manufactured, reduces pollution, and conserves energy and precious resources. If you’ve been eyeing a popular style of clothing for some time but could not get it due to whatever reason, you can easily find it on thrift stores all over Instagram at cheaper prices.
Apart from thrift stores, local and small businesses are gaining traction quite quickly. Supporting locals has become linked with more responsible shopping in the globalized fashion business. But it used to be that this was the only way we could shop. The ‘shop local, shop small’ movement has never been more vital than it is now, in the midst of a worldwide health catastrophe. Smaller businesses, such as independent, value-driven companies, provide a paradigm for how the fashion industry may manufacture clothes that benefit both people and the environment. They are also more inclusive in terms of sizing and diversity. They open up space for customization, bearing in mind the costs, and also cater to suited sizing options, from XXS to XXXL, making customers feel seen, accepted, and comfortable. And most of all, they sell their clothes at the most reasonable pricing.
Speaking of small businesses, here is a list of sustainable places you can shop from, through Instagram:
- Tag by Gauri (@tagbygauri)
- Kaira (@kairabynikita)
- OBLEKA – for the vibrant you (@obleka.in)
- The Cowrie Collective (@cowrie.collective)
- Jute Smart (@jutesmart)
- Khakali Shop (@khakalishop)
- Dodo (@dodos_finds)
- Darwaza (@shop.darwaza)
- THR3 LETTER (@thr3letter)
- Staple (@shopstaple.in)
- BLUE BREW (@bluebrew.in)
- TEATRO DHORA (@teatrodhora)
- SHUSH (@wearshush)
- MAIKAI (@maikaiclothing)
- Kajrakh (@kajrakh)
To conclude, “As consumers, we have so much power to change the world by just being careful in what we buy.”- Emma Watson.