Shivani Panneerselvam |
In today's world, the concept of sustainability and the need to incorporate it wherever and whenever possible implicitly or explicitly can have a significant impact on the environment. In this rapidly developing world, it is not surprising that sustainability has managed to influence the field of fashion as well. Sustainable fashion, also known as ethical fashion, is a planet-friendly approach to produce clothes through an optimal process that takes into consideration all aspects that are influenced by it, for instance, the workers involved, the consumers, the effects of the process on the environment and so on. According to this concept, the most sustainable clothes are the ones that have been used, followed by clothes made from recycled fabric and finally those manufactured using sustainable fibres like Tencel.
As far as consumers are concerned, not many are aware of the existence of such an idea. Many well-known brands have begun to work on promoting ethical clothes and accessories, although no single brand has been able to take into consideration all factors which are to be satisfied in order to make a sustainable garment or accessory, so far. Nevertheless, they are constantly working towards addressing the key issues of the fashion industry, namely, water usage, hazardous chemicals, short lifecycle, waste and agriculture. Some of the major producers of sustainable fashion today are Levi's, Alternative Apparel, PACT, Everlane, thredUp, H&M Conscious, Cuyana, Reformation, Amour Vert, People Tree, Epoque Evolution, Columbia, Athleta and Manduka. As mentioned above, since previously used clothes are most sustainable, brands like Eileen Fisher and Patagonia are selling them under their own labels. Apart from these brands, there are other platforms like eBay and Poshmark available to 'swap' clothes as well, thereby facilitating the concept of 'recommerce' in the fashion industry.
The term 'sustainable fashion' makes us curious to know which fabrics are used to manufacture such clothes. There are various natural fibres that we come across daily which include recycled cotton, organic hemp and organic linen, hemp being the most widely used one currently. On the other hand, there are some fibres which are derived from natural materials and hence, biodegradable. Tencel is one such material which is obtained by dissolving wood pulp and is 50% more absorbent than cotton. Moreover, less energy and water are utilized in the production of Tencel. Pinatex, originating from pineapple leaf fibre, proves to be useful in reducing wastes and in enhancing opportunities for those involved in pineapple cultivation. Other sustainable fibres include Econyl, derived from waste fabric, industrial plastic and fishing nets and Qmonos, acquired by combining spider silk genes and microbes which gives rise to a light, flexible and completely biodegradable fibre which is claimed to be stronger than steel.
Sustainable fashion is a concept which when adopted by a significant section of the population can help the environment in many ways which we may not even be aware of while buying an ethical product. Ethical fashion has made its way through many countries including USA, Australia and New Zealand. Sustainable fashion is undoubtedly pricey owing to two main reasons – firstly, the brand value that gets added to such a garment and secondly, the 'sustainability factor' which includes the use of sustainable fibres thereby making the garments last longer unlike the products of 'fast fashion'. Currently, synthetics (which won't decay) constitute a large portion of the fabrics being used, which proves that fashion is killing our planet. Though buying ethical clothes and accessories is not economical for everyone, adopting the most sustainable fashion-friendly approach of buying used clothes or swapping clothes can be done by everyone. The more this approach is promoted, awareness among the consumers will be created and they will be enlightened with knowledge about sustainable fashion. When a large section of the world's population refuses to purchase 'new' clothes, the producers will be left with nothing but one option of making sustainable fashion affordable. Hence, the responsibility is now in the hands of the consumers who will have to educate themselves about why and how small steps could be taken in order to achieve the long term goal of sustainable fashion for all!
About the author
Shivani Panneerselvam
Sustainable Energy Technology Student
"She likes to write about how one could walk the path of sustainability and how following that at the individual level could lead to seeing sea changes at the global level."
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