Style and Sustainability: Can We Have Both?
Fashion has a way of changing over the years, morphing and shaping alongside other cultural products. We are inundated with clothing every day much more than we all probably realize. Think about it: as soon as you wake up in the morning, one of the first thoughts you have is what you’re going to wear. Everywhere you go, you see people wearing clothing you either like or dislike. Whether you realize it or not, when you watch TV, read a magazine or scroll on Instagram, all of the outfits you see have a way of affecting you.
As our culture becomes more aware of how even the seemingly smallest of our choices, like what to wear each day, affects a larger population than just the individual, the fashion industry has to keep up. While certain brands’ products could fly in 2010 by being cute and trendy enough to wear a few times and then toss out, consumers in 2020 want more from these brands. We want the whole story from the beginning: Where are our clothes coming from? Who is making them, and more importantly, how are the workers being treated in the process? And in that process, what materials are being used? Finally, once the clothes are created, how long will it be before they’re thrown out due to a lack of interest from the consumer, thus creating massive amounts of waste?
It is becoming clear to big-name corporations that our culture has questions about where our products are coming from. If the answers to our questions fail to line up with our cultural values, we will actively choose not to support the brand. According to EcoWatch, “Experienced ethical consumers make it a point to avoid buying products from brands that harm the environment, test products on animals, fail to treat their workers fairly, or engage in other unsavory practices.”
Even the least experienced ethical consumers can begin taking steps to making an impact on the fashion industry, which in turn has the power to positively affect the fight against human trafficking and climate change. One way you can reduce your closet’s carbon footprint is by decreasing the amount of clothing you purchase, creating a capsule wardrobe for yourself. Just like anything that causes you to choose minimalism, this method is easier said than done.
“Experienced ethical consumers make it a point to avoid buying products from brands that harm the environment, test products on animals, fail to treat their workers fairly, or engage in other unsavory practices.”
Another sustainable option that has grown wildly popular over the past decade is to shop secondhand, or as Macklemore said in 2012, thrift shop. When you purchase clothing that has already been used, it is “better in the long-term for the environment, because you aren’t creating waste,” as sustainable shopper Chloe MacDonald-Comely states. Along with secondhand shopping, renting items is a sustainable option made popular by companies like Rent the Runway. Both of these options offer up-to-date clothing; you aren’t sacrificing style by not shopping off the rack.
“If you are buying a dress for $10.99 someone else somewhere is paying for it in terms of pay and working conditions.”
If secondhand isn’t your cup of tea and you want to make sure your closet isn’t only sustainable, but also ethical (focusing in on the treatment of the workers who create your clothing), there is a great selection of online shops you can begin to scour. A helpful place to begin your search is our Dressember Ethical Fashion Directory, which contains the names of many stores that offer style as well as sustainability. Although a piece from one of these shops may cost more upfront than you’re used to, it’s all about quality over quantity. As The Good Trade puts it, “If you are buying a dress for $10.99 someone else somewhere is paying for it in terms of pay and working conditions.” At the end of the day, that less expensive piece that will only last a couple washes, and it’s up to you to decide if it’s really worth the purchase.
It doesn’t always feel like our individual choices matter to global issues like human trafficking and climate change, but if you choose to begin shopping as ethically as possible, you will make more of an impact than you may ever realize. Thanks to many brands that care about the treatment of workers and the material of the clothing they make, shopping sustainably and stylistically is possible simultaneously. What better time to begin than today?
About the Author
Erin Diaz Cleveland is a writer and planner from Central Virginia. Her life goal is to use her passions to inspire and encourage others to serve and better themselves and their communities. She loves spending time with her family, instructing yoga and drinking iced espresso in the afternoon.