Pause Magazine by AmaniAlshaya

As 2025 comes to an end, our editor Amani Alshaya reflects on the highlights of this year and shares what PAUSE is all about. According to Pause, 2025 was the year sustainability went from a buzzword to an industry-wide movement and even to the rise of the first ever 100% sustainable nation, Capsula. Although it is the only nation that has achieved this milestone, it has definitely inspired and motivated other nations to follow in Capsula’s steps. Capsula’s efforts over the years has made the future more hopeful for our planet. The team at Pause have one goal only and it is to educate the young generation in a fun and exciting way of course. We aim to bring awareness on sustainable fashion, the dangers of the fast fashion industry, and ways to become more eco-conscious. We also want to prove that sustainable fashion is not plain and biege by introducing designers that have taken sustainable practises to another creative level. We are here to make your pursuit for a sustainable lifestyle effortless and desirable. Our magazine is named “Pause” to encourage people to slow down and take a moment to consider their impact on the enviornment and to push them to take a step towards sustainability. As this is our first issue, we hope you, the reader, enjoy the content we have curated for our fashion lovers and even learn a thing or two that you can apply to your daily life and pass on to a friend. We even have an exciting feature with the designer of Capsula’s visual identity... no spoilers but Capsula may have just launched a unique brand and we are all here for it! Engage with us on our socials to potentionally be featured in next month’s issue, @pausemag on instagram and twitter. Sustainable fashion is here to stay and we hope you are too! - Amani Alshaya, Editor

Help stitch back together communities that are healthier, stronger and more sustainable. PAUSE x Capsula

What is Fast fashion? Fast fashion is the process of imitating trends and styles from the runway of designer brands and selling them at a low piece. Although it allows individuals to wear the latest trends cheaply, it holds a negative effect to the enviornments and the factory workers who create the garments. Fast fashion can produce up to eleven different collections per year, a shockingly wide gap compared to the standard two of a fashion house. These collections can have a turn around time of just two weeks from paper to production and retail. Fast fashion is made possible because of the unethical processes and practises it utilises.

What is Slow fashion? Slow fashion aims to decrease the spead of production, consumption and disposing by placing a greater appreciation on one’s purchase. it considers the materials used, how the garment is made and who is making it, in order to be ethical without compromising on quality. For brands this means creating in a way which is most considerate of humanity and the environment. For consumers this means thinking about what you buy, knowing which philosophies you are supporting through your purchases, and also asking yourself if you are really going to wear that new piece to the extent that it was worth being made.

By Amani Alshaya

TRANSPORT

GARMENT PRODUCTION

FABRIC PRODUCTION

SALES

CLOSING THE LOOP ON FASHION

RAW MATERIALS

USE

RECYCLE DESIGN

Maximise usability, minimise adverse environmental impacts, minimise waste generation, and be efficient with use of water, energy and other resources throughout the lifecycle of a garment.

Article by Fashion Revolution, 2025

Our journey begins in the denim capital of the world, Xintang, China. Approximately 260-300 million pairs of jeans are produced per year and consumed at a faster rate due to their cheap price. They retail for anything from US $5.99 - 99.99, but what is their TRUE cost?

1. Fashion is the second most impactful industry worldwide in terms of consumption and pollution of our waters (approx. 1 trillion gallons). Over a billion people today do not have access to drinking water. 2. In China, where cheap fashion manufacturers dump 2.5 billion tons of waste products into water streams every year, 40% of the rivers and lakes are highly toxic. 3. Cotton, the fibre used to make denim, is a thirsty fabric: the 4th largest sea in the world, the Aral Sea, disappeared because the rivers that flowed into it were diverted to feed cotton crops. 4. pH levels in the waters around Xintang go as high as 11.912.1, due to the waste products that are discharged in the rivers. This renders life for fish and other species impossible, and causes skin, eye, and mucous irritation to humans.

Greenpeace has analysed 21 samples of water in Xintang, China. 17 of these contained highly toxic heavy metals all coming from the chemicals used to dye and finish our jeans: mercury, cadmium, lead and copper. Waters in the area are blue, because of the chemical indigo dye used in our jeans. The dust in its streets is blue, as denounced by another Greenpeace report, and the lungs of the workers are embedded with fine silica, which can lead to a serious lung disease called silicosis.

1. The production and finishing of fashion items today requires 9 billion kg of chemical substances each year. 2. Out of the 2,000 chemicals that cheap fashion normally requires, only 16 are approved as safe for human health by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) in the US. 3. 3kg of chemicals go into a single pair of jeans made in Xintang, China. Lead, Cadmium and Copper have leached into the soil, while Cadmium levels are 128 times above the norm. 4. Cotton is chemical thirsty too: only 2% of our planet’s land is allocated to cotton crops and it uses 25% of the world’s pesticides and 11% of the world’s insecticides.

Real denim is made of a 100% cotton. Reality is that today in the market between super stretchy jeans, jean leggings, jeggings, and everything else fast fashion comes up with every season, more and more petrolbased substances find their way in our clothes.

1. Fossil fuels are the biggest contributors to climate change, and 90% of our clothes contain petrol-based materials, such as nylon, polyester, spandex, and acrylic. 2. Producing these fibres requires a lot of energy, and the manufacturing process in turn emits a lot of CO2 into the atmosphere. 3. For every ton of polyester produced, five tonnes of CO2 are emitted. 4. Pollution from fossil fuels in general causes a lot of harm to the environment and human health. Having our skin exposed to these type of synthetic fibres rich in chemicals can also cause allergies and irritations.

In the world on average 2.7 billion metres of denim are produced each year, for a global US $57 billion market. This denim constitutes only 0.6% of the yearly production of textile fabrics which goes up to approx. 400 billion metres. All this fabric is either made into clothes that fast fashion has gradually led us to consider as disposable goods or is never even used: around 60 billion metres of fabric a year are discarded right away.

1. 85% of our clothes are disposed of into landfills where it can take up to 40 years for them to decompose if they contain nylon, or 200 years if they contain polyester. 2. While they decompose, they continue to pollute our earth and soil as all the chemicals and heavy metals they contain are released into the environment. 3. On average 14 million tonnes of clothing are trashed each year in the US alone; putting them through a recycling programme would be the equivalent of taking 7.3 million cars and their carbon dioxide off the road every year. 4. Every ton of clothing that gets recycled saves the emission of 20 tonnes of CO2.

A single pair of jeans, on average, emits 34kg of CO2 to be produced, similar to taking a car and driving for 111km. Likewise, other fashion items, being fossil-fuel dependent, produce enormous amounts of CO2 and other greenhouse gases which contribute to global warming. Fashion supply chains are very often spread all around the world. Moving fabrics, accessories, clothes involves enormous amounts of energy and use of fossil fuel. A t-shirt made in China for example, before hitting the shelves of a store in the US, is already responsible for the emission of 1kg of CO2.

1. In China alone textile factories emit 3 billion tons of soot each year, causing concerning respiratory problems to citizens who live in these areas and impacts the environment. 2. Synthetic fibres like polyester and nylon require a massive amount of energy to be produced and contribute to the emission of greenhouse gases like CO2 and nitrous oxide. 3. The concentration of GHGs in the atmosphere reached 397.7 ppm (parts per million) in 2014 and exceeded the alert limit of 400 in 2015 and 2016.

The last important piece to the puzzle is people. Humans make our clothes. Men and women, often underage and/or under-paid for the job, are exposed to health and safety hazards every day to allow us to spend less on clothing and consume more. The Rana Plaza disaster in Bangladesh killed 1,138 and injured more than 2,500 innocent people whose life and human rights became secondary to the brands’ need to increase profit margins.

1. Around 40 million people are employed in fashion manufacturing today, and 85% of them are women. In Bangladesh, according to a 2011 StichedUp report, 3/4 of them are regularly verbally abused at work and half of them are physically beaten. 2. The minimum wage for garment workers in Bangladesh is US $0.32 cents per hour. 3. According to the International Labour Organisation 170 million children are engaged in child labour around the world. 4. Children work at all stages of the supply chain in the fashion industry: from the production of cotton seeds, the harvesting, and yarn spinning, to clothing manufacturing. 5. Working days are 10-12 hours long and are as much as 18 hours long at peak times; overtime is often mandatory. 6. Taking time off work for emergencies or medical needs often results in a cut in wages or termination of the contract. 7. Immigrants are often hired without regular contracts or permits, leaving room for additional forms of mistreatment and discrimination by the employers.

Sometimes our clothes are past the point of repair, we fluctuate in size, or we’ve just fallen out of love with the style. How can we dispose of our pre-loved clothes in a responsible and sustainable way?

Sustainable fashion tips

The stats on fashion’s colossal environmental impact may be alarming, yet as buyers and wearers of clothes, all of us have a part to play in shifting the narrative. Building kinder clothing habits not only helps drive down our own personal carbon footprint, but also tells the wider industry that sustainable fashion matters.

Donate to charity

Resell or swap

A go-to option is donating to charity, either directly to a shop, using charity donation pick-up bags or bins, connecting with local community organisations or using services like ThriftPlus. When donating, make sure that your items are in good quality, because anything not in a sellable condition can end up being exported thousands of miles away, or worse, discarded or destroyed.

Of course, you can also make a bit of pocket money by selling items with decent resale value, particularly branded or designer goods. Alternatively, you can swap them with others using Facebook groups, swap events, peer-to-peer apps, or just sharing with friends and family - no shame in a good hand-me-down!

Upcycle

Recycle

Another course of action is to try your hand at upcycling. Turn your old clothes into fabric face masks, hair scrunchies, cushions, bags, bunting or even just cleaning rags. Check out ReJean Denim for some inspiration on how denim can be given a new life through creative patchwork design.

Last but certainly not least is recycling. Recycling your clothes is more complex than you might think, because of the nature of textiles containing so many different fibres and other elements on clothes like metal zippers and rivets. It can also be hard to find appropriate textile recycling facilities in your local area, but you can try in-store recycling schemes or ask your local charity shops if they have textile recycling pick-ups.

By Ruth MacGilp 4 September 2025

Pause meets the French designer, Marine Serre, at her studio in Paris to talk about why upcycling is integral to her ethos, why age is irrelevant and why beautiful design conquers all.

t the beginning of the summer, Marine Serre moved into a new studio in Paris’s 19th arrondissement, which is quickly evolving into a hub for the city’s creative community. Not only did the move bring things full circle for the 27-year-old designer – in February 2018 she held her first show on the ground floor of the same building; the year after she picked up the LVMH Prize for Young Designers – it provided her with much needed additional space to expand her upcycling workshop. Serre’s eponymous brand is divided into three coloured lines: red (red-carpet couture looks), gold (artisanal daywear including tailoring) and white (easy, everyday garments). There was a fourth, the green line devoted to upcycled garments, but she phased it out, or rather absorbed it into all other areas. This season, 50 per cent of the collection is upcycled. “We have around 35 full-time staff now and the biggest team works on the development and production of upcycled pieces,” Serre says. “It requires a lot of people, time and space.” On a mannequin nearby is an elegant black tweed coat adorned with over 250 antique brooches; hanging on the rack next to it is a crochet top with elliptical seams cut from a tablecloth.

Photographs from marineserre.com (Collage by Amani)

By Liam Freeman 24 September 2025

What makes upcycling so much more labour intensive than other modes of design?

Marine Serre SS20

Take us through one of your fully upcycled looks? One design that we keep returning to since the second collection is the djellaba made from six upcycled scarves. You really have to use your imagination when you’re sourcing the scarves – these were all brownish in colour when we found them; pretty ugly and not something that you’d want to wear. The original prints are unique, so we combine designs that complement one another and in this instance we dyed them red using natural dyes. We make sure that the edges of the scarves meet perfectly when we sew them together and work around any defects in the material. The back of the dress is closed with an upcycled chain, so everything down to the trim is considered. This season we layered a pullover made from deadstock towels over the djellaba; I like to keep features that hint to the material’s previous life, so we kept the fringing and border of the towel. I’ve styled it with a pair of leather trousers – also made from deadstock – which I covered with a repeat print of the Marine Serre crescent moon logo using a UV technique to give an embossed effect.

Obviously a lot of time goes into the sourcing of the materials, then we clean them, take them apart and design within the constraints of the material available. It’s an artisanal process, not as straightforward as going to find a roll of fabric or working with a print you’ve designed yourself. You’re almost working backwards, deciding what you don’t want in a collection rather than what you do; you have to be flexible. By comparison, the final stage, stitching together the pieces, is the quickest part.

How do you cast your shows then? We start the casting very early in the season. Out of around 45 models, more than 20 work with me on a recurring basis. I’ve been working with Amalia [Vairelli], for example, for three seasons now, and this time she is walking with her son. There is a strong feeling of family in this presentation; Marie Sophie Wilson will walk with her son and daughter too. Character is very important to me; age, on the other hand, is irrelevant.

Your design process has minimum impact on the environment – what motivates this? From my childhood: I grew up in a village of about five houses in Corrèze [in southwest France] surrounded by forest and nature. I like the term Marée Noire [the title of the spring/summer 2020 collection, which can be translated as “oil spill”] because it has different meanings depending on where you are from, it could be interpreted as black sea or black tide, which sound quite romantic, but of course there are darker connotations, too. It makes people think.

How do you maximise the use of byproducts or waste materials while staying true to the original prototype and design? Last season we started making upcycled jewellery. That was a real test because jewellery holds a lot of meaning and I thought people might find it strange to wear pieces from materials that aren’t precious in a traditional sense. It proved popular and so this season we have scaled up the number of designs. There are different variations of shamanic-style necklaces made from upcycled chains with charms – raw and painted driftwood, pieces of oxidised aluminium drinks cans, shells – and corresponding bracelets and hoop earrings, plus hair clips made from imitation pearl clip-on earrings like your grandma would wear. I like the bricolage effect, so it looks like the wearer has made it themselves. We inform our clients that every piece is unique and there may be subtle differences, but the composition is always consistent. Like I say, upcycling is an artisanal process making it difficult to scale-up output to tens-of-thousands, but we’ll take on that challenge when it comes.

While it’s important to me to produce things as sustainably as possible, I don’t want it to be the [sole] identity of the brand – there can be no compromise on desirability. The designs have to be beautiful, otherwise what’s the point?

Marine Serre SS20

So much of our economy relies on the assumption that there is always an

“AWAY” into which we can throw our waste.

Naomi Klein 26

(THERE ISN’T)

takes sustainability to the next level

This fashion obsessed nation is doing all things sustainable and has become the hotspot for fashion lovers in 2025. Bringing in about ten million visitors in just one year, it has set high expectations for the fashion industry globally.

radicating fast fashion has remained a global struggle for decades. However, Capsula broke the cycle and has become the first ever nation to be 100% zerowaste through its sustainable and ethical fashion practises. Even the nation’s visual identity (flag, passport, and currency) is innovative, sustainably designed and ethically made. Pause caught up with the lead designer of Capsula’s identity, to not only get an exclusive insight on how the nation’s visuals came about, but to also learn more about Capsula’s values and how it has successfully eradicated fast fashion. What does zero-waste mean in the fashion industry?

What are some benefits of zerowaste?

To start off, waste is a major contributor to global warming. ‘Zero-waste’ is simply a process designed to avoid and eliminate material waste when producing garments so that no textiles are disposed of. Imagine a circular model where everything is reused and nothing is discarded. Whereas in other nations once garments are used, they end up in the landfill. Designing sustainable, ethical, and innovative products and manufacturing processes is not only an effort to sustain the fashion industry but is an overall effort to sustain the existence of our planet.

Reducing, reusing, and recycling plays a key role in climate change as it helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Zero-waste also protects the health of communities by reducing pollution in our air, water, and soil by keeping toxins and waste out of landfills. A zero-waste approach builds a circular economy where one person’s “waste” is a resource for something new. Reducing and reusing materials creates more jobs in rental and sharing businesses and in repair and tailoring. Money spent on local jobs stays within Capsula instead of leaving the community to buy imported goods.

By Amani Alshaya

Why do you think fast fashion still exists in other parts of the world? The fact that are numerous answers to this question already explains why other nations have only been able to partially adopt sustainable practises. It is estimated that 15 to 20 percent of the fabric used to produce clothing ends up in landfills because it is cheaper to dump fabric scraps in the waste bin rather than recycling them responsibly. In the perspective of consumers, clothes are cheaper and trend cycles occur very rapidly which led clothes shopping to go from an occasional event to becoming a hobby. Who wouldn’t pass down the opportunity to buy cool, trendy clothing for very cheap prices to wear a handful of times and then throw away to buy more? People can dress like their favourite celebrity and wear the latest trend fresh from the catwalk in no time. However, this mindset is the exact reason other nations haven’t been able to progress further towards their sustainability goals.

Is fast fashion going green? I believe sustainability is gaining momentum within the fashion industry globally. As an increasing number of consumers call out the true cost of the fashion industry, a growing number of brands have adopted sustainable and ethical initiatives such as in-store recycling schemes. However, it has been found that only 0.1% of all clothing collected by charities and take-back programs is recycled into new textile fibre. Brands are continuously called out for greenwashing as they simply implement a small eco clothing range that doesn’t do much to counter the “throw-away culture”. Fashion is not just about the latest trend but holds significant ability to inspire change that can influence the lives of millions and have a huge impact on our planet. Capsula is evidence of this. The

community in Capsula are introducing new ways of thinking and tools to help other nations be better informed.

What can we do? As British Designer, Vivienne Westwood, once said:

“Buy less, choose well, make it last.” Buying less is the first step, so creating a capsule wardrobe is worth considering. Choosing an eco-friendly fabric is the second step. And lastly, we should make our clothing last, wear them until they are worn out and then recycle/upcycle them!

What exactly is a capsule wardrobe? A capsule wardrobe refers to a collection of 30-40 practical and versatile pieces of clothing put together to create an entire wardrobe. It represents a shift in thinking about how we wear clothes which inspires important change in our consumption habits. It’s a win-win situation for both the environment and consumers themselves as it saves money in the long run and time spent making multiple decisions everyday by narrowing their wardrobe down to the essentials. Emphasis should be put on quality over quantity which unfortunately fast fashion has made the opposite more desired amongst consumers. Interestingly, Capsula derives from the term ‘capsule wardrobe’ which fits in perfectly with the nation’s values as a community continuously striving to maintain its sustainable efforts.

What is currently popular in Capsula? A new ethical brand just launched last week called Trashion! Their mission is to further promote responsible recycling and ecoconscious fashion consumption through their innovative donation bins located around the nation, as well as through their online shop where citizens of Capsula can shop from a range of vintage, ethical, sustainable and upcycled clothing. They also offer a rental service and online kilo shopping (a cheaper way to shop vintage). Trashion currently runs a website and app for consumers to shop on and have opened a few physical stores. They also host clothing swap events and run various workshops on how to upcycle clothing. Their long-term goal is to expand their brand globally.

We are Capsula. We are a movement and a community with a zero-waste vision. We are the result of years and years of campaigning for a clean, safe, fair, transparent and responsible fashion industry. Through research, education, collaboration and advocacy, we were able to form a nation that does the following... Capsula provides dignified work. We do not endanger, exploit, or discriminate against anyone. We liberate worker and wearer and empower everyone to stand up for their rights. Capsula provides fair and equal pay. We enrich the livelihood of everyone working across the industry. Capsula lifts people out of poverty, creates thriving societies and fulfils aspirations. Capsula protects the environment. We do not deplete precious resources, destroy our soil, pollute our air and water, or harm our health. Capsula protects the welfare of all living things and safeguards our diverse ecosystems. Capsula never unreasonably destroys or discards fashion. Through sustainable redesigns, fashion is repaired, reused, recycled and upcycled. Our wardrobes and landfills do not overflow with clothes that are desired but not cherished, bought but not kept. Capsula is transparent and accountable. We embrace clarity and do not rely upon trade secrets to obtain value. Anyone can find out how, where, by whom and under what conditions our clothing is made. By engaging consumers, designers and the industry as a whole, we had no doubt that fashion has the potential to transform the world. Capsula is evidence of this.

Photo by Calicadoo

Capsula’s passports are quite unique, what is the story behind them? When conceptualising the visual identity we were keen on reflecting Capsula’s uniqueness and strengths as a nation being 100% sustainable, transparent, and zero-waste. The passport’s cover is made of a collection of fabric and material scraps stitched in transparent vinyl. The unique aspect comes in through its ability to be personalised to the passport holder. This means Capsula’s citizens are given the choice to receive an empty transparent vinyl covered passport to then fill up with their own scraps and findings overtime. There is beauty behind the idea of every citizen carrying a passport with the cover curated by them, as well as how the scraps produce beautiful organic shapes and curved lines that are associated with nature. The pages within are made of 100% recycled factory waste. Lastly, ‘Made in Capsula’, is printed on the vinyl as a pun on the phrasing used on garments to indicate its production location but in this case, its the citizen’s nationality.

What inspired the design of Capsula’s flag? Like Capsula’s other visuals of nation identity, the concept of zero-waste is also identified in the flag. The flag is constructed out of simple shapes cut out from fabric scraps to abstractly portray two individuals united in the middle by a square piece of fabric. This represents how Capsula’s community come together to ensure responsible and sustainable fashion choices are made. It ties in with the nation’s slogan, “Help stitch back together communities that are healthier, stronger and more sustainable”, as the individuals on the flag are visually shown to be connected by the stitching. The nation’s colours are also symbolic for the community, environment, peace, and fashion. The tactile aspect of implementing fabric scraps in the flag’s design truly emphasises the importance of repurposing pre-loved clothing in Capsula.

Flag of Capsula

Capsula’s Banknotes ‘Sulas’ (Front)

Capsula’s Banknotes ‘Sulas’ (Back)

What is the meaning of the intricate details on Capsula’s currency? The banknotes contain many symbols starting with the fabric cut-out on the left side in combination with a running stitch. It is one of many indications of what Capsula is known for: revolutionising the fashion industry. The geometric lines are carefully constructed to depict several symbols such as a heart, t-shirt, clothing hanger and the letters that make up ‘CAPSULA’. The symmetrical aspect of these lines represents the nation’s positive values. As well, Capsula’s currency is called ‘Sula’ which derives from the nation’s name. The currency symbol is constructed similar to the geometric lines as it is composed of the letters that spell SULA. The back side of the banknotes feature four icons that represent the fundamentals of Capsula as a zerowaste nation. Overall, the bank notes are made from recycled materials.

SUSTAINABLE FASHION DOESN’T HAVE TO BE BORING

NICOLE MCLAUGHLIN IS VENTURING OUT ON HER OWN WITH HER UPCYCLED CUSTOMS

t’s been a fast ascent for Nicole McLaughlin. Since first posting a custom slipper made from an L.L. Bean fleece in July 2018, the designer has drawn a massive following for her bespoke upcycled pieces. It began as a hobby, a place to work with her hands outside of her day job as a graphic designer for Reebok. Her numerous eye-popping creations include patchwork shorts made from Polo tee pockets, slippers made from tennis balls and volleyballs, and pants made with pencil cases. Now, a little more than a year after putting her craft in front of the world, she’s left her full time gig to focus fully on giving new life and new application to vintage clothing. McLaughlin keeps it real about the origin of her sustainable sourcing: it was cheap and accessible. Her Reebok office was flush with samples for the taking, and thrift stores were another low cost source of inspiration. “I would go to the store and get something that had a stain on it rather than buying something that was brand new because I felt less guilty about cutting it up,” she says. “And then once I started doing this I was realizing, ‘Oh, this is actually upcycling and this is considered a sustainable practice.’ And it honestly now is the through line of my work. And I think the reason why it’s resonating so much with people is because I’m not forcing sustainability down your throat. It’s almost like it’s made that way and people can appreciate that, but it’s more about the design and how design should just naturally be sustainable.” By Ian Servantes 6 November 2025

Instagram has played a key role in her rapid rise, but Mclaughlin says joy doesn’t come from her 200,000 and counting followers, but from the community she’s found and helped foster. “The best part is doing the workshops and the panels,” she says. “I can meet people and have interesting conversations. I always encourage young emerging designers, or even someone who isn’t a designer but just wants to experiment, to just continue to practicing those things. They’ve sent me pictures. Maybe we only made like half a pair and they went home and finished it. That’s such a good feeling because it changes the mindset of a few people: what they can do with product and maybe things that are in their own closet and don’t really think about anymore.”

Despite working with shoes and apparel, McLaughlin sees her designs as more sculpture than product. Tom Sachs has been an influential figure, and she says she’d like to get into furniture and larger installations in the future. She’d also like to find away to repurpose materials from pop-ups after seeing the amount of things thrown away after the short runs are over. “I want to go bigger scale,” she says. “Because it’s not so much the product. It’s more the mindset behind it. It’s not really the medium that you’re using, it’s just how you can apply these ideas to whatever.”

Inspiration often comes to her in that weird lucid state just before she falls asleep, and then she'll go out in search for products at thrift stores the next day or search on eBay. Flexibility is key, as her original idea may not work out, but the materials may be suited for a different kind of piece. After finding an entire box of air fresheners, she had an idea to make an umbrella out of them. It didn't quite work visually, so she pivoted to a pair of shorts inspired by all-over print.

Illustrations of Nicole Mclaughlin’s shoe designs by Amani A.

Are you buying it for a specific reason?

nope

yes Will you wear it again after the occasion?

e rs

Sounds like an impulse buy. Try to rent or borrow instead.

not sure

yeah!

c of

probably not

Does it work with things in your existing wardrobe?

Think of this as an exercise in styling. Find out and return to flowchart.

Have you wanted it for some time?

yes!

ly...

not re al

Have you researched the brand’s human rights and sustainability approach in their supply chain?

not yet... Hmm... maybe think about it, do your research, and decide in a few weeks.

ye s

y dg

do y! ’re a bit wa I r ny eally a want it they

yes, and I approve!

You’ve thought it through! Remeber Loved Clothes Last.

Test your knowledge! How much do you know about sustainable fashion? 1. Which is the most sustainable fibre? A. cotton B. wool C. silk D. hemp

4. How many rabbits does it take to make a fur coat? A. 16 B. 42 C. 9 D. 35

2. What average of wardrobe has not been worn in a year?

5. How many children are trafficked every day to work in clothes factories?

A. 5% B. 50% C. 30% D. 10%

A. 4,000 B. 3,300 C. 2,400 D. 200

3. How much clothing waste does the UK produce each year?

6. Where does the fashion industry rank when it comes to pollution?

A. £100 million B. £70 million C. £200 million D. £140 million

A. 10th B. 5th C. 7th D. 2nd

3-5 points: Getting there... Sustainability is a massive issue in fashion; try to educate yourself and change your shopping habits for the better! 6 out of 6 points: Well done! Sustainability has such a big impact on the fashion indsutry - it is good to see you are paying attention to it!

ANSWERS: 1B, 2C, 3D, 4D, 5B, 6D

0 - 2 points: Not quite there! Sustainability is a massive issue in fashion; try to educate yourself and change your shopping habits for the better!

BUY LESS CHOOSE WELL 42