When shopping do you ever think, ‘what did it take to make this?’ What about, ‘what got taken out of the world to create the cute top I had my eye on this season?’ No? Well then, it might blow your mind to realise how many resources your clothes have actually used up while being created. Clothing is a necessity of course and there are approximately 7.7 billion people in the world, who need the essentials of clothing in their lives. Hence why the fashion industry is such a huge global priority and also why it has one of the highest impacts on the planet. From high water usage and pollution from chemical treatments to unsold clothing and landfill deposits. The fashion industry, some might say, has gotten just a little bit out of control. You know what sustainable fashion is, right? Let me just chuck some words out there, so you can grasp the general idea: repairing, up-cycling, loaning, buying second hand, vintage, being ethical in production, custom made clothing, staying green and keeping it clean through out the whole process of creation. That is what we want and need most right now. Then, what is unsustainable fashion?
WORDS, IMAGES AND DESIGN: IZZY SHORT
Unsustainable fashion is what is happening most now. This topic is always getting swept under the rug in the fashion world: people are too worried about brand, quality or quantity, to take a step back and think about the serious effects that it is having on the beautiful world around. Wastage of materials, water and energy from mass production. Pollution from millions of factories, not to mention the poor working
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conditions from sweat shops in third world countries. Slave labour and exploitation being an issue, as a result of the rapid speed of consumption. Animal welfare and looking at what we are using to create clothes, falls under a massive ethical and environmental problem with in the way we look at sustainable fashion. To avoid shopping unsustainable fashion, you may have to give up some of your favourite places on the high street. Some huge brands are the worst of the worst and have crossed the line when it comes to ethical fashion: for example; H&M, Zara, Forever 21, Victoria secret and Urban Outfitters all take part in slave labour - in which every 1 in 3 workers are a child under the age of 13. So many companies are trying to change the world one step at a time with their clothing production, by looking at sustainable clothing and eco friendly resources. Brands like: Everlane, PACT, Alternative Apparel, Linen and ThredUp are just some companies who have focused on only sustainable options, by growing fibre crops and using all recycled materials. So what might the future look like… Over the years the increase in sustainable fashion and experimenting with different materials and ideals of production have massively increased.
