The conversation

from The Sunday Telegraph Stella - January 16, 2022

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The smart way to shop sustainably

By doing our homework and being aware about what we buy, we can all do our bit to help the planet

ACCORDING TO the new ‘laws’, everything I’m wearing in this picture is sustainable. No smugness here. Dressing sustainably is a bit like practising safe sex –open to interpretation.

It can be recycled, which sounds great, until you discover it was made in LA. It can be ‘faux’ leather – better for animals, but terrible in terms of CO2 emissions. It can be ‘vintage’ – and only a year old. It can be deadstock (made from off-cuts of fabric that used to be jettisoned), or old stock (ie last season), but your buying it may ultimately be fuelling more demand for said stock.

Complicated? It gets more so. In China, they’re making extra plastic bottles so that the fashion industry can greenwash its wares by advertising that they’re made from recycled bottles.

Conversely, things that sound pretty bad, aren’t always. Polyester gets a terrible press, but if you’re wearing old, good quality polyester (not all are equal) that would otherwise have been dumped then, well, OK.

Leather? If you’re a committed vegan there’s probably no such concept in your mind as humanely farmed. So this comes down to personal ethics. But good-quality leather can be almost infinitely repaired, as the awe-inspiringly skilled crew at The Restory will tell you. Look after it and it will look after you. As for whether the animals were well treated –this can be checked out on many brands’ websites. The clue’s in the price. A really cheap leather bag? You do the maths. And ask the questions. That way even the less responsible fashion brands will realise this stuff matters.

I suppose I’m saying we all need to become more cognisant THE WAY FORWARD

1. Wool coat, £925, Another Tomorrow (matchesfashion.com) 2. Certified-wool cardigan, £139, and tank, £109, both Whistles (whistles.com) 3. Printed silk velvet skirt £249, Brora (broraonline.com) 4. Organic shirt, £ ,250 and jeans, £195, both Mother of Pearl (motherofpearl.co.uk)

3 of the provenance of what we buy. Moaning that shopping sustainably is expensive really doesn’t cut it. H&M, Zara and co are all pushing out ranges that claim to be more eco-aware. They’re not perfect, but shop these and they’ll get the message that we care about this stuff. Buy less. Or from vintage sites – so well-curated and packaged now that even the fussiest will find the experience enjoyable.

As for the niche brands – they deserve our support. This trouser suit by Aspiga, for instance, is made from organic (stretch) cotton needlecord. If you want more luxury, Another Tomorrow, like The Row but less expensive, has impeccable eco and welfare credentials. Meanwhile, Mother of Pearl’s fashion direc-

or Amy Powney is passionate on he subject and delivers values ou can trust at a mid-price point with a high-fashion eye. Even abels, that don’t make a song nd dance about it, such as Erem, are making small batches n the UK and Europe, using roperly paid craftspeople.

In other words, there are many ways to approach the hopping challenges ahead. his Gucci bag? I lusted after it or years and eventually, about 0 years ago, I got my hands on ne. And boy do I treasure it. ve just seen a pre-owned one n farfetch.com for £1,600, which is considerably more than paid for this one in 2012. f I ever want to get rid of it, I’ll urn it into profit, not landfill.