Sustainable Fashion - An Oxymoron?

Hello Everyone -

One of my interests is fashion, would love to hear your thoughts on the idea of sustainable fashion. Is it an oxymoron?

There are very many new brands popping up claiming to have sustainable credentials - some of which are obvious green washing, however some of them sound very genuine.

I’m caught between two worlds where i do like dressing up but I’m conscience of the industries impact on the world. To mitigate I take the time to fix my clothes with holes in them, have created my own style to patching up clothes and re-use materials for different purposes and mostly buy second hand items.

I’m looking at building a knowledge base about the industry and its practices with the goal of creating a guide for consumers to help them navigate the plethora of new ‘sustainable’ brands.

Let me know what you think.
Franch :blush:

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Hello Franch,
My approach to fashion is wear what I love and what I feel comfortable in.
I would love to see more spaces to support repair and repurpose of clothes and accessories.
In person, in local spaces, this can be really enjoyable.
Enjoyment is important for sustainability.

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Ciao Greenheart - Thanks for sharing.

‘Enjoyment is important for sustainability’ is a powerful statement - I really like it.

Yes that true - i feel like what ‘i’m comfortable in’ depends on my mood aswell. The clothes i wear reflect how i feel on the indisde.

I completely agree with you, where i am i have seem more ‘repair’ centres but they are to show people how to fix buttons back on or make small fixes. I’ve not seen any dedicated repair services to be honest. Most dry-cleaners will have alteration services and they can usually help make small fixes too.

What type of sustainability are you after?

Everything has its pros and cons. I’ve looked into the issue of yarn, and every type comes with its own set of benefits and drawbacks. Sustainability isn’t just one thing. Personally, I prefer natural fibers as they’re better for the health and wellbeing of the wearer—without getting into a long essay on why, at this point.

If you’re aiming for plant-based to avoid animal abuse, you’ll also want it to be ecologically grown and fair trade. But in the end, at this point in time, there is no perfect solution. You’ll have to compromise on ethics in one way or another.

The starting point is to bring ethics into the conversation and explain the pros and cons of each choice. Yes, it may feel like a choice between a rock and a hard place at this stage, but unless we bring it into the open, nobody can fix the situation. So, thank you for the question.

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Thanks for your thoughts @ISHAVIDA.com :slight_smile:

I have to agree with you, the conversation does start with ethics because with every choice we make theres a comprise to be made. Starting off the a guide to the industry based from a discussion about ethics and choice is probably how i’ll have to go about it.

There is no perfect, right? That said, the old mantra of reduce, repair, reuse, recycle applies. There are a few places in my area that do this.

There is a comedian and environmental grad student that has a good video on this topic, in my opinion. Comedy can make it approachable for some people.

Fast Fashion Is Hot Garbage | Climate Town https://youtu.be/F6R_WTDdx7I?feature=shared

Fast Fashion Is Ruining Merch https://youtu.be/8CkgCYPe68Q?feature=shared