I’m sure that if you are someone who keeps up with any fashion-related news, then you must know that the fashion industry has been stepping up its game in the recent years. Even if you don’t follow The Business of Fashion or Diet Prada on Instagram, you may have noticed that models are no longer all white and a size zero, and that many brands have expanded to more gender-fluid pieces. While the fashion industry is slowelyyy but surely evolving, it is also taking some small steps toward sustainability in new and more impactful ways.
Beyond organic cotton is a whole world of better options to manufacture clothing and take care of the planet. Fast fashion is one of the leading contributors of pollution and, according to the UN Environment Programme, the fashion industry is the second-biggest consumer of water and contributes 8-10% global carbon emissions. Fast fashion includes clothing retailers such as Zara and H&M, and the term essentially refers to cheaply produced clothing under rapid production and manufacturing. Aside from its environmental impact, fast fashion also fails to pay livable wages and has been known as an industry that exploits garment workers to save money, such as in countries like Bangladesh.
In efforts to break away from this industry, I took interests in vegan materials and brands that offered cruelty-free and sustainable practices, but found that it was pretty difficult to find the brand that had it all. The brands that seemed to be sustainable still ended up using animal products like wool or silk, and brands with vegan materials, such as hemp cotton, are limited and not conscious of their carbon footprint. Although cotton is vegan, it is still an unsustainable material that is excessive in water consumption and pesticides, so I tried to stay clear from it. I started by taking baby steps: buying only vintage clothes and thrifting, and buying the least amount of clothes possible. I got the first one down, but the second one…it’s IMPOSSIBLE! And to make things harder, I realized that there is more to add to the criteria. Aside from vegan alternatives to textiles, I realized that there is a better way to approach consciously produced clothing.
I started researching the small but mighty attributes of clothing companies that made them better not only for the planet, but for the people too. I noticed that small brands where taking the first steps with organic cotton, some took the next steps and incorporated recycled cotton and natural dyes. I was searching for full transparency in a brand. I then visited the website that most can trust when it comes to taking that next step into sustainability: Patagonia. And there it was…the word “regenerative” was all the rage now. This wasn’t just a matter of protecting the planet; it became a matter of healing it. I wanted to buy from THESE people.
Regenerative agriculture focuses on revitalizing soil to reverse environmental impacts such as climate change. Patagonia shares on their website: “If we switch from fossil fuel–intensive farming to organic, no- and low-till practices that build healthy soil and draw carbon back into the ground, we could turn our agricultural system from problem to solution.” Patagonia is a B-corp, 1% for the planet, regenerative organic certified, and Fair Trade certified. So, in addition to prioritizing the planet, they also prioritize the conditions of garment workers.
A brand I came across recently that just blew my mind is Christy Dawn. Christy Dawn is a women’s clothing brand I discovered on Instagram, which at first I was attracted to for its wholesome, nature-centered feed, but quickly fell in love with its ethos and overall message. I was drawn to most of their pieces, so I had to visit their website’s about page before even considering to purchase anything. I was ecstatic to see how transparent the brand was with the process of manufacturing the garments, and even more ecstatic about how easy it was for visitors of the site to access this information. I always find myself having to look through multiple pages and zooming into smaller text to find out if a brand is at least using organic cotton, but at Christy Dawn, you are handed this information on a silver platter. The design execution is appreciated and the honesty even more. When you click on a product, you are immediately welcomed by its basic description, price, and a quick walk-through WHY it is priced as such. It also gives you the name and picture of who produced the garment, and the brand just launched a regenerative cotton collection.
