So far on this blog, I’ve talked about the main ways to be an ethical fashionista by championing the slow fashion approach - buying vintage, pre-loved or independent brands as well as upcycling your clothing, as you can see there are more possibilities for being sustainable when it comes to your wardrobe.
I’ve rounded up some more ways that you can be more sustainable with your fashion choices.
- Vegan Fashion
You don’t have to be vegan or even vegetarian to support sustainable fashion. Avoiding clothing that uses animal products or skin is not only animal-friendly but also environmentally friendly. A lot of the time, these alternative materials are still recyclable, making it a double win for sustainability! Given the amount of delicious vegan food we now all seem to be eating, it makes sense to dress accordingly.
- Minimalism
A slightly less popular type of slow fashion is minimalism. Minimalism focuses on only having the bare minimum in your 'capsule wardrobe'. That means fewer clothes and sticking to wearing the most versatile items of clothing, translating to basic 'uniform' outfits that you can go every day without thinking too much about. It aims to reduce the amount of production, consumption and waste that the fashion industry churns out. This can be a tough feat for any clothing addict, but there are lots of minimalist styles being seen on the catwalks today to encourage the minimalist ‘capsule’ wardrobe.
- Fair-Trade Fashion
Fair fashion concentrates on the treatment of the worker, ensuring that the clothing you are buying has come from a company that treats their employees fairly (really though, this should be a given today, why are we still exploiting our fellow human?).
Many fast fashion brands have been exposed for using sweatshops and cheap labour that can have a detrimental effect on a worker’s quality of life. Seek out brands that are fair fashion certified, if you are unsure when it comes to smaller, independent brands, you can always question the ethics of the particular brand or business. We all deserve a wage we can live on and a working environment we can be happy in.
- Local Fashion
It may be something on your radar already and a lot of you who shop independently will already be shopping locally too, but did you know the high cost and damage caused by shipping and importing clothing can be drastically reduced if you focus on buying from shops who produce garments nearby? A top tip is to look at the clothing label, the further afield the piece has been produced in, the more damage it is likely to have had on the planet. If you want a cool top from China, it's better if you visit the place it was made to buy it, which makes for some great travelling stories too!
In an ideal world, we would be practising all types of ethical fashion and considering all factors that make it up. However, it can be hard to completely follow all the rules, and that’s okay because we all do the best we can.
Find what works best for you, keep exploring new ways and expanding your knowledge so you can make an even bigger impact!