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What is Sustainable Fashion?
Sustainable fashion encourages creating an eco-friendly industry where products, people, and processes are all aiming toward a carbon-neutral goal. In a nutshell, sustainable fashion focuses on environmentally-friendly fashion that's ethically made.
The term refers to both the way in which clothing is created and the way product ranges are planned, delivered and purchased. Sustainable fashion concerns more than just products; it aims to achieve equality, social justice and animal welfare throughout the industry.
Why is Sustainable Fashion Important?
The goal is to create a system whereby fashion can be made in a way that considers humanity and the environment, reducing the negative impact as much as possible. There are many reasons why sustainable fashion is important, but here are some of the main ones:
Reduces Carbon-Footprint
The fashion industry contributes to global warming as it emits a large amount of greenhouse gases. The majority of clothes are made from fossil fuels (such as polyester and nylon), which require much more energy in the production stage.
As Jack Connors, Sustainability Project Manager at Dr. Martens, puts it “The fashion industry at the moment is having a huge impact on the planet and people, so really you need to be inside the brands to make the real change!”. (Learn more from Jack in our blog - Learn About Sustainability in Fashion with Dr. Martens)
However, ethical brands use materials that are natural or recycled, which require less chemical treatment and energy to grow to the materials needed. Organic materials such as linen are biodegradable too.
Promotes Fair Wages and Working Conditions
Most fast fashion companies manufacture cheap clothing in unsafe conditions. Workers are often severely underpaid and work long hours in poor conditions. In contrast, sustainable companies prioritise a safe environment and fair pay for their workers.
Doesn’t Support Child Labour
Accusations of child labour have often been made against fast fashion brands. Sustainable companies aim to create a safe workplace, providing transparent information about work processes and conditions.
Promotes Animal Welfare
Clothes that are made from leather or fur kill millions of animals every year. Sustainable brands have begun using cruelty-free alternatives, including materials made from recycled seat belts and even rubbish from the ocean.
Requires Less Water
The fashion industry uses a lot of water when manufacturing fabrics and garments. Cotton is particularly dependent on it, and is usually grown in hot and dry areas where water is already scarce. Sustainable brands use materials such as organic cotton instead, which consumes significantly less water.
Examples of Sustainable Fashion
There are many terms in the sustainable fashion sphere, but here are some of the most important ones:
Slow Fashion
Slow fashion is essentially the polar opposite of fast fashion. The concept is very similar to sustainable fashion, and follows the same general guidelines.
What is Slow Fashion?
Slow fashion takes a long-term view and considers the whole life cycle of the product. It promotes buying long-lasting garments that are of a higher quality, whilst valuing fair treatment of people, animals and the planet.
As Alison Bringé from Forbes noted, a strong example of this is Levi’s, whose “Buy Better, Wear Longer” campaign encourages consumers to shop more intentionally and choose pieces that will last - helping to reduce overconsumption and environmental impact.
Ethical Fashion
Ethical fashion is about taking a moralistic stance to ensure no humans or animals are hurt during the design, production and distribution of garments.
Pangia is a good example - they focus on creating sustainable materials and caring for animal welfare. One innovation is Vegea, a leather alternative made from grape waste, helping reduce the need for animal leather. Each year, over 1.4 million cows, goats and sheep are killed for leather and meat, so this shift could make a real difference.
Circular Fashion
Circular fashion refers to strategies intended to recover any wasted materials, with the idea of re-purposing them to use in manufacturing. One of the most common examples of circular fashion is recycling plastic-based materials and reusing them.
What is Fast Fashion?
On the other side of sustainable fashion is fast fashion. The term refers to cheap clothing that is mass-produced in response to the latest trends. Fast fashion replicates recent catwalk or celebrity culture styles and produces them at a low cost incredibly quickly.
The goal of fast fashion is to get the newest trends on the market as quickly as possible, so that they are available to shoppers while they are still current and popular. Fast fashion brands drop new products every week, leading to large amounts of waste.
There isn’t a set price, product offering, or even seasonal cadence that makes a fast fashion brand. Rather, it’s a way of manufacturing, marketing, and selling clothing that gives a brand that title. Alyssa Hardy, Vogue
Factors Common to Fast Fashion Brands
Examples you might see in a fast fashion brand include:
- A limited quantity of particular garments, encouraging shoppers to buy immediately as they know it could soon be out of stock
- Use of low-quality materials like polyester, designed to only function for a few wears before it needs to be replaced
- Short turnaround time between when a trend is seen on a catwalk to when it appears in the store
- Thousands of styles, with new lines being sold in quick succession
How Can We Shop More Sustainably?
Buy Second Hand
Instead of buying new all the time, take a look around charity shops or try platforms like Vinted and Depop and purchase something second-hand instead. You can also sell or donate your own unwanted clothes, rather than just leaving them hanging in the wardrobe, which will help others to be more sustainable too.
Choose Quality Over Quantity
Buy quality pieces from sustainable fashion companies rather than cheaper alternatives from fast fashion brands. Although it'll likely cost more money to begin with, it will also last longer and be better made, saving you money overall. Buying a few high-quality items that will last for years is much better for the environment (and cheaper in the long-term) than buying tons of cheaper non-eco-friendly clothes that you'll wear only a couple of times.
Slow fashion is all about choosing to buy fewer pieces: shopping consciously and benefiting from having some amazing made-to-last pieces in your closet instead of lower quality items from a fleeting trend that you might wear just once. George Graham, Co-Founder and CEO of Wolf & Badger (Vogue)
Repair Your Current Clothing
Try to avoid throwing clothes away unnecessarily. If something rips, try and repair it yourself, or find a professional to do it. There are apps that can connect users to local tailors who can repair and alter clothing, or you can learn how to do basic repairs yourself! Although giving your clothes away to charity is a great way to be more sustainable, it doesn’t always mean they end up in someone else’s wardrobe, and can sometimes just end up in the landfill.
That’s why some brands are taking things a step further. As Forbes have used as an example of this, Patagonia not only uses sustainable materials in its garments, but also actively supports customers in repairing their clothing rather than replacing it, helping reduce overconsumption.
Careers In Sustainable Fashion
As the British Retail Consortium has identified, there is a significant skills gap in the sustainability sector of the fashion industry, meaning there are plenty of opportunities for quick career progression for strong candidates.
There is a wide-range of roles available within sustainable fashion, including:
- Sustainability Coordinator or Officer
- Product Sustainability Consultant
- Sustainable Buyer
- Ethical Trade or Sustainable Sourcing Manager
- Corporate Social Responsibility Manager
These roles are not only in high demand, but also highly rewarding, offering the chance to make a positive impact on both people and the planet.
Study at Fashion at the Fashion Retail Academy
If sustainable fashion is something you’re passionate about, and you want to make a difference in the industry, why not take the first step and enrol onto our specialist sustainable fashion course?
Study BA (Hons) Sustainability in Fashion and you'll get the chance to explore the commercial and ethical factors that can impact brands, learn about the political, environmental and social elements that make up a sustainable supply chain and explore the technical and practical aspects of creating products from design to store.
If you think a role in fashion is right for you, take the first step and study with the Fashion Retail Academy. If you have any questions about the courses on offer, send us an email at info@fra.ac.uk.
