Use resources sustainably but not your clothes?
Here takes our fashion industry, a turn towards greater ecological integrity and social justice. The basic definition of sustainable fashion suggests “Clothing, shoes, textiles and accessories are produced and used most sustainably, considering both environmental and socio-economic aspects.” Sustainable fashion is a style of following trends while maintaining ecological integrity. From the design and processing of raw materials to its sale and final use of the product, the entire process has to be carried out sustainably. Clothes that say “Made in Germany” aren’t entirely made in Germany. The raw material is bought from a place, transported for production of cloth which is then manufactured and sold as a garment. Draining our natural resources, all these steps involve transportation leaving an economic as well as environmental footprint behind. Hence the need for sustainability in this industry was seen.
Two perspectives can be taken into account while considering this new advancement in the fashion industry: one of the brands and the other of the consumers, usually conflicting as they coexist. For brands, sustainable fashion means manufacturing clothes in a way that does not leave behind a negative footprint. This brings into account a slow fashion which checks out being environment friendly since fewer new items are produced. For us, it means to use clothes more often, in as many ways as possible and being apprehensive about their longevity before buying clothes. However, this idea of slow fashion does not satisfy consumer demands as their taste changes with time. People promote sustainable fashion by using second hand or underline clothing, usually swapping or renting clothes instead of buying new pieces every time which reduces production costs and demands without affecting the consumers thus regulating an ecological balance while maintaining the growth rate of this industry.
Sustainable fashion does not only restrict itself to production and use. There are numerous ways in which we can use our clothes sustainably. We can try using what we have to recreate an outfit like a loose tunic can be wrapped with a belt or maybe a scarf can be wrapped around your body serving as a top. Use your pair of sneakers instead of buying new ones just because old ones got you bored. Summer is going to be over soon and you can’t get every outfit tailored for every event, party or gala you have been missing out on. Buy things that you'll not only be wearing for a particular occasion but will be using for a long period. Buy them with longevity in mind, if you intend to wear them in a way that will make its value last.
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