Perhaps not the only answer but certainly a good one to throw at the issue. In truth, producing fashion in an affordable and sustainable way is an enormous problem that will inevitably take a multi-pronged approach to solve. Yet solve it we must and soon. Much has been said of the tipping point lately, I cannot help feel the urgency for drastic change right now.
The damage we’ve inflicted onto the Planet in the name of fashion is just one facet of the global disaster en route to Generation Next. This will be their big clean-up but for now, we absolutely must address the WAY we buy clothes and stop adding to the ensuing disaster.
So how can we affect change on such a huge problem, will it make a difference and is it even up to us to do something? Naturally, you won’t be surprised to read my answer to the latter is a resounding yes. When you think about it, supply and demand is the reason we got ourselves into this mess. Sure brands and big manufacturing companies dazzled us with their constant turnover of stock, availability and super-speedy delivery. All of which has fostered an entitled mentality, making us ever greedy for more. After all, we deserve it right?
With closets heaving, each new Season many do the big clearout making space for ever more new clothes. Fast fashion brands love this! Zara is the best at inconspicuously feeding their customers insatiable appetite for new trends. By subtly using Influencers, Instagram, Youtube, and the ubiquitous “hauls”, they manage to create a buying frenzy and the feeling of missing out if you don’t jump on the bandwagon. Needless to say, that feeling passes before the ink is dry on your virtual receipt.
Shoes, bags and cheap accessories are culprits too, in fact, the modern Woman’s rapacious appetite for new fashion has made billionaires of a small number of Men whilst keeping millions of people in poverty.
For us to have a new outfit every week, many people, mostly Women HAVE SUFFERED GREATLY. Make no mistake, if you shop fast-fashion this is absolutely the case. My firm belief is in the single sentence I live by “There’s a reason why it’s that cheap”.
Indeed it is physically impossible for a brand, no matter how huge, to manufacture clothing at such ridiculously low prices and still make a big mark-up. If this is the case, then they’re doing something, correction, everything, immoral to get there. Let’s be clear and call it immoral because unethical just doesn’t cut it anymore. We’re way past being nice about this disgusting activity that continues to keep people in chains and cause insurmountable harm to the environment. My gloves are off Ladies, who’s with me?
Brands must become transparent and stop hiding these atrocities. It’s the only way to make them accountable and put an end to it once and for all. The best way I can see for making this happen is by not supporting their morally corrupt practices. Take them out by not shopping there, which is actually a far easier course of action than any other protest you make as long as we all stick together. The power is in the number of people willing to forgo the cheap prices and new trends. If enough people do this, you’ll see how quickly they change their ways. The moment company profits plummet, action will miraculously be taken on what has previously been deemed impossible.
Furthermore, I’m no longer willing to play nice and make excuses for people who know better. The high low is dead or should be. Anyone on Instagram pairing their Primark with Prada will be unfollowed immediately, full stop, the end. It is not cool or clever and P.S. if you can afford to wear Chanel you have options this isn’t about fashion being accessible to everyone, it stopped being that a long time ago. As I always say, if you can’t afford to buy something you really want and saving up will take forever (although I’ve been known to save for years for a designer item) buy it second-hand! There are more pre-loved options online than ever before, you’re almost guaranteed to find the exact item you covet. Of course, if it’s a certain “look” you’re after then the label shouldn’t matter which makes it even easier and cheaper to buy your outfit secondhand.
*Buy clothes that you really love and you’ll be proud to wear them often.
A NEW WAY TO PRODUCE SUSTAINABLE FASHION
Moving forward in sustainable fashion manufacturing has taken a while however some brands have come up with a way that was actually staring us all in the face.
Made to order clothing! This is nothing new, it was the only way to sell clothes before giant factories full of slaves became a thing. Remember when Women would either make their own clothes or pay someone else to make them? Well lately I’ve noticed brands doing this too, albeit on a larger scale but the principle is the same.
Wholesome Culture, the company that made my t-shirt, does exactly that although they call it “on demand”. This means their clothing is produced on demand to prevent waste due to excess inventory. Mountains of waste is something H&M and Zara are particularly notorious for. Ironic that there should be so much waste from such hugely popular brands but there lies the crux of the problem right?
Now as you may expect with made to order clothing, there is a longer lead time. However, this isn’t an outrageous amount of time, usually a week or ten days. Compared to fast fashion deliveries of a day or two this may seem like a fair while to wait but it isn’t in real terms. Think of the building anticipation and eventual excitement at finally receiving your new piece in the post! That’s all part of curating your closet, building a wardrobe for life that you love and wear with pride. Remember ours is a lifetime love, not a fleeting, trendy affair. Trust me, slowing down IS the only way forward for fashion.
MORE SUSTAINABLE LABELS I LOVE
Some other labels I love that also take this action are DAI (post here) Little Tienda (have my eye on the Picnic range) Sarvin (post by The Sequinist) and Beulah London.
One of my favourite maxi dress labels, Ridley London takes its minimalist manufacturing one step further by actually giving their customers a made to measure option. You can see me in my fabulously fruity Ridley dress here and here.
Since people often ask me about the ethics of specific brands, I’ve started compiling a list of those I know to be sustainable. Bear with me as I complete my due diligence on a few that are new to me. I should have a decent sized list of varying styles and prices, up in my menu bar soon.
WHO MADE MY CLOTHES?
The brilliant campaign #WhoMadeMyClothes finished last Sunday but in case you missed it I’d like to draw your attention to the incredible work of Fashion Revolution. If you’re not following their Instagram, I urge you to take a look and encourage you to please follow them here and here.
Fashion Revolution is not only an excellent resource for those of us trying to live more consciously but is also a community affecting real change for the good…
We are Fashion Revolution. We are designers, producers, makers, workers and consumers. We are academics, writers, business leaders, brands, retailers, trade unions and policymakers. We are the industry and the public. We are world citizens. We are a movement and a community. We are you.
We love fashion. But we don’t want our clothes to exploit people or destroy our planet. We demand radical, revolutionary change.
And on that note, I shall sign off…
Thank you all for being here, lots of love Mx
Comments ( 17 )
Catherine, Not Dressed As Lamb
Oh WHAT a fantastic post MT… this needs to be shouted from the rooftops! I can’t ABIDE hauls on Youtube or wherever, and I too cringe at H&M or even Primark(?!!) purchases on older women who, as you say, can also afford to buy Chanel or bloody Gucci belts. I do have the odd H&M and Zara purchase, but I can say that they’ve been worn a lot, are still being worn, and were good enough quality to last for ages. Though my days of shopping there again are long gone.
Good for you for unfollowing the haulers, and thank you for all your research into these great companies! x
MT
Oh me too Catherine, I still have old Zara, h&m, Topshop that is donkeys old but going strong. In fact, Kiki wore my favourite denim shorts to school today that happen to be from Zara (10 years old!)
For the record, I wouldn’t squirm at buying these brands secondhand especially as our local Goodwill is heaving with them. Most of this stuff is almost new! Sustainability in fashion is definitely not about discarding what’s already produced, that’d be counterproductive to the cause right?
Fatima
Oh, MT! Such an important post. I can here you passion and utter frustration at the way it’s all heading with the ‘haul’ mob. I am exasperated with it all. It’s a bloody long fight but I’m prepared to do my bit. Rejecting so many values I once held so dear is a difficult process. I guess it’s real change & growth. I’ve learnt so much from you MT. Thanks for a truly brilliant post xx
MT
Hi Fatima darling friend,
Yes you’re right, my passion to move fashion beyond sustainable, consumes my every thought these days. I feel a quickening, a fleeting moment in time that we all must connect on this issue before it’s too late. Over the past few years my belief has grown stronger too. Not so long ago, I was still buying at Zara and the like even though it felt wrong. I pushed aside the guilt of supporting child labour by telling myself what I do makes no difference. Well now I know it actually does make a difference, I can longer deny it and feel good about myself.
Remember what the Dalai Lama said “If you think you’re too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito”
Rozanne
A fantastic, kick-ass post, love it! Very eager to see your finished list of sustainable brands. I never buy new without scouring the site for an ethics statement but they are often dismayingly obtuse. Or absent. Basically, if they can’t just come out with it and commit to operating with moral integrity in every respect, then they ain’t getting my hard-earned. Your blog has been a moral beacon for me x
MT
It’s comments like this that keep me powering on Rozanne. I can’t tell you how happy I am to know you search for an ethics statement from brands. This is bloody awesome!
It’s true they’re sometimes incredibly vague which I also take as a sign to steer clear. The good news is, since more people have come to expect ethical practices from brands, more brands are switching to them. The power of the consumer is undoubtedly responsible for the change. If only more shoppers believed this, perhaps change would come faster?
Abby
Love that post of yours Michelle! One really feels the power of your Voice! I totally agree with everything you say, down to the last revolutionary statement. I won’t repeat myself about how I contribute to the subject, you know very well my point of view on that (wink!). Missing you! xx Abby
MT
I definitely DO KNOW my darling Abby. Despite that, you still go to the trouble of leaving a comment of support for me and that means the absolute world! Thank you sweet friend xx
Lynne Farrage
This feels like a very important post that needs to go to as wide an audience as possible. Thanks for signposting the various communities, campaigns out there. I think some of the well known instagrammers ( well in my demographic anyway) who are continually promoting Matalan/ QVC/ Top Shop and are so obviously gifted LOADS and LOADS of clothes look out of time now. The zeitgeist moment is sustainability and these bloggers seem so gratuitous. So keep up the thought provoking, purposeful work. It means a lot
MT
Thank you Lynne, I think you’re bang on when you say those Instagrammers are out of time. It does feel like a wave of sustainable awareness is rolling into social media now. Maybe “wave” is too polite, a tsunami is more like it! In any case, I truly hope I’m right because the alternative scares the crap out of me. This fear is probably the only thing that keeps me blogging these days, Lord knows I make very little income from it any more. Oh the irony 😉
No Fear of Fashion
A very commendable post Michelle. I am following both IG accounts of Fashion Revolution now. It is always hard to see which brands are good and which are bad for man and planet. A source to check is what we need. Looking forward to your list as well. I do however find it difficult to “condemn” people if they still shop Primark or H&M for instance. We are all on a different step of the sustainable ladder and it is a complicated subject. For instance if I buy local vegetables, they might very well have travelled to Egypt and back without me knowing it. You think you do the right thing and it turns out you don’t. Also people who have less money probably have less opportunity to be sustainable. Look at Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. But perhaps pioneers like you cannot reach goals when they take a “grey”/understanding point of view. Perhaps changer is only made through taking stand. Getting philosophical now.
Greetje
MT
Thank you for making this point, I was trying to avoid any misunderstandings whilst staying on topic but maybe not well enough?
Here’s the thing Greeje, all of the Women who mix fast fashion with their Gucci and Chanel actually DO know where it comes from and the harm that it causes. We ALL know now so there really is no excuse anymore. However, I fully realize we have all bought clothes from the offending fast fashion brands in the past, myself included, and I certainly don’t expect these items to be thrown away in the name of protest. That’s even more wasteful and completely missing the point. The point I was trying to make, which perhaps I failed to make, is about what we’re doing NOW WE KNOW BETTER.
I take issue with Women who are still shopping Zara like there’s no tomorrow. And do you know what? Maybe there won’t be a tomorrow for the next generation. And for what? For the pleasure of buying junk fashion every week to style on Instagram? There are literally hundreds of these accounts bragging EVERY DAY about buying at Zara, H&m, Topshop, Primark ETC so they get it cheap to go with their Gucci loafers or Chanel bag. I just seriously cannot abide this anymore, if that makes me mean spirited then so be it.
In terms of Women who can’t afford to buy anything but fast fashion, I totally get that. I was broke most of my adult life so I do understand. That’s why in my post I offer the alternative for buying secondhand and as you know, I also encourage that on a regular basis. I know shopping secondhand is unpalatable to some people so I’m keen to destigmatize it. After all, there’s literally a mountain of unwanted clothing out there, all you have to do is look in the right places.
No Fear of Fashion
Thank you very much for your elaborate answer. You see, I can never just say straight forward: “well said, totally agree” if I have so many considerations in my head. And you know I like to speak the truth rather than flatter. In this case you and I go even more in-depth than you already did in the post. That is good, right?
Just to let you know, last year you stopped me from ever going to Zara and H&M. Primark was already on my death wishlist.
So you do do good work haha.
Greetje
MT
Hahaha “death wishlist” is GOLD! I love that phrase, might have to steal it Greetje 😉
I agree with you that it’s important to continue this discussion on every level because you’re right, it IS multi-layered. In fact, I think that’s probably why some people give up on trying to buy sustainable fashion and for that, I don’t blame them. However, at this point, it’s simply too important to dismiss, difficult or not we all must do our best. I know you agree with me Greetje, I see you sharing 2nd hand finds and rewearing/styling your closet on Insta every day more and more. It makes me so happy!
Lisa the Sequinist
This is SUCH an important post, really should be required reading before anyone is allowed to have an Instagram account! The shameless self-promotion and need for daily posting to please an algorithm is KILLING the planet. It is that Instagram algorithm needing to be fed new content all the time that supplies Zara with a steady stream of feet. Thank you for putting this post out into the blogosphere, MT. xxx
MT
Damn right! If it wasn’t so serious, it’d be laughable really. I mean how ridiculous does all of this sound? I often have flashes of scenes from “The Road” like screenshots in my brain. To think this kind of devastation is now a real possibility in my lifetime just about kills me. And for what, an outfit of the day?