Fashion trends are changing more often than they ever did, but sustainability may be the biggest ‘trend’ in fashion right now. From companies such as Zara who were two steps ahead of everyone to other brands like Pretty Little Thing who haven’t yet jumped onto the latest, Emma Stone keeps us in the thread with the latest.
Find out all about which fashion brands are most ethical and sustainable that might just lighten up your wardrobe, you won’t want to miss out on the latest trend!
Why is sustainable fashion more important than ever?
Sustainable fashion also known as eco-fashion is a term used to describe companies that recycle, upcycle and redesign and also ensure working within the brand is fair and ethical.
Companies that have adopted sustainable fashion are Zara, H & M and Levi’s. Whereas companies such as Shein and Pretty Little Thing haven’t yet adapted to a newer lifestyle just yet but as trends begin to change, will more brands turn into a sustainable brand?
As with most fashion brands, each has their own pros and cons. Sustainable fashions brands tend to be more expensive because they take more care in respecting their workers and ensuring everything remains ethical within the business. They also try to recycle and reuse materials. By making these small changes, companies will have a smaller carbon footprint and reduce the number of toxins released into the atmosphere. Future generations ultimately benefit from improved air and water quality, fewer landfills and more renewable energy sources.
At this year's London fashion week a company called LVFD from Czech Republic showed their new sustainable collection. The collection was designed by a woman called Lucy Vaclav who during the pandemic, created LFW (London Fashion Week) with the intention of creating “sustainable and ethical, but sexy clothing”. Lucy’s brand stands out from other sustainable fashion brands because of her bold and creative styles.
Emma interviewed Annie Fowler and asked her thoughts and views on sustainable fashion. Annie responded “I think sustainable fashion is the future and even though it can be more expensive which a lot of people can be put off by, myself included, it needs to be more practised in the fashion industry. It is such a big industry and it can make a huge impact on our future if they make this change for the better.”
Emma also had the opportunity to Interview Molly and found out whether she tries to buy from sustainable fashion brands, she said “I think places like Whering, which don't actually sell clothes but encourage sustainability through the use of clothes you already have, is the best way to go when aiming for sustainability. And then shopping small when you do need to buy new things. Through buying from smaller businesses people are also helping local economies and helps individuals rather than funding massive corporations, which promote fast fashion and unethical working conditions”
Fast fashion brands are found to be less expensive because these brands cut their costs by wasting materials, for example they don’t have an issue with not recycling materials. Therefore sustainable fashion is more expensive because they reduce their waste by ensuring that they invest in small scale production lines or order materials designed to fit.
Unfortunately, not all brands have adopted this nature, for example brands such as Shien and Pretty little thing, which are fast fashion brands. However, many individuals will willingly buy from these brands because they are affordable. Mckinsey, a group who study statistics found that “57% of consumers now pay attention to environmental impacts of their clothing.” Also statistics have recently shown that 88% believe that reducing pollution requires even more work.
However, although Pretty Little Thing are still seen as an unsustainable brand they are heading towards becoming more sustainable. They recently launched an app called the PLT Market Place, in which you can sell old or new items from PLT (Pretty Little Thing) or other labelled items that you no longer wear. The Brands creative director Molly-Mae says she wanted to disrupt the fashion industry and do something that nobody would have expected from the fast fashion brand. This will allow their company to get on board with the latest trend and boost their company. They have also launched the app at an ideal time with their first ever MarketPlace ambassador Indiyha, a well known celebrity from the popular Tv show Love Island. Finally, they also released the app during an ideal time for those struggling during the cost of living crisis, because those people will be able to find second hand clothing at a cheaper price.
How is the rise in living costs affecting sustainable fashion?
As many already know sustainable fashion is more expensive because of the benefits it can come with however, with the cost of living rising, however there are alternative options. Tk Maxx is a very well known brand for receiving things from clothes to shoes to skin care products which have drastically dropped in price. The reason for this is because they will buy in bulk directly from manufacturers and negotiate cheaper prices. Although Tk Maxx is not yet a sustainable brand, they are one of many companies that are environmentally friendly and are striving to become a sustainable company.
Local businesses and charity organisations/shops are also sustainable brands because they recycle clothes and sell them for a lower price which also makes clothes more affordable for those unable to afford to buy from higher end retailers.
Sustainable fashion appears to be the future. More companies are jumping on the trend every day and eventually, like most individuals, companies will also want to become more sustainable because that is what the public are demanding and it has shown to be very popular from recent statistics.
This was written to be assessed as part of Emma's Journalism course. This was in Semester 1 of Level 5 and was for the Digital Magazine Production module.