Top 5 Benefits of Buying Sustainable Clothes
Did you know that the fashion industry is one of the largest waste producers today? As the industry evolves each year and the trends change with the season, it also has taken a new direction. Sustainable clothing.
More trends are evolving towards a new environmentally friendly approach. Brands must think on their feet and develop new ways to adapt their clothing and protect the environment.
In this article, we'll teach you more about sustainable clothing and its impact on today's fashion industry.
What is Sustainable Fashion?
Sustainable fashion is sourcing, manufacturing, designing, and selling clothes in a way that minimizes the fashion industry's impact on the environment. It is also referred to as ethical fashion, because of the goal to reduce waste and encourage better labor practices.
Trends Impacting the Industry
Even the best fashion trends come and go, but eco-friendly fashion trends are here to stay. Several popular sustainable fashion trends have been on the rise.
Thrifting for Second-Hand Clothing
Shopping for second-hand clothing has been trending in recent years because it reduces fast fashion and clothing waste.
Instead of buying clothes new, you shop for them second-hand. It's almost like a treasure hunt where you track down unique fashion pieces.
With the boom of online shopping, there are more options to shop second-hand than ever. If you don't find what you want in your local resale shops, there are a variety of online options available to shop second-hand from all over the world.
Rewearing Clothing
Instead of buying brand-new clothing every time you attend an event, re-wear something in your closet. Re-wearing outfits allow you to enjoy special outfits more than once and keep the clothes in your closet from piling up.
Upcycling
Upcycling is when you take used or old clothing and make it into something modern or new. With upcycling, even the most basic items of clothing can turn into something special.
This trend allows you to make clothes that you can't get anywhere else, save money, and bring your creativity to life.
Minimalism
Many people are going the minimalist route and downsizing their closets. With minimalist trends, people are choosing a few key pieces for their wardrobe instead of filling their closet.
These key pieces are often high-quality and versatile, allowing for a longer life span in your closet, as well as the ability to pair with many items.
Changes in Fashion Businesses
As the fashion industry evolves towards smart fashion, the business of fashion must make changes as well. There are several ways fashion businesses have adapted to more eco-friendly practices.
Eco-Friendly Materials
More brands are shifting their focus to using bio-based materials to create eco-friendly clothing. Bio-based textiles are made from plant-based renewable resources.
Brands are looking for ways to improve their current tech to substitute more of these textiles as a replacement for harmful options.
Climate-Conscious Messages
Brands jumped on the sustainable fashion trend by promoting climate-conscious messages to their customers. These messages often encourage consumers to play their part or donate proceeds to an environmental cause.
Reducing Waste
Reducing waste from fashion production is one of the biggest priorities when working to be a more sustainable brand in the industry. As brands are focusing on their online presence, choosing the right shipping materials and reducing plastic in your packaging is important to sustainability.
Fashion businesses use sustainable packaging by choosing smaller boxes or envelopes out of recyclable materials, less filler, and eliminating unused space.
Reusing and Recycling
Another way eco-friendly brands are reducing waste is by reusing and recycling materials. One fabric can be remade into several different looks.
Some brands are even reusing leftover designs and upcycling them into new looks.
Resale Platforms For Your Unwanted Clothes
As resale shopping became more popular, brands kept up by starting resale shops for their pre-loved clothing. If you'd like to resell clothing, think of Poshmark or Depop, and Tradesy for more upscale pieces. You can find new or very gently used clothing and accessories at outlet prices - and even receive money for the unwanted items in your closet!
No More Fast Fashion
Fast fashion is when clothes are mass-produced and sold at a low price. These clothes are often made of a lesser quality to encourage consumers to return for new items.
Sustainable brands are skipping fast fashion and making high-quality items at higher price points. This reduces the number of clothing that ends up thrown out by increasing the lifespan of clothes and decreasing the need to keep buying new things.
Why is Sustainability Important?
Sustainability is important in fashion because it has one of the greatest carbon footprints.
The fashion industry is responsible for 10% of global emissions, and those numbers continue rising. 85% of all textiles end up in the dump each year. Microplastics used in some synthetic fabrics pollute the oceans and rivers.
Sustainable fashion choices protect the environment and last longer than fast fashion. Smarter choices include buying less clothing, shopping for higher-quality pieces, paying attention to the type of fabrics you are buying, and cutting back on the number of outfits worn per day.
Sustainable Clothing is the Future of Fashion
If you want to keep up with modern trends and do your part to protect the environment, learning about how to buy more sustainable clothing is an incredible step in the right direction.
Brands are making the effort towards a healthier future and the options are ever-growing. Eco-friendly choices don't have to stop at fashion either.
At Simple Good, we put the planet above profits and keep our focus on ethically made, sustainable products. Learn more about us and how we play our part here!
