The buzz word of the decade, "sustainable". You hear it everywhere these days. We all know what a huge impact the clothing industry has in terms of it's carbon output, so we want to try and help people shop as sustainably as possible when buying new clothes. Estimates for the clothing industry's contribution to global emissions range from 5-10%. Not to mention the amount of waste water it creates as dirty water trickles into nearby water sources from the dying process.
As consumers ourselves, we love to buy vintage clothes, which is just about as sustainable as you can get, however there are times when you want something new and fresh.
Here's our top tips to help you shop sustainably.
Another buzzword, "organic". What exactly does this mean when it comes to clothing? Well it can mean quite a lot of things, but overall organic materials are grown using methods and materials that have a lower impact on their environment. These systems should replenish the soil they're grown in whilst reducing the use of toxic pesticides and dyes.
These standards have to be verified by a third party in order to be able to use the name organic. In the UK, there are 2 principle organisations that do this: Organic Content Standard (OCS) and Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS). To conclude, certifications are there to give you the confidence that what you are buying it legitimate. So remember to look out for a certification mark on products!
Any product using organic materials will be called out in the descriptions on AVESTE!
Next, something that you would never even think of as a consumer. The type of dye used. If you're big into your graphic prints, then it's worth understanding how they're made and the impact of the dyes that are used.
For starters, a brief history lesson. The first synthetic dye - mauveine - was created way back in the mid 19th century and transformed the textile industry. Of course, people had already been dying items for years with natural dyes such as indigo, but mauveine was superior as it didn't lose pigmentation and could be made in any colour. The problem though is that synthetic dyes can contaminate the water supply when they are outputted in the factory waste water.
On the other hand, there are natural dyes which come from various forms of vegetation. However, they require far more land and water to produce than synthetic ones so perhaps there is a balance to be had? We think so anyway.
Anyway, look out for the dye type in the descriptions of our products. Where a product is using water based or natural dyes, it will be stated in our product descriptions.
An often overlooked part, the packaging! We waste tonnes of plastic every year transporting stuff around, so it's important to check if a brand uses recyclable or biodegradable packaging. Some sleeves are also re-usable which means that if you ever need to post something, you don't need to pop to the post office and buy a jiffy bag!
Ever wondered why some clothes seem to lose that good feeling from when you first bought them? It's usually down to the quality and weight of the fabric. After a few washes, some clothes start to feel flimsy if their too thin and lightweight. The clothes you often see in vintage clothes shops that last an eternity are usually your harder wearing, high quality items. Brands such as Tommy Hilfiger, Ralph Lauren & Russel Athletic pop up time and time again.
So how can you know if an item is of a high quality? Well, here at AVESTE, we tell you if an item is lightweight or heavyweight with a scale on each product page. Keep a look out for it. Clothing thickness is measured by what's called GSM (grams per square meter). Clothes with a higher GSM are thicker and of higher quality.
If you live with a friend or group of friends, you might already do this, but sharing clothes is a great way of minimising waste and also splitting the cost. How often is a garment sat in a cupboard when it could be being put to good use by someone else? The fashion sharing economy has blown up in recent years with a number of apps such as Tulerie, making it easier than ever to share clothes.
We've become accustomed to sharing riding services and now even our homes through services such as airbnb. How long is it before sharing our clothes takes off? That remains to be seen, but never say never.
Can you shop sustinably when buying new? We like to think so if you follow the advice above. Can it ever be as sustainable as buying vintage? We think the answer is no. However, if you buy good quality clothes, they're less likely to end up in landfill and one day they might just become sought after vintage items themselves!
If you are after some vintage, our friends over at North Workshop are certainly one to check out!