Beyond Red Paint
Those guys at PETA know what they’re doing. They grab your attention with protests and throwing red paint at celebrities clad in fur. Inflammatory. Sensational. That’s what really screams for attention. The plight of animals and how they are cruelly treated for their skins. It’s an easy thing to grasp and understand. It’s a statement on fashion that is clear and direct, and it’s a shame that we can’t have discussions about sustainable fashion the same way.
What Does Sustainable Fashion Really Mean?
There’s plenty of technical articles about it. Go ahead. Google it for five minutes. Go on the wiki. You’ll see quickly why it’s a complicated topic. There simply isn’t an easy way to explain it, because it refers to the entire process of how a piece of clothing is made.
Material Matters: From Cotton to Polyester
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From the material (be it grown naturally like cotton or made synthetically like polyester),
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To how the material is processed (color and weft),
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Who is doing the sewing and in what environments (wages and conditions for Honduran vs. American labor)
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All the way to how long something will last (both in your closet and in the environment)
Why Sustainable Fashion is Hard to Communicate
Let’s face it, you’re not going to wear the ten skinny scarves you bought off Shein cuz you saw it on TikTok Winter ’22, it’s getting buried in your closet along with the silver metallic handbag you saw for $25 (okay so metallics are trending Summer ‘23 so you’ll probably keep it for another season).
Sustainable fashion doesn’t have a quick and fast message that can be delivered to you for awareness. I can’t throw some red paint at you and make you see immediately what the problem is. If you’re curious like me, take another break and google “fast fashion.” Or just read this. If that doesn’t make you feel absolutely awful about shopping at H&M, I don’t know what will.
A Garment's Journey: From Cotton Fields to Closet
It’s easier if we follow the progression of one item from beginning to end to really get a full picture of why it’s nearly impossible to get information on how truly sustainable your wardrobe is. Ready? Let’s look at my uniform of choice these days in the glorious WFH-era of post-COVID: a T-shirt and pair of jeans. I love my jeans so I’ll dive into them more.
The Water Footprint of Denim
Most denims are made from cotton. It takes up to 20,000 liters of water to create enough cotton for a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. The shirt alone is 2,700 liters, enough water to last a person nearly three years; the jeans will use enough water to easily last a person ten years. We haven’t covered the chemicals used during the dye process which usually includes the use of aniline (synthetic dye that can trigger human allergic skin reactions and is toxic to marine life), and in happier rarer cases, natural indigo dye. Factory conditions for where your jeans are cut and sewn together are generally unknown, so if it’s a third world country, it’s likely that conditions are not the greatest, and wage fairness is of course just as muddled.
Ethical Denim: AG Jeans, Reformation, and Sustainable Initiatives
The industry is trying. There are companies now that highlight how their denim products are produced using less water in the dye process, or assembled by people who are being paid fair wages in good work environments. Companies like AG Jeans highlight their water recycling efforts. Reformation’s whole premise is to be carbon neutral. But honestly I’m budget minded. I’m a Saks Off Fifth and Nordstrom Rack person at best, and mostly J.Crew/GAP otherwise. GAP calls it their Washwell program. I had a GAP men’s denim jacket I wore for 10 years through college.
Fashion Trends vs. Sustainability: JNCO Jeans Nostalgia
It was late 90s, early 2000s, baggy was king. Is king now. Anybody out there remember JNCO Jeans? Oh snap they still exist… but sustainability is SUS.
Your Role in Fashion’s Future: Extending the Life of Your Clothes
It’s not just companies making your clothes though who can make a difference. It’s how long you’re going to keep something in your closet and in rotation. Yes you, the consumer who makes the big bucks and keeps these companies in business. How long will you wear these jeans? Will you get a year out of them? What do you do with your tired wardrobe that needs to be refreshed? I’m not going to judge you for buying stuff off Shein or H&M, Zara or Forever 21 (hey I know I’m not 21, but whatever). What do you do afterwards?
Repurpose, Resell, Recycle: Keeping Fashion Circular
Resell or repurpose them! Seriously. Easiest is to make a pair of shorts. Scissors and voila! Instant cutoffs for the upcoming summer. If you’re craftsy enough, use the rest for a handbag or purse. Make a skirt. If you live in a house (or can afford to own a house, you lucky SOB) do housework in them. Yardwork in them.
But if you haven’t worn them and the TAGS are still on them, by gawd sell them on mercari. Ebay. Consignment if they’re Balenciaga jeans. Well maybe if they’re not these jeans.
Donate with caution. More on sustainability and donations in my next rant. I’ll also cover kids clothes. All clothes. Any clothes.