Eco-fashion is no longer a niche segment, but an exclusive trend. More and more often, it enters the mainstream just like veganism. More and more brands have the Organic line, in which clothes are produced from organic cotton (heavy and toxic chemicals are not used in its cultivation). The path in this field was first treaded by Stella McCartney, who opened her first store in 2002. From the very beginning, her brand was a vegan and ecological one. Sustainable fashion was written in her DNA, even though almost 20 years ago, few people apart from Stella were concerned with this topic in the world of high fashion.
During this time, fast fashion was the ruler. Customers were fascinated by the opportunities offered by fast fashion, including the rapid reproduction of runway trends in chain stores. No one had ever heard of slow fashion. The most important thing was to be able to quickly take advantage of the hottest trends - and clothes "past their expiry date" (after they ceased to be fashionable), most often ended up in the bins of charitable institutions or in the trash. No one cared about their future journey and what harm occurs with their destruction - how much microplastic accumulates in the seas or soil when they are burned.
The young sustainable fashion
The consumption spiral had to eventually burst. The disaster at a clothing factory in Bangladesh in 2013, as well as the rapid rise in average temperature, cataclysms, and the level of air pollution sparked a global discussion on the topic of ecological fashion and ethical clothing brands (or rather unethical ones). This also gave customers food for thought. The boards of global corporations producing clothing began to record losses, and ecological fashion ceased to be a pipe dream or a luxury for the chosen ones, and became a requirement for customers also with a less affluent portfolio. Since then, the approach of many brands to production and resource management has changed significantly. Many slow fashion brands and ethical clothing brands have been created, for which sustainable fashion is the basis. Some of them can be read about in the article "Vegan clothes - what does it actually mean?". Also, customers began to shop and treat their clothes differently. What specific changes and trends can be observed in the field of eco-fashion? Discover the thirteen biggest ones.
Slow fashion - a change of pace for the planet
Slow fashion means producing small series of high-quality clothing that will last longer than one season. Unlike fast fashion, these clothes are not "programmed" for maximum one season of use. Here, the quality and loyalty of returning customers are prioritized, not the company's turnover value.
This trend is natural for smaller brands that manage the entire production cycle locally, in one place, reducing the supply chain (and thereby reducing the carbon footprint in the environment). Such a brand is, for example, the Hungarian Nanushka, which works on the collection from conception through the creation of the first patterns to distribution is limited to Hungary and possibly Serbia. Over 3/4 of the brand's products are produced locally in Hungary.
New shopping models
Wanting to extend the life of their clothes, more and more brands are offering rental, subscription or re-commerce options for clothes. Thanks to such actions, the pace of fast fashion slows down a bit. While the first solution is simple and clear, the other two may not be so obvious.
The model in which we subscribe to clothes, instead of buying them, is in other words the possibility of "leasing" a few clothes on a fixed monthly subscription with the possibility of exchanging them at any moment. If we become attached to them, there is also the option to buy them at a lower than shelf price. Such a solution is used by, for example, American Eagle.
Re-commerce, on the other hand, is a platform for selling second-hand clothing by a retail seller, for example, Zalando. The original owner can then return worn clothing to the store, and the clothes are washed, repaired, checked for quality and re-entered into circulation. As part of such a sale, damaged copies also appear (but then the information about it is clear). Such activities are already carried out by, for example, The North Face.
However, the challenge in this area is the return cycle (and the carbon footprint produced again in transport) and the process of refreshing such worn clothes and reintroducing them into circulation. However, this process involves the re-consumption of energy, water and other resources. But is it really eco-fashion?
Wouldn't it be better, after the sale is over, to entrust responsibility for a given item to the customer himself, educating him about extending the life of clothes or their care? Such a customer could then, for example, locally hand over or resell the item from hand to hand, without large energy consumption or water consumption on an industrial scale.
Eco-fashion in large brands - pro-eco activities
As part of such "green" activities, H&M has developed the up- and recycling line Conscious, in which clothes are made from ecological materials. The Conscious Exclusive line was also created, entirely sewn from ECONYL (fibers from repaired fishing nets) and other nylon waste. The brand also uses other innovative materials, including vegan leather made from... grapes (Vegea™ material) and Orange Fiber - a silk substitute made from citrus peels. It also educates its customers in the field of caring for worn clothes so that they last longer, and by 2040 it plans to be positive for the climate (removing more greenhouse gases from the atmosphere than it produces). The goal is noble and ambitious, but will it succeed? We will find out in 20 years. :-)
Environmentally friendly actions and campaigns also appear in Polish brands. Since 2018, in the largest Reserved salons in Poland, you can donate no longer needed clothes of various brands, which are still suitable for wearing. The clothes are then transported to the centers of the Society of Saint Brother Albert and handed over to homeless and poor people.
In addition to the actions of large manufacturers, it also matters how we ourselves treat our clothes and how we shop. Sustainable fashion also depends on us. All actions of large brands originate from the pressure and purchasing decisions of their customers, which is why it is worth asking questions about the production cycle, its ethics and the place and conditions in which clothes are created. Transparency and real actions of producers are important – without greenwashing (pretended pro-ecological actions), which in reality have more in common with the PR of the brand than with real actions for the sake of the climate.
It is also worth thinking twice before throwing clothes into the trash – is it definitely the only and last place where they can go? In many cases, their life can be prolonged, they can be given another home or transformed into something different.
