What is sustainable fashion?
The definition of sustainable fashion is that it enables the material of clothing to last longer and preserve it for a vast period of time. Sustain implies that the process or object will last for a long period of time. The motive of this mode of fashion is to preserve the clothing materials that are produced ethically, not harming any animals or humans, and allow them to exist in the brand new marketing eco-friendly concept of slow fashion.
People all around the world are beginning to recognize and appreciate the numerous advantages of this creative fashion concept. It aims at reducing pollution in the environment by completely cutting off the use of plastics and toxic chemicals during the making of garments and clothing items.
Spoiler: Some of your favourite brands are promoting environmental damage by enabling the purchase of fast fashion clothing.

The environmental impact of fast fashion

The concept of fast fashion is the leading cause of environmental damage, causing harm to animals and exploitation of human resources. Fast fashion led to the contribution of waste deposition in the environment and damaged the properties of the environment.

1. Pollution: The ongoing chaos of fast fashion has impacted the environment to a vast extent, which determines the growth of landfills and dumpsters with extensive clothing materials. The continuous flow of goods that coincide with the recent fashion trend has increased the consumption and production of these goods, which further increases their value to last for the shortest time in the market. Therefore, after consumers discard these items, they end up lying in the dumpster, thus degrading the quality of the soil and causing vital damage to the species present around them. Low-quality clothing items, which constitute most of the fashion industry nowadays, are made of microfibers, and these are extremely harmful for us as well as the other species in the eco-system.
2. Quality and longevity: The fast fashion industry has become the reason for a sizeable increase in raw material output, further causing vast waste disposal into the environment. One of the significant reasons for the growth of the quick fashion industry is that low quality goods are sold out at rather affordable rates, which greatly influences buyers to make bulk purchases. These low-quality clothes do not have the tendency to last for longer periods of time and, at times, can cause several health conditions.
3. Depletion of resources: bulk production restrains the quality of the materials; reduced longevity causes these items to end up being incinerated or decomposed in the soil, further contributing to land and air pollution. The significantly lower prices have also impacted employment management, where employees are exploited for their wages.
4. Animal-exploitation: several cosmetics and clothing companies still promote animal cruelty, that is, harming animals by testing products on them and even building brands by making clothes from their skin. These are the reasons the species is going extinct.

The overview of all the ways unsustainable fashion has negatively impacted is numerous. A lot of recent fashion industries have run this way, and customer purchases of goods are fairly high.

Sustainability in fashion has always had prosperous effects on the user, health-wise and as a good investment. The sustainability of the material comes from the use of the best quality fibers, with no compromise on their longevity. The absolute omission of microplastics or microtoxins also has a greater impact on workers and consumers. They promote cruelty-free service and the production of goods, thus conserving the animals and protecting them from extinction.

Benefits of sustainable fashion choices

1. Environmental conservation: Beyond all the benefits of transitioning from non-sustainable fashion choices to sustainable apparel and makeup, there is a significant environmental effect. The clothes are not decomposing in large quantities since the material used can be reused. This implies that abandoned clothing has no negative impact on the environment or wildlife. They shield the different species in the environment since they don’t contain any microplastics.
2. Quality and longevity: The quality of goods that are made under sustainable apparel supervision differs distinctively from the quality of unsustainable goods. This is primary because of the use of distinguished raw materials like organic wool, recycled polyester, and linen. These are not harsh on the skin and last longer for use. They are extremely eco-friendly.
3. Ethical production: Sustainable fashion apparel follows slow fashion, and it demolishes the concept of fast fashion with its alternate adaptations of upgraded quality to make the goods. These have prominently improved the effects on the customers who have switched to them because of the zero use of harsh raw materials. The employers who manufacture these goods have also seen a visible improvement in their wages, and the goods are more ethically produced. The supply is more hygienic. There are surveys that suggest that about 85% of the laborers in the fashion industry are women, which suggests a closer link to gender equality. Due to a scarcity of financial support or strength, these women were unable to cater to minimal or higher education, which resulted in their opting for this field of work. Lack of wages in the fast fashion industry has increased their working hours, with an apparent toll on their monthly wages. This has effected their financial and psychological well-being as well as their household lifestyles.

How do you make sustainable fashion choices?

Prioritize quality over quantity. It may not be easy at first to switch from a particular sort of lifestyle to another, but gradually, with the passing of time, it will become easier to get a grip on it. The materials that are used for making goods in the process of making them sustainable are much gentler on the skin than the lower graded materials. These do not cause any irritations or disruptions in your skin. The appearance of rapid fashion clothes is more vibrant and trendy, but they intend to cause severe human health and environmental damage. The before mentioned detail shows how unethically these rapidly growing fashion industries are producing, which costs the workers time and physical effort and, in return, gets them underpaid. These factories are also not as trust-worthy when it comes to production because of the mass supply of goods promoted by the increased demands. Therefore, choose ethical and transparent brands that especially promote cruelty-free, organic, reused, and eco-friendly products.

How can I overcome the common obstacles while switching to sustainable fashion?

It is true that while you are switching to sustainable fashion, you might feel that it is much more expensive as compared to the opposite brands, which promote fast fashion. Every good thing comes with a price tag! And in this case, the price tags are almost 50% more expensive than the unsustainable alternative. Usually, fast fashion brands promote a massive switch of theme and trend every 3–6 months, and the customers are convinced to keep up with it. Therefore, they feel the need to upgrade their closets with the ongoing fashion trends and make purchases accordingly. This consumerism effect is used for bulk, low-grade, environment-depleting clothing materials that are ultimately going to be ‘old-fashioned’ after another 6 months.
Sustainable fashion does not set unrealistic fashion targets. It believes in providing good-quality clothes to customers. They focus on absolutely zero waste production, and the expensiveness comes from various fair reasons, like employers being paid on the basis of their labour and number of working hours, reinvesting in further sustainable projects, clothing being made from authentic and organic forms of the raw materials, et cetera.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the incorporation of sustainable lifestyle changes is a better living option, as they are beneficial for the environment as well as yourself. Their one-time purchase can actually last for a long period of time. And amongst all the other things, this is one of the best ways to contribute to the conservation of ecosystems and the preservation of environmental species.

Frequently Asked Questions:

1. Is sustainable fashion more expensive than fast fashion?
   • Yes, sustainable fashion is more expensive than fast fashion, and to learn more about it, read the blog.
2. What do I do with the clothes that I do not want to wear?
   • You can always donate the clothes that you do not want to wear. It can be to a charity or directly to the unprivileged. There are a vast number of people who live on the road without proper shelter, food, or clothing. Your donation can be of great help to them.
3. How can I support sustainable fashion on a budget?
   • You can purchase from sustainable fashion brands and the clothes will last for a long period of time. The materials of the clothes are exclusive, which also means they would not degrade with time or cause harm to your skin.
4. What impact does sustainable fashion have on garment workers and communities?
   • Purchasing from sustainable fashion brands positively impacts garment communities. They are fairly paid on the basis of their labour and working hours, and in no way are they exploited for their rights. This encourages them, and they are pushed further to work and make a living.