Sustainability: What does it all mean?
Article by Madeline Vorrias
With sustainability being at the forefront of most social constructs, the term within the fashion space is forever evolving. New lingo is appearing every day, and this can be somewhat confusing for the everyday consumer wanting to understand how they can make better decisions.
Our amazing TFF intern, Madeline, has put together a guide to help make the journey a little clearer.
Circular fashion - Involves designing clothes with the intent of reusing, recycling, and repurposing them. Brands such as Patagonia and Stella McCartney are the blueprint for circular fashion. Circular fashion reduces waste and encourages sustainable practices. By promoting a circular economy, it shows a brand’s responsibility and transparency when it comes down to sustainable practices.
Unisex clothing has become a versatile and inclusive fashion choice. Not only is this inclusive and further attracts a larger audience, but unisex clothing is also a sustainable option as it reduces overproduction and textile waste. Unisex clothing is also great for clothing swaps.
Vintage clothing has also become a fantastic sustainable alternative to fast fashion which has gained popularity in Gen Z and generally in 2024.
Eco-Friendly Dyes - Using Eco-friendly dye is a trendy sustainable fashion choice for ethical practices within a fashion brand. Dyes have historically been a contributing factor to harmful chemical discharge in countries such as Bangladesh and China. Using Eco-friendly dyes contributes to a more sustainable future for fashion brands. Sustainable ink options would be plant-based, soy-based, and water-based inks.
Upcycling is another sustainable fashion trend for 2024. Upcycling and repurposing existing textiles promote circular fashion as well. It is trendy to use vintage textiles specifically and upcycle them to create new garments. According to research, The “Ellen MacArthur Foundation report presented that upcycling can help reduce the fashion industry's environmental impact by up to 30%”.
Vintage/second-hand shopping has gained popularity after COVID-19 and is also now trendy. Popularity for vintage/second-hand shopping came from Gen Z and Millennials' concern about their environmental footprint. Vintage items can also be very unique, and this attracts people who like unique and exclusive fashion. In 2024, Vintage shopping had a 29% increase in comparison to 2023 statistics (Generate Team, 2024).
Clothing rental services have gained popularity over the years and will remain popular in 2024. Rental services have gained popularity due to cost and convenience. Rental services are also a great way to work towards a sustainable fashion future due to the reuse of an item. Renting instead of purchasing garments also positively impacts the issue of overconsumption.
Small business rental services As you may have seen on Instagram, lots of people start small rental businesses that sell lots of formal attire and eventwear. The market, you will find has a majority of womenswear but menswear and childrenswear are on the rise. Although these are small businesses, they also contribute to the reduction of textile waste and overconsumption. Rental businesses have also gained popularity due to the economy as they are a cheaper alternative to purchasing items that won’t get a second or third wear.
Rental services within the fashion brand are also gaining popularity in 2024 and are a great way to show the brand's ethical morals and sustainability efforts. This also allows the brand to profit from renting their products in comparison to small businesses purchasing and renting their clothes. Brands such as Esse Studios, Astille, Ramp Tramp Tramp Stamp, Emily Watson and Madre Natura all offer a rental service within their fashion brand.
Facebook rental groups have also gained a large amount of popularity over the last couple of years. These Facebook groups are individually run and will most likely be renting any formal or designer attire. Other groups provide a buy/swap or sell service and will align this with a specific brand. for example “Aje buy/swap and sell”.
You can join the group to purchase, sell, or swap any garment you have from that specific brand. Then some groups are just for general formal attire or a designer renting page. “Rent a label’ is a popular group for designer rentals.
