Your Handbook to Start Contributing to Sustainable Fashion Today

Fashion has always been fun and expressive, but it is important to know that the industry has also been one of the biggest contributors to global pollution and exploitation behind the scenes. The good news is that it doesn’t have to be. Things need to change. But how do we do that? How do we change things?

Let’s first start with what fast fashion is and what the alternatives for it are. Fast fashion is all about producing clothes at a low cost, in a small time, and in massive quantities, which causes tons of waste, overworked laborers, and damage to our environment. Millions of garments end up in landfills every year, synthetic fabrics pollute oceans with microplastics, and workers in underpaid, unsafe conditions continue to increase. The system is all about valuing quantity over quality and profit over people.

The solution? Sustainable fashion. Sustainable fashion isn’t just about organic cotton or trendy vintage. It’s a mindset. It focuses on producing clothing in ways that are environmentally friendly, ethically responsible, and economically fair. Brands can contribute to it by using eco-friendly fabrics and natural dyes, recycling and upcycling old garments into new ones or paying fair wages and ensuring safe working conditions.

Long story short, sustainable fashion is all about slowing down fashion, making it thoughtful, intentional, and better for the planet and the ones living in it. So, how can you join the movement, and why?

- When you support ethical brands, you’re telling the industry what matters to you. Consumer demand drives the industry. The more people that choose sustainability, the more brands that will suit.

- Quality pieces last longer. Fewer and better pieces are always better than a closet full of fast fashion.

- Buying secondhand or reusing clothes means less waste and fewer waste of resource.

So, what are the small steps that can change a lot? Here are a few easy ways to start:

- You can choose wisely and buy less.

- You can support local and ethical brands.

- You can thrift and swap.

- You can ask yourself these when shopping: Who made this? What is it made of? Do I REALLY need it?

Every small choice on the way of sustainable fashion adds up, and if more of us make thoughtful decisions, we can help transform the industry into something cleaner, kinder, and more conscious.