The term sustainable fashion has become overused in the last couple of years without its meaning being clear to the everyday consumer. It’s a go-to sellable point for design houses when it comes to marketing their collection. But what does it mean to practise sustainability in fashion, and how does one judge its accuracy?
Let us break it down for you in a simple guide that can be your go-to handbook when it comes to sustainability.
What Is Sustainable Fashion?
Sustainability means consuming the resources today without depleting them for future generations. The idea is based on three basic pillars: economic, environmental, and social. This is the exact rule which applies when talking about sustainable fashion. It isn’t just about fabrics or the garments made from them. It’s about understanding the cycle of fashion from all perspectives, which means working in tandem with the financial, social, cultural and ecological system. It needs to be mindful of the consumers today and tomorrow while simultaneously preserving mother earth.
How To Begin Your Sustainable Fashion Journey?
If the excessive but unclear information around sustainability in fashion overwhelms you, let’s simplify it. If you’re a beginner, here’s what you need to keep in mind:
Understand the lifecycle of the fabrics you use. Learn about its origin and how it was procured.
Research before buying an outfit. Put your time in recognising the ethical practices put in place by the brand. Find out whether they indulge in fair trade and provide their workers with basic benefits.
Be mindful of the waste you create after your consumption and the effect it has on the environment. Do not let your clothing end up in a landfill. Find an alternate solution like recycling, upcycling and handing it down.
These measures can only be taken if you follow the process from the beginning. The outfit can only be revived if it’s created sustainably with a long lifespan.
Which Fabrics Are Sustainable And How-To Identify It?
The fabric one wears needs to be breathable and easy flowing, a characteristic often found in eco-friendly fabrics. Fabrics that use lesser resources while being manufactured, biodegraded easily and do not cause pollution at the end of their life cycle are sustainable. Commonly found sustainable fabrics are organic and made from nature based fibres. The ones to avoid are man-made fabrics like synthetic are petroleum-based and non-biodegradable.
The smartest and quickest way to source sustainable fabric is by investing in outfits/garments or clothes made with the LIVA tag. The LIVA tag on the garment indicates that your outfits are responsibly manufactured. as they are nature-based and are designed for comfort without compromising on style. LIVA fabrics are sustainable and renewable. It’s more eco-conscious than other regular natural fibers, requires 3-4 times less water, and also reduces CO2 emission.
What’s Circular Fashion And How To Imply It ?
The best kind of clothing is the one that comes from nature and returns to nature without harming it. In order to make your garment reach that stage, make sure you correctly follow all the previous steps leading to it. After you’re done wearing the attire to your heart’s content, pass it down if it’s in good condition. Once they are done wearing it, it can be upcycled depending on the silhouette, and it can be repurposed creatively. Textile waste can also be regenerated as raw material for a completely new outfit. Advocating this ideology, LIVA also creates fibre out of recycled pre-consumer textile waste. In the final stage, to close the loop of circular fashion, you can decompose the fabric (only if it is biodegradable) and end the process. Different fabrics require different durations for them to be gone entirely.
Sustainable fashion is all about following simple rules and respecting all ends of the spectrum.
