Why Sustainability in Fashion is Not Just a Trend: a guest blog by CFI intern Jackie Govea
Fashion is a part of our everyday life. It’s highlighted in magazines, on the runways, on social media, and in the streets. However, the future of fashion relies heavily on our responsibilities as consumers and a revision on the business models of major retail stores. Being a sustainable brand is more than being “eco-friendly,” it’s also about being ethical, inclusive, and diverse. “All of these issues are connected,” says Aja Barber, a sustainability consultant, and advocate. “If the humans where you manufacture don’t have clean drinking water, then it doesn’t matter if you’re using less water in your manufacturing.”
As a fashion student and consumer, I feel that it’s my responsibility to educate myself and inform others on an issue that is detrimental to our society. My passion for sustainable fashion sparked in high school when I took an environmental science class that taught me the importance of being “one with nature” and how major industries impact the environment. It also began to take form when I watched a documentary film called ‘The True Cost’ which highlights the impacts of the fashion industry on garment workers and the environment. I’m making personal goals in the direction of being a conscious consumer. I’m working towards progress and not perfection, implying that it takes time to make meaningful and realistic changes over time rather than being a zero-waste consumer and a minimalist overnight!
I’m in no shape or form the “perfect consumer,” instead I am striving to make more sustainably conscious decisions and am using my consumer dollars as a vote. More consumers are getting on board of this movement, too. A global survey of 15,000 people commissioned by ING and released in February showed 61% of consumers would be less willing to buy a company's product if they discovered it was performing poorly on environmental practices.
Although there are many issues in the fashion industry linked to a lack of sustainability, I offer three considerations that could make an impact on how you consume. These are, supporting emerging designers, supporting businesses that are advocating for sustainable production efforts and supporting brands and businesses that value the people who do the work. These considerations help to break the chain of consumer dollars going into fast fashion companies.
Current Chicago Fashion Incubator (CFI) Designers-In-Residence and alumni are taking initiatives to make ethical and sustainable practices commonplace within their brands, such as Kahindo, Syl Markt, and Ms. Amy Taylor. Kahindo (Kahindo Mateene) is a sustainable and ethical luxury brand for women, designed in New York City and sourced and produced in Africa using fair trade practices. The collection was conceived with the ethos and mission of empowering women of every age and size. Syl Markt (Lauren Markt) focuses on creating garments that are cruelty-free and sustainable. They source materials from the world's finest mills and search for sustainable, natural fibers. Syl Markt also values who make their clothes and what they are made of is as much a part of the brand as the design.
Ms. Amy Taylor is a brand with a passion for eco-friendly materials and ethical fashion, which focuses on fabric and form to create high quality, one-of-a-kind undergarments designed to make you feel comfortable, confident, and beautiful in your body. In a recent interview with Amy Taylor, the founder, and designer of Ms. Amy Taylor, I asked her about sustainable practices she incorporates within her brand. She shared, “A few different elements make Ms. Amy Taylor sustainably responsible including the types of dyes I use, and the fabric my undergarments are made of. From the beginning, Ms. Amy Taylor has only used natural dyes to color all of [their] underwear. This means that all of the pigment comes from plants, bugs, and mineral salts, and is safe to dispose of in [the] sink. Starting last year, I switched to a fabric called Lyocell sourced from U.S.-based mills. Lyocell fabric comes from Eucalyptus bark and is turned into [the] fabric using a closed-loop process. This means that the water and solvents necessary to break the wood down from bark to fiber can be reused over and over again using 99% of the solution. Lyocell is also compostable and biodegradable, so it truly is one of the most eco-friendly fabrics available.”
I also asked Amy if the pandemic has affected her responsible practices during these times? She stated, “I’ve definitely had to shift what my day-to-day practice looks like, but I have not compromised Ms. Amy Taylor’s values regarding eco-friendly methods and materials. While it’s not possible at the moment for me to work on underwear production, I’ve been really excited about focusing on new products that feature natural dye education. During my time in shelter-in-place, I’ve been designing and developing a new product that I’ve been wanting to introduce for a long time. Education about natural dyes and ethical textiles has been a personal passion for many years, so I’m taking this time to create a product that will offer hands-on experience and understanding of natural dyes. Stay tuned to my social media (IG: @msamytaylor) and website (msamytaylor.com) to see what’s next!
Being aware of our impact as consumers and having brands held accountable in a world of fast-fashion is important to our progression towards sustainable fashion. Although there’s a lot of room for improvement, it’s vital that we support emerging brands and designers that value being ethical, inclusive, and diverse.
Resources:
https://tubitv.com/movies/500119/the_true_cost?utm_source=google-feed&tracking=google-feed
Designers (mentioned in blog) via Instagram: