Sustainable Fashion Helps Make a Difference | Fashion

When it comes to shopping for your clothes, shoes, and accessories, there are a ton of options out there. If you are looking for a pair of boots, you can find the exact pair in your head down to the knee length, color, and material. When you were thinking of that pair of boots, did the thought about where they came from or how they were made cross your mind?

Many of the clothes we buy today are not made sustainably. Unsustainable fashion not only hurts the environment but can cause more waste too. Sustainable fashion brands seek the best materials and practices to create a product that causes less harm to the environment, and to those who consume their goods. If you’re still on the fence, here is why you should shop sustainable fashion.

Why Buy Sustainable Fashion Items?

For a clothing item to be sustainable it is typically made with recycled materials, materials are organically sourced, and low-energy is used to produce the product. While the $5 t-shirt at Target you might be thinking of buying is adorable, large department stores tend to mass produce their products. This often means large factories that are pumping toxins into the air, and very few of the materials are being recycled.

By supporting sustainable fashion brands, you are helping the environment and reducing the carbon footprint that the fashion industry has created. The fashion industry hits four major areas: water, toxic chemicals, energy, and waste. The average shirt will use 400 gallons of water in production, which will then travel over 2,000 miles to the person who will eventually wear it.

However, the waste doesn’t stop here. The average piece of clothing is only worn SEVEN times before it is thrown out or donated. If you can, you should try to buy the clothing items you need used first. Sometimes this isn’t always an option and we have to buy new instead. When you buy sustainable fashion products, you are putting an end to this vicious cycle and choosing a more sustainable option.

Where Can You Find Them?

You may be asking yourself “How can I find clothes that are sustainable?” Most sustainable clothing involves fabrics that were made from eco-friendly resources such as recycled materials or sustainably grown crops. The first place to check will be the materials. Many brands will place tags on their clothes as well for easy identification.

To find these clothes, you will probably have to look online at the right sites. Rank a Brand and EWG can help you locate clothing brands that have a sustainable mission.

Examples of Sustainable Fashion Brands

While many sustainable fashion brands might not be as popular, there are still a ton of great brands out there! Here are some examples of sustainable fashion brands where you can find sustainable clothes:

Sustainable fashion will not only help protect our planet but help us make a difference as well. Before you buy your next fashionable wardrobe piece, make sure you check to see if it is sustainable.

Do you own any sustainable clothing pieces?