In an era where constantly rotating trends and one-season sartorial purchases have become the lingua franca, sustainable fashion designers and ethical fashion connoisseurs alike are on an ever-lasting mission to educate consumers on the social and environmental impact of fast fashion. The hard reality is that behind the seemingly alluring $5 price tag lurk human rights abuses, unethical business practices, harmful toxic chemicals, and tremendous landfill pileups that slowly but surely affect our Planet and all its inhabitants.
Luckily, more and more people are making the switch from ultra-fast to Sustainable luxury as we all collectively continue to discuss the topic of Ethical fashion. So why it is important to support the collections of sustainable fashion brands in Sydney rather than filling up your virtual cart with yet another "trendy" piece from an unethical fashion giant? To answer this question, we need to touch on what sustainable fashion is and why it is so important.
The importance of sustainable fashion
Ethical Manufacturing & Quality Fabrics
There are 3 pillars to sustainability: economic viability, environmental protection, and social equity. In the fast fashion sphere, the priority will always be profit at the expense of people and the planet. This includes forced labor under hazardous working conditions and garment workers who do not earn a living wage.
Slow fashion brands monitor their entire supply chain to ensure that their workers are safe and get paid fair wages all while being respectful towards the environment. Instead of polyester and nylon, the most common synthetic and plastics-based that releases microplastics into our waterways, sustainable luxury brands use organic, renewable, and regenerated materials, ensuring that each piece of apparel is quality. Emanuela Tellaroli, the Italian fashion designer, for example, sources high-quality environmentally friendly fabrics and uses them to make garments that she hopes you will treasure for years.
Sustainable Fashion battles overconsumption
Another huge issue is evidently overconsumption. In fact, more than 11 million tons of textile waste end up in landfills each year. 85% of all clothes are either landfilled or incinerated and the average consumer disposes of 82 pounds of textile waste per year. Ethical fashion means intentionally cutting back on shopping. In practice, slow fashion is only adding pieces you really love, wearing them often, and loving and caring for them for years to come. It’s no secret that purchasing quality items usually means that they will last longer and while fast fashion may seem cheaper at first glance, due to the wear-and-tear, you end up spending more in the long run. Sustainable brands have a long-term view, which is evidenced by the careful choice of premium materials and timeless designs.
In simple words, ethical brands, like the Italian designer Tema Moda, won't produce in excess or push overconsumption to drive sales. On the contrary, they focus on longevity while standing up for both nature and people.
Sustainable Fashion Requires Fewer Natural Resources
Then, we have the excessive use of natural resources. A pair of jeans and a t-shirt, for example, takes 5,000 gallons of water to produce. Textile dyeing and production are also polluting our waterways as factories dump toxic wastewater in local rivers.
The fashion industry is resource and water intensive. A pair of jeans and a t-shirt take 5,000 gallons of water to produce. Textile dyeing and production are also polluting our waterways. Clothing factories dump toxic wastewater full of chemicals into nearby rivers. Sustainable fashion designers address these issues by choosing better materials, working with factory partners, or with a small team of sewers in order to reduce water consumption and avoid all chemicals.
Ultimately, Sustainable Fashion Is Where Ethics & Quality Collide
Fast fashion will always be about modern-day slavery, environmental pollution, and overconsumption whereas sustainable fashion brands in Sydney and worldwide will always put their core values before profit. For us at Tema Moda, ethical fashion is all about practicality, comfort, and feminity, and is made for everyday wearability. You can head over to www.temamoda.com.au to find beautiful, handcrafted clothing of the highest quality created ethically based on the long tradition of Italian fashion.