It’s time to get on board with circular fashion… how to breathe new life into old clothes, plus vintage shopping made easy
Throwaway fashion has had its day. Here’s how to ride the sustainability wave, and look damn good doing so…
by now, you’ve probably acquired a reusable cofee cup, eschewed plastic bags for the cloth one you dutifully tote everywhere, and even got used to those soggy paper straws. Perhaps you’ve tried meat-free Monday, and you’ve definitely become au fait with terms like ‘carbon ofsetting’ and ‘greenwashing’. Recycling, reducing, reusing? Been there, done that, got the (organic cotton) T-shirt. In the last couple of years, sustainability has graduated from peripheral issue to central concern of the cultural zeitgeist (hello, Greta Thunberg and Extinction Rebellion).
In this more conscious climate, few industries have had to do more selfexamination than fashion. According to the UN, it’s responsible for 20% of global waste water and 10% of global waste emissions. We are starting to understand that our insatiable demand for newness has consequences – and that a £1 bikini (as produced this summer by Missguided) comes with an environmental and ethical cost not worth paying.
The latest buzz-phrase in the sustainability lexicon is ‘circular fashion’. If you don’t know your tencel from your econyl, here’s a brief explainer. Circular fashion, in short, means ensuring that every component of a clothing item’s life span is cyclical. It demands rigorous, radical reshaping of the linear system – design, produce, sell, wear, the end – traditionally in place. ‘Technically speaking, circular fashion essentially means designing out waste,’ explains Eco-age co-founder and creative director Livia Firth. ‘Designing products that can naturally break down without causing harm, or that can be recycled without losing quality, so that we are only working with what we have already, rather than constantly making new materials that will end up in landfill.’
Thomas Berry, director of sustainable business at Farfetch – which recently launched a Second Life initiative for used handbags – adds, ‘This refers to systems where resources are not “used up” (ie they don’t become waste) but are used again, either in the same form (reuse), or after being broken down and recycled.’ In other words, if you buy a T-shirt made of organic cotton, but then simply bin it when you’re bored of it, you’ve missed the point.
Luxury resale site Vestiaire Collective recently worked with Dr Anna Bismar, who coined the term ‘circular fashion’ in 2014, on an easily digestible Consumer Guide to Circular Fashion. ‘Anna talks about how fashion products should be designed with high longevity, resource efficiency, nontoxicity, biodegradability, recyclability and good ethics in mind. As well as efficient, safe and ethical practices,’ explains
Vestiaire’s co-founder Sophie Hersan.
‘Brands and designers need to start asking questions and do their research to find solutions that work for them. Buying stock fabric that is “seasonless” is a great way to support a circular system, as the fabric can be reused across multiple collections,’ says Amy Powney, creative director of Mother of Pearl, which has a much-lauded ethically and environmentally conscious collection, No Frills. This seasonless ethos must also translate to design. ‘We have launched core styles that never go into a sale, and ensure we are not creating product that’s too seasonally specific.’
So, what can we do as consumers? First, we must be conscious about what we buy. Livia Firth advises we all try to shop less and ask more questions about where clothes are made, in what conditions, and from what materials. But, she admits, ‘none of us go around with an encyclopedia or readily available answers,’ and so urges, ‘the most useful thing is always, regardless of where you buy, ask yourself: “Will I wear it a minimum of 30 times?” If the answer is yes, go ahead, but you will be surprised how many times the answer is no.’
For a circular fashion eco-system to function, we also need to rewire our tastes away from must-have-now to will-loveforever. ‘Look out for pieces you actually would love to own and wear for the long term,’ says designer Richard Malone. ‘Also, shop vintage. Production in the ’70s and ’80s – especially in Britain – was of an incredible quality. So vintage stores, charity shops or auctions are often a lot better value for what you’re buying. It’s cheaper, will last much longer and no one else will have it.’
‘Moving away from buying pieces for “one summer” or “one event” is a must,’ echoes Mother of Pearl’s Amy. ‘Why not try renting if you need to wear something that you know you won’t likely wear again?’ She’s right – you can still get a newness fix without actually buying new. The latest wave of fashion rental services are all about keeping clothes in circulation for longer – something we can all get on board with if we’re considerate about what we do with unwanted clothing. Sophie Hersan advises, ‘Products should be used for as long as possible, through good care, repair, refurbishment and sharing among multiple users over time – for example, through secondhand sites such as ours. We engage people to become more conscious of the life and quality of a garment.’
So yes, consider giving that tired old dress a second chance. Repair it or get it redesigned (you’d be amazed the difference a nipped-in waist or shortened hem can make). And if you really are going to cite irreconcilable differences with a garment, then sell it, donate it, or swap it with a friend – whatever you do, don’t chuck it.
Slowly but surely, a change is happening. If we keep moving in the right direction, soon the biggest compliment you’ll get is: ‘I love your dress. Is it old?’