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Sustainable Fashion: Making Conscious Choices
Our awareness of the ecological impact of the fashion industry has grown enormously over the past decade. It’s impossible to ignore the stark images of the vast clothing landfills generated by a glut of overconsumption and the need to do better. Against this backdrop, sustainable fashion emerges not just as a trend but as a crucial movement reshaping how we think about style and responsibility.
Making conscious choices is not only kinder to the environment, it can also be a joyous and mindful way to transform your wardrobe for the better. The practice of collecting pieces which embody our values and personal style can be a fulfilling journey and here are some clues to look out for along the way.
Learn the Lay of the Land
Image credit: flickr.com/braf1
Learning the lay of the sustainable fashion landscape is crucial to know whether the brands you are investing in are truly making eco-conscious choices or using greenwashing language. A tactic which is, unfortunately, running rife as awareness of sustainability grows.
Look out for pages which state a brands dedication to sustainable practices and include relevant certifications (for example, The Shirt Company uses BCI certified cotton and OCS certified organic cotton). You can also check a brands sustainable credentials though websites that do all the research for you. We love Good on You which gives brands a sustainability rating and a detailed breakdown of the reasons behind their score.
Invest in Timeless Treasures
Image credit: The Shirt Company
Investing in clothing which has the scope to grow and evolve with you is crucial to true sustainability. The most simple principle to eco-conscious shopping is to invest in clothes which you’ll want to wear for a long time.
Choosing simple, high-quality pieces which have a timeless feel will give your wardrobe a solid foundation you can rely on to look chic for years. One of the central foundations of The Shirt Company creating classic silhouettes to be worn, and re-worn for seasons to come.
Even a guilty polyester purchase can be a lot more sustainable if you wear it for decades, I have a pair of Adidas popper tracksuit bottoms which I’ve been wearing since I was a teenager!
Take Care of Your Clothes
Mastering the art of taking care of your clothes can increase their lifespan significantly. If you don’t fancy doing the mending and tending yourself, building a relationship with a great seamstress is something you will never regret and is often surprisingly affordable.
Simple fixes, like washing garments with embroidery or embellishment in a protective wash bag or storing out of season clothes in sealed bags in a dark place to protect them from sun damage can also make a big difference.
Embrace Trans-Seasonal Pieces 
Image credit: The Shirt Company
We all have those items in our wardrobe which we wear all year round, and these trans-seasonal pieces are the eco-conscious cornerstone we should all be looking to lay down.
Look for pieces you can layer in colder weather and you can imagine wearing in a plethora of settings. For us at The Shirt Company, the crisp white shirt is a wardrobe essential which transcends seasonal trends and can work the boardroom and the beach.
Select Eco-Friendly Fabrics
Image credit: flickr.com/xavier
The fabric your clothes are made from is one of the most important things to consider, both for your own comfort and to embrace environmentally conscious buying. As a rule of thumb, natural and organic fibres are best.
Think linen (a fabric we often think of as a summer staple, but also has surprisingly good thermal properties for autumn or winter), organic cotton and hemp. Other factors worth considering are the bio degrability of fabrics, for example rayon will degrade in as little as 6 weeks but polyester will take up to 200 years to degrade.
Of course, it’s likely we all have some fabrics which are not up to eco-friendly idylls in our closets, but trying to shop more consciously for replacements as they wear out is a practical way to slowly improve the sustainability of our collections.
Look Into Ethical and Environmental Standards
Air miles are a huge factor in the sustainability of our clothing choices. Sourcing as locally as possible will significantly reduce the emissions required to bring a garment to life and truly eco conscious brands will be thinking about how to reduce the distance their pieces travel.
At The Shirt Company, we endeavour to keep production closer to home with 70% of our current collections made in Europe thus cutting transport times and CO2 emissions.
It’s also important to look for information that indicates that the welfare standards of the workers producing the clothing are fair and ethical.
Go Vintage Shopping
Image credit: flickr.com/garryknight
Once you get into the swing of it and map out your favourite shops, vintage shopping can be a truly dopamine boosting treasure hunt! Buying second hand clothes is a great way to rescue some less sustainable fabrics from landfill and give them a new lease of life.
Finding a good seamstress to adjust things has been an absolute game changer for me and can really widen the scope of items available to enrich your wardrobe.
While dedicated vintage shops are often better curated, the humble charity shop is where I’ve found all my best bargain finds.
Swap and Share
Organising or taking part in a clothes swap is a great way to create new fits without buying anything at all! Lot’s of charities now put these on for a small entry fee, so you can also help a good cause and potentially meet a fashion muse.
It’s one of life’s great pleasures to have that friend who you always borrow clothes from and sharing clothes is also a great way to try out new looks before you invest.
Cover image credit: The Shirt Company
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