What does it mean to buy better?
You may have heard the phrase “Buy Better, Buy Less” it was even recently on the cover of GQ magazine. But what does it mean to buy better and what do you need to look for. In terms of sustainable fashion, buying better means buying higher quality pieces that will last you a lifetime instead of buying cheap clothing that you will only wear a few times. It means thinking of your clothing as an investment instead of something that is disposable. If you do not think a piece of clothing is something you will want to wear for the next several year, consider renting it instead, but for the pieces you want to purchase, here is a guide to buying better:
Fabric Quality: Look for natural fibers instead of synthetics. Natural fibers are: cotton, silk, wool, hemp, linen. On the tags look for 100% cotton or 100% makeup on natural fibers, these materials are built to last and hold up their quality long term. Linen is especially strong and adapts to many different temperatures to keep you warm in the winter and cool in the summer.
Seam Allowance: Inside of a well made garment there is something called “Seam Allowance” this is the part of the clothing where you item has been sewn together, more seam allowance means that you can let out your clothing if yo should gain weight, allowing you to keep the item fo longer.
Stitching: Is the stitching inside the garment fraying? Are the stitches neatly spaced apart or does it look sloppy? Turn your clothing insides out so you can see what you can find out
Stretch Recovery: Items worn over and over again need to retain their shape. Think about a long sleeve shirt that you push up on your arms during the day and when you pull your sleeves down the wrist area is all stretched out, this is an example of bad recovery. To look for good quality stretch the fabric on your clothing and see how quickly it goes back to its original shape. Alternatively you can look at garment construction details for prevent stretch. For example is there a rib fabric on the end of your sleeve? If so this will help the item keep its shape for years to come.
An example of a rib sleeve on a sweatshirt from Lobo Mau
An example of a high quality fabric (linen) and neatly done stitching on this shirt from Alice Alexandar
You may have to pay more in the moment for a higher quality garment, but this will save you money over time if you are making smart investments in the clothing you are buying.
Sustainable Brands in Philadelphia
If you need to buy something new, shopping locally is a great way to support the local economy as well as limit your carbon footprint. Don’t forget to bring your reusable bag when you shop and wash your new clothing using sustainable washing detergents. Below are some local Philadelphia based brands that are sustainable minded.
How to recycle your clothing
If you are sustainably minded, getting rid of old clothing and accessories can often feel like a daunting task. If your clothing is beyond repair, you can recycle it with one of the options below. While technology still has a long way to go, there are luckily more and more companies coming up with ways to recycle every day. Many of these companies will work with both businesses and individuals to recycle clothing in the best way possible.
Blue Jeans Go Green offers easy solutions for recycling your denim. You can drop off your denim in one of their drop off locations or print out a free shipping label on their website. Your denim will not only be recycled, but then it is used as insulation for houses built with habitat for humanity.
Terracycle offers solutions to recycle almost anything. While you do have to pay for this service, you could split it with a few friends and it would be very cost effective. Terra cycle will ship you a box to fill up with your unwanted clothing (or fabric of any kind!) and once it is full you send it back with a prepaid shipping label.
Helpsy has many locations to drop off clothing across the country. You can also drop off shoes and accessories.
Nike will take any brand of old sneakers to be up-cycled into tracks or cushion on playgrounds through their Nike Grind Program. You can find a drop off location on their website.
How to get rid of clothing you no longer want, responsibly.
We all get sick of items we no longer want or need anymore and it can be challenging to know what to do with your clothing when you no longer have a need to for it. If you are emotionally attached to your clothing, I recommend putting it in a bin in your basement/garage/storage space for a couple of weeks and seeing if you miss it/go into the bin to get it. If not, chances are it’s time to give it up. Below are a few ideas that you can consider.
Upcycle- Can you turn an old tee-shirt into cleaning rags? This will get the most possible use out of your clothing, save you money on paper towels and make cleaning much easier. Sew or have a friend who sews? Turn a pair of jeans into jean shorts? Can you make a memory quilt with old clothing you love but no longer use? Be creative.
Swap/Give to a Friend- Put all of the clothing you no longer want and organize a swap with a friend who is a similar size. Are you socially distancing? Drop off your clothing on a friends front porch or do a zoom clothing swap and send the items you each want in the mail.
Recycle- Brands like Helpsy, Blue Jeans Go Green, and Terracycle make it easy to recycle your clothing. In this case you clothing with be turned into insulation, stuffing for car seats or a number of other things. Each company does it differently so it’s best to read the information on their websites. More info on this here.
Sell- There are many companies like PoshMark or ThreadUp where you can sell your unwanted clothing fairly easily. There are even people who will buy your clothing and sell it for you making this even easier and putting extra money in your pocket. When we start to think about our clothing having value, it creates a different approach to buying which is also very important.
Donate- Of course donating can always be an option, however many times when we think we are donating our clothing to a good cause, this is not always the case. Donation centers can often be overwhelmed and then send clothing to a middle man who then delivers it to other countries where the clothing can be sold in markets. The challenge with this is that there is still typically more than can be sold and it often ends up being incinerated releasing harmful chemicals in our air. This can be true for in store donations as well at some of your favorite retailers who have give back programs. Make sure to always ask questions about where these items may be going. Purses or suitcases may be needs at shelters, call your local shelter and see if you can donate there directly.
The end of your clothing lifecycle should always be considered when making a purchase from the start. For example, are you buying a dress to wear to a wedding you will most likely never wear again? If this is the case, try borrowing from a friend or renting instead. This not only helps to save you money but also space in your closet.
What does circular fashion mean?
You may be familiar with the term sustainability, but now, may also be hearing a different term, called circularity. In my opinion for something to be truly sustainable it needs to be circular. However, there are many different things to consider when it comes to sustainability. For more information on the different ideas around sustainability you can click here.
One of the major values and the most important parts of sustainability is circularity, so what does this mean?
Circular design is the idea that when something is created the entirety of its lifecycle is considered (think recycling). You may also have heard this referred to as “cradle to cradle”. It means that whatever is created is essentially designed to be discarded and returned back to the earth in some shape or form or to be reused in a new way. The entire process is considered from design until the garment has been purchased by a customer and is no longer needed.
In fashion, circularity can be considered in many aspects along the supply chain, starting with the design process.
The Design Process:
Designers need to consider zero waste patterns and design, meaning that the patterns need to be designed so there will be no fabric waste during the cutting process. It may also mean that new clothing needs to be designed with the idea that it will need to be taken apart to be processed into something new. If there is excess fabric, it needs to be considered on how it will be used instead of ending up in a landfill. For example, remnant pieces can be used as pockets or straps for a dress.
Labeling:
Fabric makeup is important when fibers need to be constructed down in order to make new fabric. Labeling requirements will need to change in order to make this more accessible. In addition to accurate fabric content being very important, it is also important for the resale market that style numbers be used. Style numbers can help resellers better identify each garment and can help the consumer more easily find what they are looking for. Scaling a second hand business can be challenging and properly labeling will allow businesses to do this much more easily.
Manufacturing:
This process is an extension of the design process, working with factories that care about and understand circularity is key because otherwise there can be a LOT of waste during the manufacturing process. Even having a factory that recycles the cardboard boxes that fabric may arrive in is a key part of considering circulatory in your manufacturing process.
Shipping:
Shipping comes with a huge amount of waste, according to the EPA 80.1 million tons in 2017 alone. Shipping material needs to be considered in all aspects of the supply chain. Fabric being produced is often wrapped in plastic and then put into a cardboard box to be shipped to the factory. Once the clothing has been made it is often then put into individual plastic bags, called polybags, and then shipped in boxes to the designer or warehouse to ship to customers. Then from there the clothing stays in the polybags and goes into another box of plastic mailer that is then sent directly to the customer. Then if the customer wants to return the item, it then again often goes into a new box or mailer. Returns alone in the US account for 5 billion pounds of landfill waste each year, according to Vogue Business. Typically, the shipping system does not allow for circular thinking as plastics bags are meant to be used once and then thrown away instead of reused or recycled. There are many brands working on solutions to this problem so that this big part of the supply chain can become more circular.
End of Lifecycle:
After you are done using your clothing and no longer want it you typically have two options, to throw it away or to donate it, both which can cause an array of other challenges which I will address at another time. Circular thinking encourages businesses to think about this differently, to offer give back programs so that they can collect their customers no longer wanted clothing and upcycle these items into something else, preventing clothing from ending up in the landfill or being incinerated (according to the Ellen McArthur Foundation, one full
garbage truck load of clothing is ending up in the landfill or being incinerated every
second). Two brands that consider this type of thinking are Harper Wilde and For Days, both offer return programs for customers to ship back there no longer wanted clothing.
12 Ways to Make Your Brand More Sustainable
As we all know, fashion by nature is not sustainable. Currently over 65% of garments created end up in a landfill and according to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation one full garbage truck load of clothing is ending up in the landfill or being incinerated every second. EVERY SECOND!! This is an unacceptable statistic and as a designer and business owner I believe that you have a responsibility to change this. When you are creating a product, you need to think about where that product will end up at the end of its lifecycle. By being mindful and thinking about fashion in a circular way we can create change. Below are some ideas on how to implement circular thinking into your brand.
1. Zero Waste Design: Sustainability starts in the design phase. Designing your patterns with no waste in mind is key. Can you change the silhouette slightly to get more use out of your fabric? If you are not sure how to do this, work with a patternmaker or take a zero-waste patterning class. And, as always, we live in the world of the internet, google it!
2. Use all parts of the fabric that you are using. Think about using the scraps for straps, pockets or binding. Pay attention to your waste, not only from your fabric but also in your studio space or office. Where are you throwing things away that could be recycled, upcycled or reused?
3. The only way to be truly sustainable is to use what is already in existence. Upcycle by taking existing clothing and accessories and using their materials to make something new. Do you have product from a previous collection or old samples that you can’t sell? How can you recreate them into something new? Recycling is an option, but using what you have should come first. P.S. This also will save you money
4. Use remnant fabric. Remnant fabric is left over fabric from other designers or fabric mills that is not being used and will eventually end up in the landfill.
5. Use natural fibers: organic cotton, organic hemp, and organic linen. Fabric made with these materials, without harmful finishes will biodegrade the fastest.
6. Recycle unused fabric responsibly with Terracycle, Helpsy, or Blue Jeans Go Green. You can even take back your customers unwanted clothing and recycle them with these brands.
7. Avoid using fabric made of plastic, micro plastics get released into water when washed, endangering our ocean life and can take over 500 years to biodegrade, releasing harmful gases into our air and water ways.
8. Educate your customers. This may seem simple but this may be the most important step. We are all in this world together and the more people that are educated on the effects fashion industry the more we can create change.
9. Think about your packaging, Eco Enclose is a great resource. Avoid plastic whenever possible, think about polybags, attaching hang tags to garments, even in your shipping tape.
10. Think about the end of your garment’s lifecycle, what will happen to it when your customer is done? Will you offer mending? Will you take the product back to recycle?
11. Consider limiting your quantities to avoid excess inventory, would a made to order model work for your customer? This could also save you money because you are not holding large amount of inventory.
12. Manufacture and source locally reducing your carbon footprint
This list is just the beginning! The industry is changing and I am excited to be part of this change. You have the ability to create change and make a difference. Message me on Instagram @ramednick and tell me how you are creating a more sustainable brand.