Buy Less and Buy Better: The Key to Sustainable Fashion

As we become increasingly aware of the environmental impact of our clothing, the term “sustainable fashion” becomes more and more popular. Globally, the industry is responsible for between four and 10 percent of greenhouse gas emissions every year, which cannot be ignored given the urgency of the climate crisis.

What exactly does sustainable fashion entail? Essentially, sustainable fashion is clothing that is created and consumed in a way that is able to sustain the environment and the people producing it. The sustainability matrix demands a reduction in CO2 emissions, reduction in pollution and waste, support for biodiversity, and ensuring that garment workers are paid fairly and have safe working conditions.

It may sound cliche, but the mantra “buy less and buy better” is critical when you consider that a staggering 100 billion garments are produced globally every year. Eco-Age’s chief strategy officer Harriet Vocking advises that you ask yourself three questions before making a purchase: “What are you buying and why?” And “What do you really need?” As humans we are inherently greedy, but why do we feel the need to have more and more?

Buying better can also mean supporting designers who are promoting sustainable practices, including the likes of Isabelle burn, a 21-year-old from London, living in Brighton, who is taking sustainability into her own hands with her independent fashion brand ‘Rottenpeaches’. Isabelle specialises in crochet and her creativity is impressive.

Rottenpeaches is a self-made sustainable fashion brand that specialises in crotchet clothing. Isabelle Burn first started the brand by taking a hobby and making it into something she could sell. Crotcheting in itself fits into that idea of DIY, taking something and doing it yourself. In addition to contributing to fashion, Isabelle will continue to make her products. Leaving the earth better than she found it.

Words by Katya Brooke