Posh Swaps Blog

There has been a lot of talk lately about sustainable clothes and eco fashion. Every day a new brand emerges that is in some better for the environment than conventional clothing and usually more ethically produced. But with fast fashion and the culture of buying cheaply (and often unethically) made high fashion clothing still highly popular and ‘environmental green washing’ becoming the new in phrase, what really can be done to make clothing more sustainable?

At Posh Swaps we believe that there is no right or wrong way to become more sustainable, anything that we can do, no matter how small is a positive step in the right direction. But there are some things that we can do that are likely to have a more positive effect than others.

1. Buy less clothes - it is quite simple really, the less clothes that we buy, the less environmental damage is caused in their manufacture and the less waste we make. Clothes swapping is a great alternative to buying clothes. It allows you to update your wardrobe without having an impact (or a very minimal impact on the environment)

2. Buy second hand clothes- this is the most eco friendly way to buy clothes. There is no additional carbon footprint (except for transport) associated with buying new clothes. But we understand that you cannot always find exactly what you want second hand and will sometimes need to buy new.

3. Buy quality clothes that will last, where possible in Eco friendly fabrics- fabrics made from recycled materials, probably have the smallest footprint as they do not have to be made from scratch. There is also the benefit of having saved materials that may have otherwise ended up in landfill. Other eco friendly fabrics including organic bamboo, cotton and hemp are all better than their conventional alternatives but still have a carbon footprint associated with their growth and manufacture and contribute to the problem of waste so should always be bought to last.

Finally, in order to ensure that your clothing is really sustainable, you should consider its whole life  cycle:

• Buy clothes to last
• Wash and dry (or clean) in as eco friendly manner as possible
• When you no longer need them recycle by selling or donating to charity.

Yet more gorgeous and sustainable style, this time from Kristinit, a fashion brand with a holistic approach to fashion, one that links social responsibility, sustainable fabrics and great design. Kristina Lenss, designer of Kristinit explains that this autumns collection named the Love Campaign is “inspired by an integrated approach to designing and manufacturing a high fashion collection” She says “This collection is about complementing fashion with sustainability — without sacrificing style.”

The collection contains intricate details such as custom lace pieces handmade by artisan weavers in Brazil combined with innovative organic fabrics and fairtrade partnerships for a truly design orientated sustainable collection. Kristinit also donates a percentage of each sale to One Percent for the Planet and the Pachamama Alliance. 

The KRISTINIT collection is available in Los Angeles at FRED SEGAL and PETRO ZILLIA boutiques or by emailing sales@kristinit.com or visiting the website: www.kristinit.com.

It has just come to my attention that my favourite ethical superstore Adili is now called Ascension. It must have happened on the quiet and in the dark of night as I have only just realised. I thought it was worth a mention in case anyone else hadn’t even noticed.

Adili (now ascension) have since their fairly recent launch, quickly made a name for themselves as a one stop shop for ethical clothing from underwear to shoes and accessories. If green is the new black, then Ascension is the new Harvey Nics. They stock a variety of well known brands including People Tree, Patagonia and Tatty Bumpkin as well as their own designer led label. They are supporting and nurturing some of the best young design talent to move ethical clothing onto the next level. Ascension is also working on a number of projects in countries like Rwanda, Columbia and Nepal to help improve peoples lives by developing skills and providing sustainable employment.

The clothes on the website are sorted by ethic to give shoppers the chance to find exactly what they are looking for, with categories including organic, fairtrade, recycled and alternative fibres and 1% for the planet. The Ascension T shirts are also the first fashion item to hold the new carbon reduction label. If you are looking for some guilt free shopping and sustainable style Ascension is the place to go (as well as Posh-swaps.com of course). At the moment, they have a great warehouse clearance with up to 80% off.

picture - 100% organic cotton lengthen T shirt

Eco fashion is quite a general term that is bandied about quite a lot lately. As with any green or eco product their are different levels of environmental credentials and different ways that fashion and clothing can be Eco friendly. Basically Eco fashion is anything that lessens the environmental impact of clothing and fashion in some way and is more sustainable than conventional clothing. It is up to the individual buying to decide exactly how Eco friendly each piece of clothing labelled as Eco fashion is.

Organic Clothing

This is clothing made from natural fibres that are grown without the use of pesticides. Conventional cotton is grown using a lot of chemical pesticides which are damaging to the ecosystem and pose health hazards to humans. Organic cotton offers a much more sustainable option but there are also a whole host of other organic fibres including bamboo, hemp and soy which may be even more sustainable than organic cotton. There are a variety of different certifications and standards which are applied to organic fabrics, it is always worth checking that your organic clothing is certified by the relevant body. There are more details about organic clothing and certifications on Adili.

Natural Clothing

Natural clothing is made using natural fibres such as wool, silk, cotton or linen. It is better alternative to synthetic fibres which are difficult to dispose after their useful life, use petro chemicals which are a limited natural resource and have a relative large carbon footprint due to the energy used to manufacture them. Natural clothing is not necessarily sustainable, for example cotton is grown using large amounts of pestcides.

Recycled Fibres

Clothing can be made from fibres that are manufactured using recycled materials. This can include anything from rags to plastic bottles. This is a great way to reuse materials that have passed their useful life in their current form and prevent them ending up in landfill. There is also less energy used with producing synthetic fibres in this way than starting from scratch.

Recycled materials or clothes

Second hand, vintage and reworked or recycled clothing can be included in this category. It is probably the most Eco friendly type of Eco fashion as the materials do not have to be manufactured and so it is carbon neutral (or almost). It does not cause pollution as no or minimal manufacture is required and it helps to reduce waste and landfill. A really sustainable form of Eco fashion. Even better, it is usually cheaper to buy than conventional clothing, where most other forms of eco fashion are more expensive.

picture - 100% organic cotton Leila dress by Komodo at Adili

There are some other labels such as fairtrade and ethical clothing that are often associated with Eco fashion. Whilst these clothes often have more eco credentials than conventional clothing, they are not necessarily Eco fashion.

Whilst buying, selling and swapping second hand clothes is probbaly the ultimate in eco fashion with the least effect on the environment, there some items of clothing that even the most dedicated eco fashionista and recycling fanatic will want to buy new.

Pants and underwear are not the most popular second hand and swap items for obvious reasons. But you can still make sure that the underwear that you buy is produced in an environmentally friendly and ethical way. One way to fo this is to opt for an organic fibre like cotton or bamboo. By also opting for Fairtrade, you can be sure that the farmers growing the raw materials are receiving a fair price for their crop, helping to erradicate poverty. This pants to poverty underwear is a great way to support a good cause and minimise the negative impact that your underwear has on the environment.

All photographs (c) Photographer Eric Guillemain for EJF

EJF (Environmental Justics Foundation) have launched a range of T shirts designed by Giles Deacon, Allegra Hicks, Zandra Rhodes and John Rocha to help to stop the forced child labour and environmental  caused by cotton production .  The T Shirts are made of organic and fairtrade cotton and printed with organic certified inks.

For the launch of the T shirt range top celebrities including Ugly Betty star Ashley Jensen, Brit supermodel Lily Cole, singers Joss Stone and Sophie Ellis-Bextor  and 23 models from 14 different nations joined in with a photo shoot to model the T shirts.

All money raised by EJF from the sale of the T shirts will be used to support the charities valauble work. The EJF raises awareness of the continued use of forced child labour and the ecological devastation associated with cotton production. This is particularly an issue in Uzbekistan, the worlds 3rd largest exporter of cotton where children are forced to work fo little or nothing in conditions near slavery for the state run cotton industry.

Juliette Williams Programme Director EJF, says “Even in tough economic times, our buying power can be a force for good. Choosing organic and fairly traded cotton actively supports communities in some of the world’s poorest nations, where fair and equitable trade to the west can literally mean the difference between life and death. With public support, companies have been inspired to look at the way the cotton they buy and sell is produced, and high street names are saying ‘no’ to cotton from Uzbekistan until child labour and environmental abuses are eradicated. Together we can change our world”.

Shoppers can support EJF’s work by buying a t-shirt or giving a donation to the charity through its website - www.ejfoundation.org - helping them train tomorrow’s human rights and environmental defenders, and raise international awareness of abuses and, crucially, the solutions to them.