Putting Sustainability back in Fashion
As the days grow lighter and bursts of colour return to the world around us, it is the perfect time to refresh your wardrobe with pieces that feel as good as they look. Embracing soft hues, bold brights, and breathable layers not only lifts your mood but can also lighten your environmental impact. A more mindful approach to what you wear this season may seem like a small step, but it can bloom into meaningful change.
Sustainable clothing is more than just a trend; it is a movement towards a more responsible and conscious approach to fashion. By focusing on eco-friendly materials, ethical production methods, and circular fashion principles, sustainable clothing aims to reduce the negative impact on the environment and improve the lives of those involved in the production process.
East Village is encouraging shoppers to mindfully shop this Spring. Perhaps it's time to recycle last season's jumper and buy a special cool new replacement. Can you give your favourite jeans a new lease on life by upcyling them? It's time to Refresh, RCYCL, Renew. Our friends at RCYCL are here to help you make more mindful choices with your wardrobe. Simply purchase a bag, fill it with your old clothing, and RCYCL send it to trusted recycling partners to give your clothes a second life. Learn more about what they do HERE.
In this article we will explore the world of sustainable fashion and highlight some of the initiatives that our retailers are implementing to ensure our planet and our community can benefit, so that when you make your latest purchase you’ll feel as good as you look.
Look Good and Feel Good at East Village Shopping Centre
Sustainable materials are produced with a focus on being kinder to the environment and mindful of the people involved in their creation. These materials can be recycled, biodegradable, or made using sustainable methods. Choosing sustainable materials for our winter fashion and supporting ethical, sustainable brands can greatly reduce our environmental footprint, letting you feel as good as you look.
The fashion industry has a significant environmental impact, making sustainability increasingly important. Here are some key statistics and insights on the benefits of using sustainable materials in fashion.
Benefits of Sustainable Materials
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Recycled Polyester: Using recycled polyester reduces the need for virgin polyester, thereby lowering petroleum use. It also helps in reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 75% compared to virgin polyester production (TheRoundup).
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Recycled Cotton: Recycled cotton reduces the demand for water and pesticides used in growing new cotton. It also helps in diverting textile waste from landfills (Nature).
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Bamboo: Bamboo is a highly renewable resource that grows quickly and requires minimal water. Bamboo fabric is biodegradable and has natural antibacterial properties, making it a sustainable choice (Nature).
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Soybean Fibre: Soybean fibre is biodegradable and made from the byproducts of soybean oil production, promoting waste reduction. It also requires less water and energy to produce compared to conventional fibres (Nature).
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Sustainable Footwear Options: Sustainable footwear often uses materials such as recycled rubber, organic cotton, and innovative alternatives like Piñatex (made from pineapple leaves). These materials help in reducing waste and the environmental footprint of footwear production (Nature).
Adopting sustainable materials and practices in the fashion industry can significantly reduce its environmental impact, promoting a more sustainable future. For more detailed statistics and information, you can explore sources such as Earth.Org, TheRoundup, Nature, and the Geneva Environment Network.
The Pillars of Sustainable Clothing
As our retailers at East Village shopping centre seek to address the challenges posed by fast fashion, it is essential to understand the various concepts and movements within sustainable clothing. Each plays a crucial role in promoting a more ethical and eco-friendly fashion industry.
Whilst there are only 4 or so fashion brands that call East Village home, we are proud to share that they are all actively setting sustainability targets to become carbon neutral, working to reduce carbon emissions, embracing recycled materials and using less resources. And this isn't just restricted to fashion, with our homewares stores, electronics stores and service-based retailers also taking up the gauntlet and doing their part to reduce their carbon footprint and ensure a more sustainable future for us all.
We'll discuss some of these specific initiatives in this article.
Slow Fashion
Slow fashion is the antithesis of fast fashion. It emphasises quality over quantity, advocating for a more thoughtful and deliberate approach to clothing production and consumption. Slow fashion encourages consumers to invest in timeless pieces made from high-quality materials that will last for years. This approach reduces waste and promotes a more sustainable cycle of use and reuse.
Eco-Friendly Clothing
Eco-friendly clothing refers to garments produced with minimal impact on the environment. This can involve using organic or recycled materials, employing energy-efficient production processes, and ensuring that the entire lifecycle of the product is sustainable. Eco-friendly clothing aims to reduce the carbon footprint of fashion, conserve natural resources, and minimise pollution.
Ethical Fashion
Ethical fashion focuses on the welfare of the people involved in the production process. This movement advocates for fair wages, safe working conditions, and respect for workers' rights. Ethical fashion brands often prioritise transparency in their supply chains and seek to create positive social impacts through their business practices. By supporting ethical fashion, consumers can help combat exploitation and improve the lives of garment workers worldwide.
Circular Fashion
Circular fashion is based on the principles of a circular economy, where products are designed to be reused, repaired, and recycled rather than disposed of after a short period. This approach aims to create a closed-loop system that minimises waste and maximises the lifecycle of each garment. Circular fashion encourages practices such as upcycling, clothing swaps, and rental services to keep clothes in use for as long as possible.
Conscious Fashion
Conscious fashion is about making mindful choices when it comes to clothing. It involves considering the environmental and social impacts of our purchases and opting for brands and products that align with our values. Conscious fashion encourages consumers to be more aware of the implications of their buying habits and to prioritise sustainability and ethics in their fashion decisions.
By understanding these different facets of sustainable clothing, we can make more informed choices and contribute to a fashion industry that values people and the planet.
Benefits of Ethical Fashion Brands
What our retailers are doing to make a positive impact on both the environment and your winter wardrobe
Here's what some of our retailers at East Village Shopping Centre are doing to ensure they have a positive impact on the environment, whilst ensuring you look and feel amazing.
Lorna Jane
Lorna Jane has committed to sustainability through various initiatives. They are a Foundation Member of the Seamless Clothing Stewardship Scheme and focus on using recycled fabrics such as their Recycled Nothing 2 See Here™, Recycled Active Rib, and Recycled Bare Minimum, all of which are GRS Certified. They aim to eliminate single-use plastics from their packaging and offer corn-starch based, fully compostable online packaging. The brand also uses TENCEL, a fabric that requires less energy and water, and other sustainable materials.
Learn more about Lorna Jane's commitment to sustainability here.
Bed, Bath N' Table
Ok so Bed, Bath N' Table aren't a fashion brand, but this East Village based Homewares store is on the forefront of sustainability, continually working with suppliers to reduce their carbon footprint. "As part of our ethical sourcing journey, we have been working closely with key suppliers to ensure our finished goods are made with the best business practices in place. OEKO-TEX® is a traceable product identification label designed specifically for the textile industry."
Learn more about Bed, Bath N' Beyond's charitable work and sustainability initiatives here.
DOGUE (Pet Grooming)
Is this a fashion store? Not specifically, but I am sure your furry friends would say otherwise ;) Dogue pet grooming has been part of the Sustainable Salons family since 2019, recycling everything from plastics, paper and metals, to their most valuable resource - pet hair! Every single bag of pet hair collected by Dogue & Sustainable Salons is sent for repurposing. The hair collected from your lovable pet helps charitable causes such as oil-spill clean-up projects and it is even used as fertiliser in your community gardens.
Learn more about Pet Store Dogue's sustainability initiatives here.
You can learn more about the sustainability initiatives and environmental targets of our East Village fashion retailers by visiting their store pages.
East Village Shopping - Making a Positive Impact
We’ve highlighted some of the amazing retailers at East Village Shopping Centre that are leading the charge with regards to ethical and sustainable approaches to fashion and are committed to reducing their environmental footprint. These fantastic brands achieve this by:
- Using Sustainable Materials: These brands prioritise eco-friendly materials such as organic cotton, hemp, bamboo, and recycled fabrics, which require less water, energy, and chemicals to produce.
- Reducing Waste: Ethical brands often focus on creating high-quality, durable garments designed to last longer, thereby reducing the frequency of purchases and minimising textile waste.
- Energy Efficiency: Many ethical fashion brands employ energy-efficient production processes, including the use of renewable energy sources in their manufacturing facilities.
- Minimising Carbon Footprint: By producing clothing locally and reducing transportation distances, these brands lower their carbon emissions.
Consumer Benefits of Sustainable Fashion Choices
Supporting ethical fashion brands also brings benefits to consumers:
- Higher Quality: Ethical fashion often means better-quality garments that last longer, providing better value for money in the long run.
- Healthier Choices: Eco-friendly materials are typically free from harmful chemicals and toxins, making them safer for the skin and overall health
- Feel-Good Factor: Knowing that your purchases support fair wages, safe working conditions, and environmental sustainability can bring a sense of satisfaction and pride.
By choosing to support ethical fashion brands, we can make a positive impact on the world. Remember, it's not about choosing between fashion and sustainability - it's about achieving the perfect balance. So, go ahead and complete your sustainable winter wardrobe at East Village. Your wallet and the planet will thank you.