We’ve heard it all before- #sustainable #ethical (may as well chuck #vegan in there too), but what do we mean when we say ethical and sustainable fashion? and does it even make a difference?

It’s 7pm, Saturday, and you look at your wardrobe and think - I LITERALLY have nothing to wear!!!!! Yet, your wardrobe, like most of us, is overflowing. Nevertheless, you text your friends saying you can’t go out because you have NOTHING to wear. It’s a common theme, and has happened to all of us at some point (let’s be real).

The crazy part about this is that yes, we all have (too many) clothes, and most of these clothes that are wasting away in our wardrobes are not made with organic and sustainable materials, and have most likely been produced in a factory where either workers, or resources, are being exploited.

Everyday we wear clothes and don’t think any further other than what they look like, but fashion is one of the leading causes in ethical and sustainability concerns. As fashion comes under increased scrutiny from consumers, it’s about time everyone knew a thing or two about ethical and sustainable fashion, and what we put on our backs.

Fashion is ever-changing- so how can fashion possibly be ethical and sustainable? Fashion and ethics definitely doesn't have a good rap. As little as two percent of the price of clothing sold in Australia goes back into the pockets of garment workers, according to new research released this month by Oxfam Australia. The main issue highlighted by Oxfam’s recent report, ‘What She Makes’, is the huge wage verses profit paradox in Australian fashion. The report finds that the minimum wages for garment workers has remained stagnant in many countries, while profits continue to grow for Australian fashion brands. So, basically, the fashion brands are making all the money and leaving the garment workers behind. And what’s crazy is the profit they’re making - in 2016, the garment industry in Australia was worth an estimated $27 billion AUD.

Behind agriculture, the artisan sector is the second-largest employer in the developing world. Emily Lush, sustainability blogger and journalist for sustainable lifestyle magazine Peppermint, says “there are so many opportunities to harness the artisan movement and fair trade to create real change in the fashion industry and improve the lives of millions of people.”

So, it’s pretty obvious that fast fashion has turned us into passive consumers, more often than not, chasing the fantasy that buying new clothes will make us happy. What’s even more shocking than the ethical impact of fashion, is the huge impact fashion has on the environment. Along with our obsession with fast fashion comes a huge waste problem. This is where the need for sustainable fashion comes in; which starts from being aware of the unacceptable impact of fashion on the environment, and understanding what sustainable fashion actually means.

Emily Lush defines sustainable fashion; “Sustainable fashion is fashion that produces sustained positive impacts and mitigates negative impacts for every person in the supply chain—farmers, dyers, cut-and-trim workers, garment factory staff, buyers, labels, retailers, consumers—and everyone in between.”

Fashion is therefore a leading issue in sustainability concerns, unbeknown to a lot of us (even me, up until pretty recently). According to the Leigh Mapledoram from the Waste and Resources Action Program in the UK, if the average life of clothes could be increased by just 9 months, it could reduce carbon, water and waste footprints by 20-30%. Clara Vuletich, a designer, researcher, educator and consultant who has worked in the sustainable fashion space in UK and Europe for ten years recently gave a TEDx talk about how to engage with ethical fashion. Clara reveals that we have four times the amount of clothing in our wardrobes than our parents had, and that over one million tonnes of clothing go into landfill very year in the UK alone.

So, fashion obviously has a detrimental impact on the environment, which begs the question- how can fashion and sustainability, which are two VERY different things, co-exist? First thing is first, we need to understand that fashion CAN be sustainable, mainly through creating garments with natural fibres and organic cotton. The normal synthetic cotton that our clothes are made from doesn't biodegrade, and is often derived from petroleum, which sheds micro-plastic particles into the ecosystem. These microfibres, which originate from our clothing, make up 85% of human-made debris on beaches and shorelines around the world, as revealed by a 2011 study by a number of scientists on the accumulation of micro plastic on shorelines across the world. Microfibres are small fragments of plastic debris that come from a variety of different sources, such as paints and tyre dust. However, the main culprit is synthetic clothing such as fleece, rayon, acrylic and polyester garments. With most fabric that is produced being polyester, it’s easy to see how microfibre pollution is becoming a serious issue.

Jane Milburn, a sustainability consultant, upcycler, and agricultural scientist, is the founder of textile beat, an innovative enterprise inspiring mindful use of natural fibres and fabrics. When asked about microfibres, Jane explains, “what we are wearing is basically plastic”. Jane speculates how “synthetics are not nice to touch, they are static, don't move with your body, they smell, so maybe this is partly contributing to the constant throw away of clothes.”

One of the big differences between synthetics and natural fibres is cost. It’s safe to say that I obviously have an invested interest in ethical and sustainable fashion, but I also have a crippling student budget. I want to buy the bamboo pants for $160 and the linen jumpsuit for $220… but I also need to feed myself for the next week.

Whilst this is true, it is also important to recognise that fast fashion brands still play an important role. Emily Lush explains this idea, she says “people in developing economies constitute a huge market for fast fashion. Most people don’t consider those markets, and only think of consumers in the global West. Garment workers themselves buy fast fashion—with such low wages, what alternative do they have?”. Emily concludes that “I think the fashion industry is important… But major changes need to be made to ensure workers’ rights are protected.”

So, rather than boycotting fast fashion altogether, more research and campaigning needs to be carried out to understand how sustainable and ethical fashion translates to the context of developing countries. There are already some signs of this philosophy taking place. For example, Pactics. Pactics is a factory based in Siem Reap that offers ethical employment opportunities, training, career development and above-living wages to women from the local community.

Changes are therefore already taking place, but there are also hypes of things we can do as consumers to work towards an ethical and sustainable future, many of which are student-budget friendly as well! The first step in awareness. In April 2018, Fashion Revolution Week took place in Australia. Fashion Revolution Week is a global movement calling for greater transparency, sustainability and ethics in the fashion industry. Taking place from April 23 to 29, its goal is to celebrate local brands and producers who are fighting against the exploitation of garment workers across the globe. Events include talks, clothes swapping and workshops. This has been huge avenue working towards bringing ethical and sustainable fashion into the mainstream.

Two people who definitely understand the importance of raising awareness and bringing the issue into the mainstream are Megan O’Malley and Gab Murphy, two women who began an 3500km walking journey through southeast Asia in search of positive fashion stories, to prompt us to be curious and look for the stories behind your clothes. The endeavour ‘Walk Sew Good’, has been a huge success in raising awareness and changing attitudes.

When asked about their trek, Gab reflected “by visiting people who are doing the right thing, in places where it’s very easy to get away with doing the wrong thing, we wanted to show that it is possible to create a different fashion industry. One that can use innovation to solve many problems in the fast fashion model.” Gab and Megan have seen most of their friends and family make changes to their fashion habits and have received thousands of emails and messages from strangers saying that we’ve helped educate them and have started supporting some of the ethical and sustainable brands Megan and Gab visited. Megan and Gab emphasise the importance of hope as a solution, aiming to have inspired people to realise that together we can make a difference.

Other solutions include applying pressure. Emily Lush believes “the way forward is by not naming and shaming, but trying to lift the whole industry to better standards”. This means it is pretty vital we involve governments and unions in any attempt at industry reform. On a more practical level, buying second hand and mending are the way to go if you don't have an endless budget.

The greatest ambassador for this way forward is Jane Milburn. Also an ambassador for Fashion Revolution Week, Jane has a very different take on fashion, using second hand garments and up-cycling them. Jane argues, “second hand is organic, its ethical and sustainable, as you're not adding chemicals to the environment or putting production stress on the environment.” Jane believes buying new stuff just because it’s cheap is “madness” and contributing to a huge waste problem that we are now coming to realise.

Jane’s advocacy for mending and up-cycling also correlates with our current obsession with mindfulness. “It’s actually thinking about clothing for health and wellbeing reasons, not the latest fashion or trend or image. It’s a conversation we haven't really had and thats why I created the slow clothing philosophy.” Jane defines slow clothing as “a way of thinking about buying, choosing, wearing, caring for clothes so that they bring value, and meaning, and joy to our lives as the wearers of clothes, it’s actually about us, its for us, it’s not for industry. It’s about being more hands on”. It is also a very mindful practice, Jane describing how using the needle and thread to up-cycle clothes is simultaneously creative, unique, sustainable, ethical and enjoyable, and more than anything, has us at the centre rather than anyone else. Since we wear our clothes everyday, Jane promotes the strong belief that we should have an active and personal role in our clothing. Jane believes that “a sense of wellbeing comes from living directly in life,” which comes from doing things with your hands, making, being mindful and being connected to the world around us.

Jane emphasises that its about being informed and learning by doing- all you need is a needle and thread people! add a cup of hot tea and some comfy pants, and you can give ‘me time’ a big tick of today’s to-do list (and all while doing good things for yourself and the environment= winning). If well all consciously make an effort, the change we are beginning to see will continue, and as Jane says “,it’s young people that are in the position to drive that change.”

Some #ethical #sustainable #fashion #tips we are loving:

• - Buy second hand (check out your local op-shops for cool threads and a sweet bargain as well).
• - Finding that needle and thread you have stashed away in some drawer somewhere, and mending/ up-cycling.
• - Swap clothes with friends/ colleagues/ raid your parents wardrobe.
• - Use apps that rate clothing brands based on their ethical practices - Good On You is a great one.
• - Buy less or buy a fewer number of better quality clothes.
• - Some cool ethical/sustainable brands for when you have some extra cash: Rowie the Label, Arthur apparel, Bon, Vege Threads, The Bare Road.

With so many opportunities to create real change in the fashion industry, it all starts with us. Sustainability and ethics asks us as human beings to consider our values; our personal relationship to nature and the ethics of our actions. Before we do that, we can start simple, as Vivienne Westwood says, “Buy less, choose well, make it last”.