Sustainability in fashion is having an effect on design philosophy and consumer behavior. Also known as eco-fashion, sustainable fashion is changing attitudes toward environmentalism and social responsibility in the apparel industry.
Kim Hiller-Connell, assistant professor in apparel, textiles and interior design, specializes in the area of sustainability in textiles. She defined sustainable fashion as “fashion that is environmentally conscious and also socially conscious.”
“Maybe not that it is completely environmentally benign — there might still be some impact — but it is environmentally preferable over mainstream clothes,” Hiller-Connell said, explaining one of the keys of sustainability. “The production is cleaner for the environment. It doesn’t create the pollution or waste that is created in mainstream fashion.”
Fashion designers are implementing natural fibers, dyes and methods into their apparel production. According to the nonprofit organization Earth Pledge, fashion uses more water than any industry, aside from agriculture.
Besides environmental issues, sustainability in fashion also deals with the social side of the matter.
Hiller-Connell said the social aspect of sustainability is just as important, and many garments created with sustainability in mind are also manufactured under fair labor conditions — sweatshop free, fair wages, safe working environment, no physical or verbal abuse to workers, etc.
Despite the social and economic importance of sustainable fashion, Hiller-Connell said she believes only a small portion of students on campus are well-informed on the issue. She said students in the Department of Apparel, Textiles and Interior Design know about the issue, but the majority of students do not.
“We think about recycling and driving cars less, but we don’t really think about other things like buying clothing,” Hiller-Connell said.
She said people new to the sustainability movement can make a significant difference by decreasing consumption of clothing in general, and also by considering options like renting or borrowing clothing instead of always buying new pieces.
Web sites like Greenissexy.com and the BBC online fashion magazine, Thread, dedicated to “eco-fabulous” style offer free tips to help people get involved in sustainability in fashion. The sites have suggestions like shopping at and donating to thrift stores and vintage shops to help reduce the consumption and production of new garments.
Swap shopping, a concept involving a group of friends trading castoff clothing, is also a way to recycle clothes. Taking old or very worn shoes to a cobbler to be resoled is another tip Greenissexy.com recommends, cutting down the cost of buying new shoes and the energy involved to manufacture them.
The Bosom Buddies Recycling Program helps women get rid of old lingerie pieces and gives them to people in need. Women in shelters and housing centers do not always have the privilege of having a clean bra, and through this program they receive these items. More information on this program can be found at its Web site, Brarecylcling.org.
Several students at K-State, including Nicole Augustine, junior in kinesiology, try to practice sustainable fashion within their means. Augustine said she prefers buying quality, environmentally friendly clothing that lasts and will not wear out too easily.
Even people who do not know much about the sustainability movement might unconsciously practice buying habits that contribute to sustainable fashion, like Chelsea Irvine, junior in industrial engineering.
“I don’t really know what sustainable fashion is,” Irvine said when asked about the sustainability trend. “But I buy the minimal amount of clothing compared to most females.”
Even simple habits, like not purchasing excess clothing, help the environment and contribute to more sustainable fashions.
For the college price point, sustainable fashion can be found at mass merchants like Target, which featured a GO International sustainable fashion line with Rogan Gregory in spring 2008. Many online digital boutiques also offer organic cotton T-shirts and bamboo fiber denim. Ecofashionworld.com has a guide for the eco-conscious consumer with top picks for stores and designers.
Hiller-Connell said, in the end, sustainable fashion is simple.
“The most sustainable clothing in my mind is good for the environment and good for the people who have made it as well,” Hiller-Connell said.
3 comments
Green Man T-Shirts