A hot topic today... though it's been hot for me for 15 years now...
What is sustainable fashion? Is it organic? Is it kind to the environment? Or kind to man? And what is the difference?
Trend scouting: We are facing a massive problem of our overconsumption that has happened in the last 20 years.. We have consumed so much that the clothes we wear are not worth anything anymore, and we are now in a new era where this is slowly but surely being loosened up...
When was the last time you sewed a garment? Or when was the last time you repaired an item of clothing? Or sewed in a button? Or stuffed a sock?
I think you answer that it was a long time ago or never, because it is so cheap to buy new...
What happens inside us when we buy something cheap? Are we proud of it? Are we afraid of it, or does it not matter? Because it was so cheap...
If you buy something expensive, you are afraid of it, right? If you buy something cheap, it doesn't matter, right?
If you have sewn it yourself, then you know the work involved and you never sew something in a cheap fabric, because then it wouldn't last and you wouldn't appreciate it the same way... Am I right?
To be able to call something "sustainable fashion" it needs to be:
1. Good quality
2. Made under sustainable conditions or home sewn
3. Cost a penny so that you care about the garment, or that it has an emotional value (inherited or a brand you appreciate)
4. Designed in a cut that lasts a long time and is timeless or "crunchy" so that it neither goes in nor out of fashion.
5. Preferably organic, but not a must.
6. You need to love the garment so that you value and care about it
So what is my trend spotting? We are fed up with mass production and we want to protect our environment, therefore we will stop buying cheap clothes because we realize that we are not afraid of them after all (read that the garbage mountain is growing). We will go back and start sewing at home, and start mending clothes that are torn, because we appreciate the clothes we have. We select more when we shop and stop buying because it's cheap, we buy what we want and need. We value high quality, and think about not buying what is manufactured in such a way that those who have made it have suffered for us to consume cheaply, when we are still not afraid of the garment...
Am I right? The future will show that 😉
