Hey everyone, Melanie here with sariKNOtsari! This week on the blog we are talking about SLOW FASHION. I am so excited to share this with you and as I learn more about it I can’t wait to share it with you all.
So, in order to understand slow fashion we first need to understand fast fashion. We’re going to quickly talk about the problem with fast fashion. So this is what we as consumers understand to be fashion in our everyday lives. For example, you go to the mall and you find let’s say 5 shirts, they are each €5-10, very on-trend, you love them, pick them up, bring them home. And I’m guilty of this too. You wear them a few times...you probably don’t even wear all of them. And then in a few months the trends are already changing. We want to be trendy and look hip so we go back to the mall and pick up some new stuff….some dresses, some pants.
And the cycle goes on and on. This is fast fashion consuming.
It doesn’t seem like a huge problem. If you’re thinking “Well if I don’t wear something, I can donate it. What’s the problem with that? It helps someone who maybe can’t afford things from the mall and I get to go buy something new because I just donated something!”
Well actually, there is a big problem with this industry. It starts at the production end of things...social and environmental impacts. Environmentally, 1 kg of fabric produces 23 kg of greenhouse gases. Just think about that. 1 to 23 ratio of greenhouse gases. There’s also thousands of litres of water that are put into production to make new fabric.
You may not know this (I didn’t learn this until Priya, our founder, told me this week) but oil is the #1 pollutant, most people know that in our world, but fabric production is the second biggest pollutant in the world. SECOND BIGGEST. So every time we go to the mall or we go to different stores and buying cheap fabric, we are contributing to that environmental impact.
Also socially, we all remember a few years ago Rana Plaza in Bangladesh collapsed, a bunch of workers died from that (1100 to be exact!). When you buy things that are €5 or €10...we can’t have the same restrictions or policies in place to ensure that those places are safe. We don’t know if the workers are in a safe environment or a clean environment, if they’re getting breaks etc.
So what can we do to change this? We are done talking about the problem...we know about the problem.
There is a solution! And buyers have a huge power...a huge impact in this world of consumerism!
So let’s first talk about some alternatives. The first alternative is just wearing what you already have. 20% of clothing is what we wear. In our closets, we are only wearing 20%...most of us. And I’m guilty of this too. We find our favourite pieces, we know they look good on us, they feel good and we just wear them all the time. So just start with wearing more, mix and match, finding different combinations. Wear what you already have.
And if you can’t do that, maybe borrow something. If you have an event and you need a new dress, instead of buying one, maybe your friend has a really cute one. Or there’s some cool organizations now (Trusted Clothes out of Waterloo) where you can swap. Clothing swaps are happening locally all the time and you can borrow clothing through these companies (Boro It in Toronto). It’s a great new model.
Another thing you can do is go to the thrift store and pick up stuff from there. That’s another great option. Maybe make something yourself? Old school...sew it yourself!
And if none of those alternatives work for you, that’s fine. If you have to buy something...maybe you have to buy a gift for someone or you have to buy something for yourself...shop ethically!
If you have to do it, do it ethically. I always say vote with your wallet. So I’m gonna be biased because now I’m learning more about chiangmaicctv and I love them! So I’m going to talk about their clothing brand.
So Priya, our founder, went to India and found two family-run businesses that make our clothing using upcycled Indian saris. They are cotton saris and silk saris that they turn into dresses, shirts, pants, tops, everything.
And if you are wondering, “Well what about the scraps from those? Don’t those go in the garbage?” No! They use the scraps, as well! This is amazing to me. They use it for gift wrap, for scarves, they use it for bunting which is a decoration you can have in your house.
So they are upcycling fabric, they are using the scraps to make more products, and then even better, they also support social change. €1 from every purchase of chiangmaicctv goes to Save the Elephants which is an organization that works on elephant conservation.
So you have these three amazing things that this organization does that you can use as a buyer. Use your power...shop ethically instead of supporting fast fashion.
And everything is on sale right now...it doesn’t get better than that!
So...that’s my little blog for this week. Next week, let me know what you want to hear about. What I’m thinking is...shopping locally, thinking globally… talking about my favourite places in Hamilton to do this.
So stay tuned for next week, thanks for watching this week. Bye!
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It’s called The Price of Free and documents the work of Kailash Satyarthi; the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014 (along with Malala Yousafzai that year). According to the trailer, “As a young man, he promised himself that he would end child slavery in his lifetime. In the decades since, he has rescued more than 80,000 children and built a global movement.”
The movie starts with a raid of a factory in India. You see Kailash and his team knock on locked doors of room after room looking for children that he knows are there. The owner repeatedly tells him that there are no children but he persists. Finally, after climbing to the fourth floor and sifting through piles of heavy bags, he finds around 10 children hiding under them.
This sets the scene for the rest of the documentary. During these raids Kailash has found anywhere from 10 to 100 children. In another example, he finds a room of children making jewellery boxes. There are a few of them sitting on the floor putting gems on the boxes. There is a chemical leaking on the floor that they use for the glue. Kailash picks up the box and turns it over to see a homesense label...A HOMESENSE LABEL! I had to pause the film for a moment at this point because I just couldn’t believe it.
We know child labour and modern slavery exist. However, we aren’t forced to see them in our day to day life. This makes it hard to directly associate our purchases with these unfair practices. Another problem is transparency in companies. How do we know which ones are good or bad? One thing that helps with this is apps like Good On You. They rate companies on their labour practices, environmental standards, and animal treatment and do the research so you don’t have to.
Time and time again Kailash puts himself in danger to find children and return them to their families. When asked why he does it he says that if it was his own child he would stop at nothing to find them...so why wouldn’t he do this for others? This is what amazed me. Kailash never gives up and never loses hope. He believes in the power that one person has and even more, the positive change we can make when we all work together.
That’s what I want you to take from this blog. It’s not meant to make you feel bad. It’s meant for us to all know that our actions make a difference and we can/do positively impact the world. None of us are perfect but it’s important that we try and do our best. No one can buy everything fair trade or ethically sourced but, as I’ve said before, it’s important to ask where things are coming from and have those conversations.
Kailash says it’s all about education. We first need to know that there is a problem before we can do anything about it. Find out where your products come from and then from there decide what you want to do. Do you want to keep buying from that company because they pay fairly? Do you want to write a letter asking them to change their practices because they don’t?
While I’m here I think it’s important to talk about accessibility to ethically sourced items. I know they aren’t readily available at every store. But as there is more demand, the supply will grow too. Also, if you can’t afford higher priced items, you can support the fair trade movement through a reusable straw or upcycled scrunchie...every little bit helps. It’s easy to think we can’t make a huge impact as one person. But just look at Kailash- he is one person who, with the help of his team in India, have saved over 80,000 children from slavery.
And they don’t just rescue children! They also work to ensure more children aren’t being forced into this industry. They are getting to the root of the problem of modern slavery. His centre educates the children so, when they are old enough to get a job, they can get a good one and help their family break the cycle of poverty.
I will leave you with this quote: “Yesterday I was clever so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise so I am changing myself.” Rumi
The Price of Free urges us to think and act. You can find more info about how to help here: https://chiangmaicctv.com/
And you can find the full documentary here: https://chiangmaicctv.com/watch?v=UsqKz1hd_CY&list=PLzvRx_johoA-rUghlugCzdOzSUMxXbUV0&index=1
Until next week,
Melanie
]]>Hi everyone,
Melanie here at chiangmaicctv and today I’m working in the store so I wanted to use it as an opportunity to show you some of our new pieces that just came in. And specifically to talk to you about fabric upcycling. I’ve talked about this in the blog before but we got some new pieces in that show we are really trying not to have scraps go in the landfill but use them for different products, as well.
So when artisans have a sari they usually cut it into three pieces and I would say they can get three to four items of clothing out of them. So, for example, this shawl is a beautiful purple and light brown print. And we also have other items in store when we use an upcycled sari so they can make a shawl, a vest, a top, pants...a few different items out of the individual sari.
But now what they’re doing with small scraps, instead of having these go in the landfill, we are making them into new products. So these just came in the store a few days ago and it’s our headband, as you can see it was the same fabric as the shawl and then we also have a scrunchie. It just goes to show that when we’re making new items we aren’t just using a little piece of new fabric that’s being produced. We are actually using all recycled fabric from the same sari.
So, like I said, the sari can be used for many different shapes, sizes, styles of clothing and now smaller hair accessories. Another thing I wanted to show you is these new straw pouches that just came in. And these I’m really excited for personally because I use reusable straws and cutlery but after they are used you don’t want to put them back in your purse dirty. So you can just throw them in here and then the pouch itself can be hand washed or put in the washing machine and it’s clean!
It has some matching items! So it has a scrunchie, I believe we also have a headband. Just again I’m so excited for these recycled sari products...that they are using the scraps to make smaller items!
The bunting I’ve talked about on the blog, as well. This is many different colours and patterns. These they would’ve used scraps...maybe they were making clothing for us and had just a few smaller pieces and decided to make the decorative bunting. This is a great way to add a pop of colour...a lot of us have minimalistic/neutral homes and we want to add a splash of colour. It’s an easy decoration you can change out. And it’s another great way to support the cause.
With these items I think it’s really important that they’re more reasonably priced. Sometimes with fair trade we get people saying that they want to support us but it’s a little more expensive and not in their budget. So, in terms of accessibility, this is something you can give as a gift to someone or buy for yourself at a smaller price point. It makes a great stocking stuffer and you can support slow fashion and sustainability while doing so!
This is our gift wrap. Sustainable gift wrap is a huge thing lately, especially around the holidays. Instead of throwing all that wrapping paper out, you can give someone a beautiful piece of fabric. Again, all upcycled saris (silk or cotton). And these are multipurpose! A lot of things we carry here have versatility and multi-purpose. So you can use this as a handkerchief, a scarf, a shawl if it’s cold outside. They can be just about anything. Some people use them as napkins too. So that’s something else I wanted to show you that came in that uses recycled fabrics.
And these also came in- if you’re more a fan of leather or people who are looking for Father’s Day gifts or buying for men in their life they usually like leather. These are recycled leather remnants we get from India. Priya was there and worked with a group called Studio Kassa. And when they don’t have enough leather to make a new item like a wallet or a journal they turn it into these brooches. You put them on with a magnet and they are perfect for closing up shawls, scarves, or adding a decorative embellishment.
These are earbud holders- a lot of us have ear buds at the bottom of our purses all tangled up in a knot. With these you just wrap them around and close...perfect!
And our linen line I’m going to do a blog about soon. About the versatility of it- it’s multipurpose, reversible, adjustable, one size fits all. I’ll talk about that another time! But these are scraps from our linen line. In neutral colours we have beige, black, and a grey/blue. You can mix and match all of them. And easily add a pop of colour for spring of summer if you want to.
Lastly, our Doodlage line. Doodlage is a line coming in this week from India. They also use upcycled scraps and things that would otherwise go in the landfill from other designers and clothing companies. They usually gather them all up and throw them on the floor, never use them again. Doodlage turns them into new clothing. I’ll go into more detail about them in a future blog post or unboxing.
But I wanted to give you a little preview. I’m trying to think which fabric I should start with I love them all so much. The first time I saw this first one I thought the design came from painting or dying. But if you look close enough it’s different coloured fabrics that they used to make this design. And then they make the circle with an embroidering. I love this because it’s making something beautiful out of something that would’ve otherwise been scrapped.
It’s a great environmentally friendly way to repurpose things! And the fabric feels so soft! Stay tuned for new items coming in with these fabrics. I love the embroidery on this next one. It’s made of recycled denim...what a cool company! And the embroidery says “hold on to your dreams tonight, don’t let them fade away.” And this last one is coming in a duffel bag...how cool is that colour, I love it! If you look close there is embroidering but other than that the design comes from fabric scraps. So we have a beautiful jacket coming in, dresses, duffel bags, eye masks, makeup pouches...so many things!
And if you’re gonna buy, buy sustainable. We are not asking you to buy more, I always reinforce that in my blogs. We are asking that when you have to buy, for yourself or as a gift, look at where it’s coming from and what it’s made of.
So I’m so excited to share these new items with you I know it was a long blog today but there was so much to talk about. And I look forward to talking to you next week! We’re gonna talk more about all the new pieces that are coming in.
Thanks so much,
Melanie
Photo credit: @petraalexandra
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The five items I chose are items that you can easily switch over to more sustainable options. Most yogis already own these items, but it is important to look at where you got them from and the benefit they have on yourself and the world.
Often, the path to sustainability starts with getting rid of plastic in your life. Whether it be straws, water bottles, take-out containers etc. Why not use this opportunity to buy something that will be healing for your body while not adding waste to landfills?
Recently, I’ve learned about the benefits of copper. These include anti-aging, immunity-boosting, skin healing, and mental and joint health. We carry a brand called Kaarigar Copper based out of India. They make products such as reusable water bottles, tumblrs, mugs, straws etc. out of 100% copper. Who doesn’t want all these benefits from drinking water during their yoga practice?
2. Clothing
Yoga clothing is all about comfort. You don’t want something that you have to fidget with during your practice. Often, we also want something that we can run around and do errands in after class, as well.
A great line we carry is Uranta. This is an upcycled clothing line out of a fair trade workshop in Mexico. Their clothing line is “made for people who celebrate their lives through the inspiration delivered by movement.” How beautiful is that? Whether you are dancing, stretching, sweating, meditating...this clothing line is built for you! They use 100% recycled materials while designing pieces that are also fashionable...what’s not to love?
3. Props
Often in yoga we use props such as mats, carrying bags, straps, and pillows. Like I said earlier, it is important to examine where these are coming from and their impact. At chiangmaicctv we carry bags and straps made of upcycled fabric. That way, new fabric production isn't creating pollution and old fabric isn’t going into the landfill.
We also have pillows coming in from India for meditation! I’m personally excited for these because I get a sore back when sitting on the floor for too long. These will prop you up nicely so you can focus more on mediation and less on being uncomfortable. They are hand-made in India by our artisans which Priya has ensured make a fair wage and use eco-friendly practices.
4. Tea
I’ve talked about this tea before but I love it so much so I’m talking about it again. It is great for yoga because it has healing benefits! Drinking tea is a ritual that allows us to slow down and focus on our mind and body. This brand is made by a holistic nutritionist in Toronto who creates her teas with naturally-flavoured plants. The tea tastes amazing while healing your body of common ailments such as anxiety, stress, and inflammation!
We have a tea flavour coming in called Sticky Ginger Chai made exclusively for chiangmaicctv. We had it at our grand opening and it was a huge hit! It is warming and comforting with just the right hints of spice. I can’t wait enjoy it again soon.
5.Bracelets
Anyone who has been to a yoga show knows that there’s always mala bracelets! These are bracelets used for mindfulness or to set intention (originally from malas used for prayer in Buddhism). Again, it is important to ask where these bracelets come from. Unfortunately, not all stones are ethically sourced.
We carry a great brand called Alive Intentions made right here in Hamilton. Hand-strung with love and dedication by Franca Galati, each bracelet is crafted to help you infuse specific intentions into your life. Whether you're searching to harness direction, serenity, or positive attitude in your life, these natural stone bracelets are ready to accompany you on your journey. Wear them as is or put a few drops of your favourite essential oil on them!
Items used every day by yogis can have a positive impact on themselves and the world. It starts with asking where we are already buying things from. And then making small changes accordingly if we have to.
We at chiangmaicctv don’t want you to buy more but if you are already buying something, we hope you shop ethically and sustainably! All the items mentioned here will be available at the upcoming yoga show, as well and in-store and online.
Thanks for taking the time to read this blog :)
Until next week,
Melanie
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It’s one thing to have the knowledge that we need to support better brands but it’s another thing to act! When you are shopping and find a piece of clothing you love, how do you know that it benefits people instead of harming them? So I thought I would give you the tools to do so this week!
The app is called Good On You and I believe I discovered it on Instagram. This app is based out of Australia and has 1,300 clothing and accessory brands. Good On You has amazing features you can easily navigate. For example, you can search by brand/store or by category, see overall or detailed ratings, and refine searches by ratings, prices, and styles.
Here are their four main features:
See how your favourite brands rate
This app allows you to search brands and gives you ratings on them based on labour rights, effect on the environment, and animal welfare. It gives each company a general rating out of five and detailed ratings on each of the three categories. What I like is that the app provides blurbs on each brand and category explaining why they chose the rating they did.
Discover new, ethical brands
Under the preferences section you are able to choose the criteria that are most important to you when buying clothing (labour rights, environmental impact, and/or animal welfare). Good On You then suggests new and ethical brands that it thinks you will like. There’s also an option to put in your location so they can tell you which retailers close by carry these brands. This is another feature I enjoyed! It also personalized suggestions based on my location, gender, and style.
Find great deals on ethical brands
We have all heard the argument that ethical brands can be more expensive. But you’ve seen me talk about quality over quantity in this blog and buying less/wearing more. I still believe all this but another feature of this app is that it shows you local offers on ethical brands. So if you’ve had your eye on a piece but can’t afford it at this time, you will be notified when it goes on sale. This makes ethically sourced pieces more affordable for more people.
Tell brands you want them to change for the betterSo what about the “bad” brands? The ones with not so great ratings? Good On You’s last feature is being able to provide feedback. This feedback can be positive or negative and is a great way to let brands know what consumers are looking for. And this app suggests similar, more ethical alternatives for you to explore!
More and more brands are moving from brick and mortar shops to online stores. This makes it harder to ask questions of sales associates. This app fixes that problem and does the work for you! You can have the answers to all your questions at your fingertips. They also have a great blog I recommend reading (in case you get bored of mine haha).
Don’t see a brand you want to know more about? Put in a request! I put in one for chiangmaicctv so hopefully they rate us soon. This really encourages transparency in the fashion world which is what we need more of. I wish I found this app sooner! What a great and easy way for us to have our voices heard.
Here’s their website if you want to learn more about them and how they rate brands: https://chiangmaicctv.com/about/.
Check it out and let me know what you think. How did your favourite clothing brand measure up? When are you most likely to use this app?
Until next week,
Melanie ]]>This week I wanted to highlight 5 items we have in store that every wardrobe needs. I picked these items because they have more than one function and that is what slow fashion is all about. What we seek to do is buy less and wear more. By adding items like these into your wardrobe, you can easily dress your other pieces up or down. Let’s get started!
Another great purpose is to carry your glasses! I’m always losing mine so it’s great to keep them right on me. We get this item from Barbara Rubber, a company that recycles rubber tires into necklaces. So you know your money is going to a great organization that is helping clean the environment!
These are another cool item I’m excited to share with you. Sleevey Wonders take your items from summer to winter. What a great way to double your wardrobe by only buying one item! Usually, when we want to layer, the added clothing adds unnecessary warmth. With this item you don’t have to worry about that!
Sleevey Wonders are also great for following a dress code at work or if you want to feel more comfortable in a certain outfit. We have a full sleeve style and a ¾ length one, as well. Each side of this item is different so you can wear it with a high neckline or as a V-Neck, an added bonus!
We have scarves with our chiangmaicctv line that are made of upcycled saris in India. This means they help the planet while you wear them by saving the material from going into a landfill. Our scarves come in squares and rectangles and in cotton or silk. They also double as reusable, fabric gift wrap...does it get any better?
Do I even need to tell you that you need this? I think all of us have a pair of black leggings or pants in our closet! We carry a brand called Diane Kennedy and what makes these items different is that they are made of bamboo. This bamboo is organic, eco-friendly, and breathable. And these products are made in Canada.
They are seriously so comfortable! Once again, these are items that can be dressed up or down, used to layer under dresses, or worn alone. We carry both regular and plus-size options. Bamboo also rarely needs to be ironed, saving you time!
Just like I said above, I’m sure we all have black tops in our closets! We wear and wear and wear them until they are see-through (which doesn’t take long if you buy a top from a regular retailer). The tops we carry are from the same brand, Diane Kennedy, and made of bamboo. They are made to last without stretching or thinning.
We have both camisoles and long-sleeved tops for all your layering needs. As I’ve said with the other items in this post, they can be dressed up or down with the right accessories. I pick black because it matches virtually everything which means you will wear it more and that is what we want!
At the end of the day, the slow fashion movement is all about doing what’s best for you and the planet.
Who doesn’t want to save money by buying less clothes while also reducing their environmental footprint?
What are some items you own that are multipurpose?
Let me know in the comments!
]]>Photo credit: Gilded Cage Boutique
]]>Hi everyone,
Melanie here with chiangmaicctv! This week for the blog I wanted to pop on video to talk about impact. You’ll notice the topic for this week is “You make a difference...You are making an impact!” And this is something I wanted to address because over the Christmas season and New Year’s, I noticed talking with a lot of friends and family that we are overwhelmed by all the negativity in the world and all the problems going on.
We don’t know where to start. There’s war, violence, AIDS, refugees, poverty...the list goes on and on. And it can be overwhelming to know how one person can make a difference. Some people think, “Can I even make a difference?” And I’m here to tell you this week that you can and, in fact, you are making a difference already.
First of all, I want to start with a little example that I’ve figured out through working in retail. This happens all the time. So let’s say a customer asks for a certain product, a fair trade tea. And then someone else asks for it. And someone else asks for it. Eventually we bring that in. It’s supply and demand. So customers have an impact just right there. By asking for something. The owner or manager will say this is very valuable to the customer and we should bring it in.
Another example is just asking for fair trade or ethically sourced. It’s great to be challenged by customers. When people are asking us, “Where does this come from? Where do you get it? Is it local, organic, direct trade?” And sometimes we don’t know the answers to those questions but that’s great because then we get to find out together. And then when the next person asks, we know the answer.
So there’s this ripple effect and this connectiveness where when you are asking a question or making a comment or wanting a product to be brought in, that is effecting other people. It effects us as staff and our product knowledge and future customers who now can have that knowledge from us and buy that product that you asked to bring in.
So basically in this blog post I want to focus on the fact that we aren’t neutral beings. This is something I feel strongly about. Our actions do not have a neutral effect. What we are doing everyday has a positive impact or a negative impact on the world.
So it may be overwhelming to think, “I have something I’m passionate about but I don’t have time. I don’t have time to organize my community to write a petition or do a protest or various other things.” You don’t have to do something that big. Don’t start with this huge problem I have to solve all by myself. Start everyday with little actions. Things you are already doing.
I buy coffee. So instead of buying unethical coffee, I buy ethical coffee. We buy clothing. Instead of buying unethical clothing, look into where you clothing is coming from. It is a great thing just to start asking those questions. Where does this come from?
And then we can make positive, small changes from there and can pick a more ethical option! So that’s basically where I’m at right now. That we can make a difference and we are making a difference through our actions every single day.
There’s another example I wanted to give you: social media. We’re all on social media I’m guilty of it. We are scrolling on instagram and facebook and we post or share funny memes and articles. But what if instead we shared our favourite local clothing brand? Or our favourite fair trade coffee? It can be anything you are passionate about or something that’s supporting someone else in our community.
Let’s say you share that fair trade clothing brand and your sister sees it. She clicks it and loves their stuff and buys something. Then she shares it on her instagram and one of her friends sees it. Same thing...they click it and buy something and so on. So you may think “I’m going to share this article, that’s not going to have any impact, who cares.” But we do have impact, even if we don’t know it! We always have an impact through that ripple effect and network of community.
So if you feel overwhelmed and like you don’t have the money to buy fair trade clothing or the time to volunteer for the causes you are passionate about, look at what you are already doing and see if you can change your actions in that way. If you are already buying coffee or already sharing links on social media, then make a positive difference that way.
It would just be so great if we could all do that! So that is our homework for this week, we’re getting homework again (me included). Whenever I go on video it seems I like to give out homework, I don’t know why. But that’s just what I wanted to leave you with. Vote with you wallet, I always say that.
Let’s get the conversation going. Let me know in the comments things that you can do everyday to make a positive impact.
Thanks so much!
]]>Usually when we think about environmental waste the first thing that comes to mind is plastic and while plastic waste is still a huge contributor, it definitely isn’t the only thing that’s been taking its toll on the environment. Did you know that second to oil, the clothing and textile industry is the largest polluter in the world?
As Canadians we contribute more than 12 million tonnes of clothing and textiles into the waste stream every year. It’s become so easy and cheap to buy clothing many of us don’t stop to realize that the new t-shirt we just had to have used 2,650 litres of water to produce. If you’re not convinced that we’ve got a problem yet, here are a few more staggering statistics:So now let’s count down some of our favourite guilt free fabrics!
It almost seems like nowadays anything can be made using bamboo! From toothbrushes to cutting boards- if you’ve been trying to live a sustainable life you are no stranger to Bamboo. Antibacterial and biodegradable, bamboo is rapidly becoming a popular fabric source in the clothing industry. But the natural fiber made from bamboo has its downsides. While it may grow quickly, need little water to create and require no fertilizers or pesticides to grow, the process of turning bamboo into fabric is chemically intensive and it still produces a fair amount of waste.
Chances are most pieces of clothing in your closet are made from this popular fibre. Cotton is one of the most common fabrics in the textile industry and for good reason. It’s hypoallergenic, breathable, durable and made from non-genetically modified plants. Another great advantage to cotton is that it won’t retain odor. This means you’ll be needing to wash your clothing less which will keep them in great condition while saving you money, time and water. Unfortunately, cotton has created a high environmental demand. Although, it’s a great option it doesn't quite make it to the top of our list!
Linen is a natural plant fiber that has been around for thousands of years. It adds a timeless, elegant and understated staple to any wardrobe. It was believed in ancient times to have healing properties given that it is hypoallergenic, antibacterial and breathable. 30% more durable than cotton, it remains the world's strongest natural fiber and will last you for decades! It also requires little water and no chemical fertilizers or pesticides to grow. So what are the drawbacks? Since it is better quality, linen is typically a more expensive (but worthwhile), option. It also has a tendency to wrinkle, so keep your steamer handy!
It seems as if the pros are endless for this ecological and sustainable trailblazer.
Similar to linen, Hemp is an extremely durable option that has a tendency to bunch and crease in areas. It is naturally resistant to insects, easy to care for and requires little water. Hemp also grows so rapidly that it has become one of the most renewable fibers in the clothing industry. Besides being reusable and biodegradable it’s also non-polluting during its life cycle. I struggled to find cons for this fabric besides the fact that it’s hard to spin on its own and often has to be mixed with cotton (which could affect its ability to be recycled).
Unsurprisingly, the best option is always to repurpose what you already have. Upcycling is the process of converting something old into something new. If you’re tired of your existing closet, think of ways that you can transform what you already have into new pieces that better reflect your current style. Get fun with your fashion! An easy cut with scissors can turn a baggy sweater into a cute crop, or a long dress into a playful skirt. And if you're not too savvy with the scissors, you can save clothing from the waste stream and purchase pre-loved clothing and fabric or high quality sustainable pieces that will last you a lifetime:)