Eco-friendly fashion: 7 easy-to-adopt reflexes
Breaking your bad habits and discovering new horizons, without denying our passion for clothes: nothing could be easier. Responsible fashion, eco-responsible, eco-friendly, green, ecological, ethical, circular... our guide to action.
The responsible fashion is the new holy grail in the ready-to-wear section. Procedures eco-responsible , innovations green and other caps recycled or upcycled bloom without us sometimes being able to dissociate green-washing (ecological facade) and a real eco-responsible approach. So how do you really take part in the movement and approach the mode way more virtuous ? As you are never better served than by yourself, it is by first adopting good reflexes. The planet, our wardrobe and even our wallet will thank us.
Buy second hand
The first - and probably the most appealing - discovery to make when taking a step towards more responsible fashion is the second hand market . The platform Vinted and its 2.2 pieces sold every second in France, is the most glaring witness to this: whether vintage or not, second-hand fashion is on the rise.
The younger generations have already anchored this way of consuming in their habits (27% of French millennials, according to an Opinion Way study for Biocoop). By turning to this option, we work for a more circular fashion and we offer several lives to our pieces.
Bonus, we combine the useful with the pleasant by emptying our cupboards intelligently (selling is better than throwing away) and we do business. This, the users of Vestiaire Collective have understood since 41% of them qualify their gesture as ecological and 63% are enthusiastic about the idea of getting their hands on rare pieces. Not to mention the savings made. On the luxury site Collector Square, for example, the price of designer jewelry is set on the price of gold and not on the rating of its brand.
How to do ? Explore thrift stores, flea markets and empty dressing rooms, or register on the Vinted, Vestiaire Collective, Collector Square platforms...
Rent your clothes
Who has never acquired an outfit for a special occasion to finally let it fall into oblivion in the back of the closet once the event has passed? To fight against overconsumption, location has gradually made a place for itself in the fashion landscape.
Whether it's to meet the need for a 'wow' outfit, or simply to indulge yourself from time to time by wearing a designer piece without breaking the bank, clothing rental is a practical option.
Reluctant to slip into someone else's dress? Dry cleaning and even reconditioning are most of the time included in the service and in the event of a crush, purchase is always possible. Consumer brands like Bocage and even H&M got into it, so there's no reason not to try.
How to do ? Subscribe to Mabonneamie, Une Robe un soir, Panoply (rental of luxury items), Dresswing (rent or rent out your dressing room), Bocage (rent new shoes).
Bet on upcycling
'Reuse' is one of the watchwords when it comes to responsible fashion. You can interpret it as an injunction to wear more of your pieces, but reusing is a concept that has also become central to the creation. Fashion is interested in upcycling and this is very good news! It is a question of recovering fabric scraps but also the ends of rolls to create clothes and accessories. As a result, you can end up with clothes made in fabrics edited for luxury or furnishing houses, and therefore as original as they are of good quality.
The quantity of fabrics being limited, we often find upcycling in capsule collections (Caroll, Kaporal, Nasty Gal, Hermès Petit H), but also as a modus operandi for brands that are dedicated to it. Balzac Paris, The Ethiquette, Les Récupérables, Salut Beauté, Billum, Hotel Clothes, Polere and even Viktor & Rolf for its high fashion are part of.
How to do ? Head to these marks or jump on the ephemeral lines to unearth nuggets.
Consume local
One of the reasons why fashion is a very bad student in terms of ecology is its carbon impact. To avoid having your clothes travel from their place of manufacture (often in Asia) to our dressing rooms, the solution is quite simply to consume mode locale . And that's good, France is full of talented creators who are committed to bringing their know-how to life. Long live the made in France!
Pay attention, however, to the criteria for acquiring appellations and labels. 'France Terre textile' : minimum 75% of the manufacturing steps in France. 'Made in France' : a maximum value threshold for non-French raw materials in relation to the price... The best thing is still to take an interest in the creators and their history.
How to do ? Give preference to in-store purchases and companies that use reusable packaging (Hopaal, Adresse, soon Balzac Paris). hang out at local designer fairs and markets, or online at Etsy and learn to decipher the labels.
Consume less (and better)
It seems obvious, yet it must be said: the best way to avoid overconsumption is to consume less. Fashionistas, no need to sulk! This doesn't necessarily mean 'depriving yourself', but updating your wardrobe more intelligently.
In France in 2016, 9 kg of clothing per person per year were purchased. It is possible to reduce this figure (and the budget allocated to it) by considering your wardrobe more permanently, by equipping yourself with classic and quality pieces. You don't get tired of them and you can continue to wear them from one season to the next.
If you have an irrepressible need for something new, you can always turn to what already exists, change buttons or do embroidery, barter, collect things from loved ones (hello, Grandma's beautiful vintage pieces)...
How to do ? 'Do I already have a suit that meets this need? Will it improve the other pieces in my wardrobe? If it were more expensive, would I still want it? ...' The Man Repeller blog has published a list of 7 questions to ask yourself before any purchase, a memo to always keep in mind.
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Take care of your clothes
According to a study by the consulting firm McKinsey, the lifespan of clothing has been halved over the past fifteen years. Now accessible, constantly renewed and therefore perishable, fashion has made certain uses fall into oblivion. Sew, repair, adjust, patch , are so many ways to increase the life of our wardrobe.
To reintegrate these practices, we see sewing workshops and alteration services appear in major brands such as C&A or H&M, while associative places around DIY such as La Textilerie are flourishing.
At the same time, brands are working on eco-friendly detergents (Balzac Paris, Pimpant) to take better care of your clothes and the planet.
How to do ? Learn first aid gestures in sewing and wash carefully, cold if possible
Get the (good) fiber
Because clothing is above all a matter of material, the fiber is at the center of the ecological issues of fashion. The problems start at the origins of the industry with very common fibers such as cotton , surrounded by received ideas (to grow, 1kg cotton requires up to 22,000 liters of water) or even polyester (made from petroleum). Then, the treatment and the dyeing generate ultra toxic waste.
To counter all this mass pollution, some manufacturers are turning to organic or less water-intensive fibers (such as bamboo). If some innovative materials such as Tencel (wood pulp) or Econyl (regenerated Nylon) have emerged, it is better not to take innovations at face value. Recycled fibers, for example, remain to this day inefficient, because they are actually mixed with new fibers to achieve sufficient quality.
How to do ? Favor natural and water-efficient materials, and turn to expert brands in the field (Hopaal, Moodz panties, Stella McCartney...).
