Eileen Fisher

What is HRH The Prince of Wales’ mantra? Buy well, buy once.

Sustainable fashion can be defined as clothing, shoes, and accessories that are manufactured, marketed and used in the most sustainable manner possible. It also takes into account environmental and socio-economic aspects. However, sustainable fashion, starts with sustainable fabric.

 

How natural sustainable fabric is produced will astound you

How a sustainable fabric is produced comes into account on a grand scale when thinking sustainable fashion. Example – cotton. We think wow, cotton is wonderful because it’s a natural product, grown in the ground. However, it’s one of the thirstiest and chemical intensive crops to grow (unless it is organic of course – no chemicals but still so much water).

Organic hemp, marijuanas ‘sober cousin’, is popular at the moment and has been used for hundreds of years as fabric. It naturally fertilises the soil it grows in, requires no chemicals and very little water.

Another sustainable fashion and sustainable fabric choice is Organic Linen. Similar to hemp, it’s been grown for centuries, derived from a similar versatile crop. It requires little water and chemicals and even grows in very poor soil. It’s naturally moth resistant and hardwearing. What’s not to love.

Natural, sustainable fabrics are biodegradable

Natural, sustainable fabrics are biodegradable and totally avoid using plastics (think microfibre) that go hand-in-hand with the fossil fuel industry. The sad thing about many unsustainable fabrics is, the harm doesn’t stop in its production. MILLIONS of tiny plastics are shed into our waterways when microfibre is washed, ready for sea-life to ingest.

 

So did wool and bamboo make the sustainable fashion and fabrics list?

Bamboo is fast growing and doesn’t require pesticides, but that doesn’t mean it is being grown sustainably.

Most bamboo is grown in China, and there is little known of their practices. For example, how intensely is it being harvested? Or how much land clearing is underway to produce it? Although bamboo doesn’t require pesticides to grow, the Chinese included its use to maximise output!!! However, the Chinese government have cracked down on these more intensive practices which is progress.

And just to keep you wondering, is wool sustainable? Stay tuned, the answers are not what you think.

This post was all about a few of the most natural and sustainable fabrics used in making sustainable fashion and how they are produced. It’s not what you thought, right?

Images:  Stella McCartney Summer 2020 collection – video British Vogue Iknockfashion  Stella McCartney (in her own sustainable collection) by Matthew Sprout