Sustainability and fashion don't really go hand in hand. To be sustainable is to "avoid the depletion of natural resources in order to maintain an ecological balance". Fashion is about consumption. Sustainability has become a commonly used buzz word in fashion today. With the never ending quest of both the manufacturers and consumers to offer and have the latest, we have been made aware that "having the latest" at all times is affecting the environment. And there are other practices that affect the environment--Burberry was caught destroying $38M of unsold goods in September of this year.
There are a couple of ways we can address this so that we can keep our 'passion for fashion'. One is by donating our clothes to charity and consigning them so they don't end up in landfills. Secondly almost everything is a trend these days, so why not pick your favorite ones and not feel obligated to follow all of them. When you buy something fabulous, it's going to be next season if it wasn't too egregiously trendy.
I am not wearing one piece of new clothing in this look. The pants are the newest thing by cinq à sept. They are about a year and half old and still work because I bought them before the trend really hit. And they still really work because everything is a trend now as I mentioned before. My Bottega Veneta sandals are almost 10 years old, my DKNY gabardine coat is probably 15 years and my J. Crew striped shirt is about 15 years old. I can't believe I'm telling you this in a blog post but what the heck, I would tell you in person.
I don't want to sound holier than thou because the fact that I am not always wearing new is often a budget thing rather than trying to save the planet. Don't get me wrong, I love composting, buying consignment/vintage and being more aware of the environmental impact of things like synthetics and even denim. It is also not kind to think of animals being sacrificed for fur but it also is not kind of the designers that manufacture fake fur to contribute to the landfills with goods that never decompose. I guess you have to pick your poison because it is becoming more and more difficult to ignore these issues.
Please email me with any questions or comments. mc@marcycarmack.us
