Have you heard of sustainable fashion? If you haven’t where have you been? What has clearly become the new buzz term of 2020-2021, the term sustainable fashion is not only an up and coming trend but a way of living that hopefully is here to stay.
When one thinks of sustainable clothing the first thing that might spring to mind is ‘’hand me downs’’, charity shops and worn holey clothing. Yup, I bet moths spring to mind! Due to this up and coming trend, fashion brands are quickly working on their branding to change the way people think about and view sustainable clothing, as this trend is clearly here to stay.
The UK government has come up with the ‘’Green Agenda’’ which essentially recognises the critical need for a sustainable and circular economy that promotes a zero waste to landfill policy. Prime Minister Boris Johnston intends to forge ahead with implementing a road map to eradicating the UK’s contribution to climate change by 2050. If this goal really is to become a reality, then the fashion industry will need a vast rehaul, as the UK fashion industry contributes to around 300,000 tonnes of landfill each year as a result of unused clothes being burned or buried. The UK consumer’s addiction to ‘’fast fashion’’, another term I suspect you have heard, has enormously contributed to this problem. I would delve into the problems associated with fast fashion but that’s for another blog post!
Environmental celebrities
Due to the UK’s pledge to contribute to a greener future, certain celebrities are leading the way. Here are a few eco-friendly UK fashion icons that are setting a fine example for the rest of us to lead by:
- Kate Middleton
It is only right that Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cambridge gets top spot on the list of people storming ahead in the fashion stakes when it comes to leading the sustainable trend. A true fashion lover herself, Kate has been spotted re-wearing beloved items of clothing such as her Smythe blazer, Catherine Walker coat and Alexander McQueen dress to name a few. In addition to re-wearing items of clothing, she has also been spotted wearing sustainable fashion brands such as ‘’Veja’’ which use organic and eco-sourced materials or their products and ‘’Faithfull the Brand’’ whose materials are all handmade, hand-dyed and hand-printed by local artisans in Indonesia.
- Stella McCartney
As a long-standing vegan and fashion designer in her own right, Stella is a walking sustainable icon. She consistently uses earth-friendly materials like recycled polyester, organic cotton, and regenerated cashmere in her clothing collections. In addition to the well-chosen fabrics that are selected to make up her collection, Stella’s brand has incorporated many waste-reduction strategies across her entire supply chain. Her company measures and reports on their direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions, as well as on their water use. They have some serious water reduction targets in place, and a solid treatment and discharge practice for wastewater. She continues to be a true legend, just like her famous father.
- Emma Watson
Feminist icon, Emma Watson, has become a star in her own right through the promotion of women’s rights. However, you may not know that like Stella, Emma was an early adopter of sustainable fashion. Ms Watson has been keen to promote clothing brands that highlight and reflect her core beliefs. For example, more recently she has worked with sustainable brands such as Alberta Ferretti to promote a collection of sustainably produced pieces. Her love of sustainable fashion runs deep, to the point where Ms Watson even has her own separate Instagram account that focusses solely on her outfits and the clothing labels she considers are doing eco-fashion right.
- Sir Richard Branson
A mention has to be given to the space legend that is Sir Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin brand. Sir Branson has publicly spoken about the necessity of sustainability initiatives within business. In 2014, he and Vivienne Westwood launched a new range of Virgin Atlantic uniforms for pilots and cabin crew, to put his ethical fashion values into practice within his own company. The uniforms are all made from recycled materials, mostly a recycled polyester from old plastic bottles.
- Alexa Chung
Fashion icon Alexa Chung has been noted to promote sustainability and her view is that it is here to stay. She has hired a consultant to help make her own clothing line more eco-conscious, motivating her to think about things like the life cycle of a garment (prioritising pieces that will stay in a customer’s wardrobe forever as opposed to trendier throwaway items) as well as earth-friendlier fabrics and materials (mushroom leather, seed packaging).
Hopefully with the current drive towards a circular economy and greener future, the number of celebrities promoting sustainable fashion and therefore a more sustainable future will continue to grow and encourage the rest of us!
This post was featured on Links à la Mode fashion roundup by Independent Fashion Bloggers.
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