The Biggest ‘drift’ in Fashion
The Fascinating fashion cosmos started its expedition somewhere in 1920s, Charles Frederick worth being the very 1st designer having his name sewn into the garments & labelled ‘House of worth’ back in 1926. His name would be etched in history eternally as ‘father of Haute Couture’. From then Fashion has come too far trekking through countless milestones.
Jiffies that changed fashion history forever:-
- Loincloth deemed a golden oldie, was the oldest piece of clothing!
- 1871 was a year of fashion turbulence when Jacob Davis & Levi Strauss invented ‘Denim jeans; easily a Starlet born! A versatile piece of clothing, Jeans became & even now is a quintessential part of every wardrobe.
- Midway through 19th century — Live models outplaced dolls to flaunt clothes.
- 1938 & 1953 saw the first commercial creation of Nylon & Polyester fibers respectively by DuPont.
- New York fashion week debuted in 1943, originally called Press week.
- Prêt-à-porter or ready-to-wear clothing (not tailor-made) came into being in the 1950’s & popularized as fashion for masses or the fixed sizes on the retail shelves.
- The notion of Eco friendly clothing & brands emerged in 2010, Fashion that was for a cause.
With fresh offerings each time in our lives, Fashion flows fast & what’s hot & happening today won’t be fancied tomorrow! Nonetheless it’s a bitter reality that the fashion industry is the second largest polluter in the world & culpable for about 1/5th of all industrial water pollution. Accounting for 10% of global carbon emissions and about 20% of waste water, the fashion industry is slurping up more energy than aviation & shipping put together. You’ll be surprised to know that every year close to 7million textiles are trashed & only 12% of it gets salvaged! The Covid Pandemic perhaps has given fashion sphere & world brands a reality check, as the $3-trillion industry moving at a lightning speed has begun to slow-down. The voracious desire for newness/trends has created an undesired pile-up of information & trash alike.
This mere realization has stimulated the fashion world to push down the reset button, hence subscribing into the Era of slower, worthier & kinder fashion with sustainability & inclusivity in-store for future. Brands are starting from scratch sourcing eco-friendly or low-impact fibers such as Organic cotton, Linen, Hemp, Lyocell, Silk, Alpaca, Ramie, Recycled (polyester, nylon, cotton etc.), Orange & Pineapple fibers — for their collections. Global certifications like #BCI (better cotton initiative), #CMiA (cotton made in Africa), #GOTS (global organic textile standard), #RWS (responsible wool standard), Oeko-Tex 100 — helps brands and shoppers alike in making responsible clothing decisions. Knowing the supply chain in & out helps brands figure out whether their fabrics & trims are from an ethical, sustainable & certified source. Also some research in the near future shows that most of the consumers (more than 80%) now urge for brands that help them take an eco-friendly route.
To truncate the stress of shipping on the environment for cleaner air & oceans, brands are devising methods to reshore/ localize their businesses. This additionally aids in cutting down costs, tax saving, access to government incentives, streamlining production & lessening product life-cycle. Moreover the focus is on building superior products that are durable & can be recycled when discarded. Trending is also the digital brand/store presence reaching out to the shopper seamlessly while the pandemic still breathes!
As the saying goes “Be the change you want to see in the world”, starting with a sustainable wardrobe benefits one & the ecosystem in a longer run.
How to give a sustainable twist to your wardrobe?
- Invest more on products designed/destined for longer run
- Shop more- Organic/ recyclable
- Question your brand decisions
- Restyle your current clothing. DIY fashion: transform your pants into a trendy top!
- Donate more often
- Swap & Rent clothes occasionally
- Love your clothes, repair stains and dents, Reuse
- Wash your denims less often, conserve water
Please let me know your comments and suggestions below.
