Mindful consumerism is now a thing in fashion and footwear, and the momentum is gaining traction. Shoppers are most definitely cynical, and thoughtful with their purchase power because they can be. They now have choice and opportunity to make better decisions. Furthermore, they feel accountable.
Specifically in fashion, waste of resources in materials and within production - as well as unethical labour practices - has been an emerging concern amongst consumers and brands. Brands need to step up, and make changes on all levels because irresponsibility is no longer acceptable. This means changes across labour, material sourcing, production, manufacturing, shipping and even marketing need to happen quickly.
What factors in mindful consumerism should ideally be important to people? Simply put, fashion production should not negatively impact our earth and its animals - and waste, although impossible to avoid, should be minimal. As a world, we are far from this goal, and we need a growing and collaborative effort to get there. On a positive note, good changes are happening every day.
As of late, there are quite a few hot buzzwords that surround mindful consumerism, and sometimes it's hard to understand exactly what you're buying into. I will break these buzzwords down for you - although I won't include all the many different variations currently buzzing because those can be redundant. Keep in mind that many brands use these buzzwords in a fluid and interchangeable way, and some falsely advertise these words which unfortunately misleads consumers.
Ethical Fashion
When a brand calls itself ethical, it refers to the people producing the garments, and implies that their workers are treated in an ethical way, and paid fairly. Working conditions and hours are acceptable, and safety is of importance. Ethical fashion doesn't cover the materials used, environmental impact or how animals are treated.
Today, cheap clothing is a big part of consumerism, and it overrides the most basic concepts of ethical fashion.
Slow Fashion
Slow fashion has to do with a brand's philosophy in that it's important to understand how many collections are being produced (the less the better), and the overall brand's aesthetic. Slow fashion doesn't follow mass trends since the goal is making clothes that consumers want to keep wearing for years to come. Therefore, less waste.
In a recent Forbes article, I read that surprisingly 90% of clothing is thrown away before it needs to be.
Sustainable Fashion
Sustainable fashion is all about environmentally friendly, renewable and organic materials. It is also a concept that is mindful of the people who produce the garments. An ethical approach to the brand's workforce is a big part of sustainability. Sadly, many companies referring to themselves as sustainable will ultimately send purchased products to buyers wrapped in harmful plastics and tissue paper along with unnecessary collateral. This isn't very sustainable, is it?
A real and consistent sustainable approach is imperative to the health of our planet, but it's certainly not enough. We need to do so much more. The fashion industry is one of the world's largest polluters, and responsible for about 20% of the global industrial water pollution.
Vegan Fashion
This is a term that is not yet used much in the fashion or footwear industry, however 'cruelty free' is a fast emerging reference in the cosmetics world. Vegan and cruelty free are synonymous (as is plant-based), and refer to brands that do not use animals or animal by-products in their collection - no silk, no wool, no cashmere, no down, no leather or fur to name a few. This is incredibly impactful because animal agriculture is the leading cause of environmental degradation that is occurring at this very moment. The livestock industry is responsible for climate change from overgrazing, habitat loss, overfishing and more.
Raising animals for food and by-products uses 70% of agricultural land which leads to being the major contributor to deforestation, biodiversity loss and water pollution.
Although the most important reason anyone should consider buying into 'vegan' is because compassion is our most valuable currency. Compassion is beautiful, subtle, pure and unconditional. It powerfully creates an invisible undercurrent of good that permeates our intentions, and our world.
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