The Latest Fashion Trend: Eco and Sustainable, Part 2 of 2

Today, we will continue to explore more of these meaningful and creative ideas and their applications. Besides the sensible considerations of presenting clothes worn by models with different body sizes, social and environmental consciousness have also made their ways into fitting rooms. Online fitting rooms, also known as virtual fitting APPs, are coming into play. In addition, the same technology can be used to create solely digitalized clothes with our videos or photos. We are able to “wear” clothes without necessarily buying them physically and growing our wardrobe collection unnecessarily.

With the awakening of public humanitarian concerns and environmental awareness, more consumers care for not only the product itself but also the stories behind the fashion brands. Fair Trade implemented a platform to help these workers, who are providing the quickest fashion products, to get more reasonable compensations for their labor. Fashion companies that follow Fair Trade stipulations are providing better working conditions and fair treatments to employees, especially in disadvantaged countries. Recently “the-good-trade” sustainable community also published 35 Fair Trade fashion brands, which helps consumers in selecting guilt-free fashions to their hearts desire.

We, the fashion consumers, have the right to know where our money is going because we don’t want to invest in businesses that harm our earth. Thus, transparency in the fashion product supply chain is important. A Shanghai based company, Icicle, aims to provide honest and environmentally responsible products by strictly controlling and tracing businesses’ production processes. These include sustainable materials, supplier selection, working conditions, production facilities, dyeing processes or no dyes at all, and post waste handlings.

Besides recycling and reuse, reducing consumption can be tackled too. Some experts have called for a total abandonment of fast fashion, which is contributing to the environmental crisis. Not to mention that fast fashion brands are known to pay workers low wages while demanding the quickest possible finished products. Fast fashion brands, such as Lucy & Yak, made their decision to break away from this business practice in 2020. They closed their factory in India for safety concerns for workers, and also launched a fundraising campaign to help those affected and their families.