Fast Fashion is Seriously Not Green. Is There Such a Thing as Eco-Friendly Fashion?
Sometimes, I just despair.
So many people just buy, buy, buy.
Clothes are relatively cheap – wear them a few times, then buy more. The fashion industry is a massive contributor to greenhouse gases and thus to climate change. But will people buy fewer, better-quality clothes that will last? Not many. Will we “make do” with what we already have? Only a few. Eco-friendly fashion seems like an oxymoron.
So I was heartened by a new group of stores in Sweden.
In an interview, one owner said she loved fashion. But hated what it did to the planet. She started shopping in thrift stores and charity shops for second-hand clothing.
And it was a great idea – but she had a problem.
Firstly, she hated the smell of those used clothing stores. And most of them were, well, a bit dark and dingy. “Worthy but depressing” she said. And it’s true!
Now walk into this new shopping mall – it’s clean, fresh, modern and trendy. And (amazingly) it sells eco-friendly fashion!
Everything in this mall is second-hand or upcycled. As well as the eco-friendly fashion shop, there’s a sports shop stuffed with skis and (slightly scuffed) sledges, a kids’ shop bursting with toys (a little faded), a bookshop, a DIY store, a homeware specialist, even a pet accessory shop. And a coffee shop and gift-wrapping service.
A best-selling item in a shop selling eco-friendly household ornaments is a container that resembles the body of a pine cone. Each segment of its skin has been cut from leather jackets – upcycling in action.
The mall is located in a town west of the Swedish capital Stockholm, and guess what – it’s right net to a large recycling centre! Employees sort the items dropped off by townspeople, and the shop owners use the items.
The shops are all run as businesses, not charities – and perhaps that’s what makes all the difference.
I still think it’s better if we don’t continue to buy, buy, buy on a finite planet, but if we are going to buy, at least it should be purchasing items to give them another life.
You can read more, and see more photos of the mall, in this article from the BBC:Â https://www.bbc.com/news/stories-47001188?ocid=global_bbccom_email_30012019_magazineÂ
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Warm regards,
P.S.  Don’t forget to download your free green living handbook “Live Well, Live Green” here.