What if I tell you that there is a way you can waste less fabric, purchase fewer outfits and wear your items for longer? This is a 101 guide to assist your shopping experience. Let’s shop better by knowing our fabrics.
A sustainable fabric is a textile whose material is sustainably grown or made from recycled substances with simple processes that have a minor impact. These natural and environment-friendly materials that make up the sustainable fabric actively play their part in reducing the risk to the planet by degrading over time.
What are the common sustainable materials? What goes behind the production of sustainable fabrics? How can you improve the planet’s health by choosing to wear them more often? This answer to this and much more is given in the article below.
The Application of Sustainable Fabric on Fashion Garments
I know how hard it feels when you have to repeat a dress in your social circle, but what if I tell you that you play a part in curtailing the harm to the planet?
Sustainable fashion is something that we should talk about more often than it usually is. People have forgotten the importance of ‘wear less, save more.’ To reach the needs of the population, manufacturers are continuously working to produce the required amount of garments, resulting in a lot of wastage.
More clothes in the market mean more competition, more usage, and in turn more wastage of previously purchased clothes.
Diversity in Fabrics
There are so many options of fabrics to go for. Diversity in type of fabrics has also overtaken the use of sustainable fabric because there is not enough sustainable material in the market for production.
We can not get the required amount of fabrics by just relying on organic material for the production of fabrics. That is why different synthetic fabrics now rule the clothing and fashion industry; these vibrant yet delicate fabrics cater to the need for making enough clothes for the generation.
To solve this problem humans are now coming up with a variety of futuristic and innovative sustainable fabrics like Pinatex and Tencel, etc.
Influence of Sustainable Fabrics on The Economy
Sustainable fabrics can benefit the fashion industry in hundreds of ways because they are cheaper. Designer-made, branded, and fancy party wears made with sustainable fabric can generate better revenues compared to other locally-made non-sustainable materials.
People tend to spend more money on dresses for special occasions, and they always go for comfortable fabrics. Designers can put that money into so many valuable things than wasting it on clothes that might hang in the cupboard after like first or second wear.
Time period
Basically, it is all the game of time.
The more we take eco-friendly measures with our daily lives, the better it will be for our planet earth and its hygiene.
Annually, So many clothes made up of different materials are dumped that take years and years to degrade. Sustainable fabrics are made out of sustainable materials and they take less time relatively. Also, they can be renewed with the help of fossils.
On the other hand, it takes thousands of years to get rid of the footprint of human-made alternatives.
Renewable/ Reusable Sustainability
Sustainable fashion also means redesigning clothes or putting together different pieces to make a new outfit. People also give their clothes to companies who wash them and sell them at lower prices with the second-hand tag.
How to Identify
There are several ways by which you can identify and distinguish sustainable fabrics from others. They have a set of characteristics; if you can look for them in a piece of cloth, you will easily find out the sustainability character in them;
- They are more durable than other fabrics.
- They are harmless to the body.
- They are readily biodegradable.
- Animals are not harmed in the making process.
- They require a lesser amount of chemicals during production.
- They leave little to no footprint on the earth and cause less wastage.
- A lot of water is used in the production process of clothing. The textile industry’s overall water wastage is lesser when garments from sustainable fabrics are being made.
- Sustainable fabrics are made with love and care because they can not handle complex or rigid processes.
- They are breathable.
- They are recycle-friendly.
- They are easily fixable in case of any wear or tear.
Why Sustainable Fabrics?
The land is smaller, and the waste products are increasing. What will happen if we run out of space to dump our old/used belongings because previous ones take too long to degrade?
It has been shown by a study that the textile alone comprises 7.7 percent of the solid waste in landfills. The solution to this is the use of sustainable, eco-friendly material in our daily routine. Renewable resources make it easier for the planet to bear us.
Apart from all the benefits of sustainable fabrics to our planet, they specialize in withstanding higher temperatures.
One vital feature is that they can absorb moisture from the environment without taking in the flying bacteria. Moreover, natural fabrics cost you less because they require less processing while manufacturing processes.
What’s not to like about them?
The tendency of sustainable style
Celebrities and social media influencers are now coming up with campaigns to introduce and promote sustainable fashion among youth. Sustainable style is a growing trend these days, but we have to understand that it is supposed to be more than just a trend.
We can see adverse climatic changes on the earth every passing day. The world is under continuous threat. This generation has to take it seriously. An alarming situation awaits us.
To ensure our safety, we should make it a habit and only pick sustainable clothes. The importance of sustainability is something that we all should consider seriously now. Other than choosing sustainable fabrics to wear, we should also take some sustainable fashion trends.
- Textile industries emit a large amount of carbon dioxide daily. They should replace it with some natural solutions to that.
- Instead of just limiting the negative effects, the fashion industry should also move toward imparting positive effects on climate.
- Big brands should start reselling their clothes. Taking ownership of their clothes previously worn and selling them at cheaper rates after renewing them should be taken into action.
- Industries should circulate their raw material instead of sticking to one. Many species of plants and animals are on the verge of extinction because of their extensive use. We should give them time to grow, nourish and flourish.
Some Well known sustainable fabrics
Most sustainable fabrics are made out of organic materials. Man-made fabrics come with the defect of not so easily degradable. Resultantly, I would like to say that God plans everything out correctly, and people just throw it out there, ignoring all the cons that come with it.
- Organic-Linen fabric
- Organic cotton fabric
- Denim fabric
- Peace silk fabric
- Cupro fabric
- Wool fabric
- Cashmere fabric
- Recycled nylon (also known as econyl fabric)
- Bamboo fabric
- Ecovero fabric
- Lyocell fabric
- Modal fabric
- Organic Hemp fabric
- Tencel fabric
- Pinatex fabric
- Qmonos fabric
Not so Sustainable Fabrics to Avoid
These are synthetic fabrics made from artificial fibers. Clothes made from these take ages to break down.
- Acrylic fabric
- Polyester fabric
- Elastane fabric
- Nylon fabric
- Polyamide fabric
- Polyurethane fabric
- Sequins fabric
The more we will avoid, the more the chance that designers and manufacturers will reduce its use, and we all together will end up conserving our environment.
The Standard of Sustainable Fabrics
To measure the sustainability factor of fabrics, a company has been made that tests and ensures maximum sustainability. The global organic textile standard of sustainable fabrics is clearly defined and transparent.
They have a set of tests taken on a piece of fabric to check its sustainability rate. They certify final products made up of fiber, yarn, fabrics, home textiles, mattresses, personal hygiene products, food contact textile, and much more.
The apparels that carry the label GOTS (global organic textile standard) contain about 70 percent of certified organic fibers in them. Those who take the label ‘grade organic’ have as much as 95 percent organic fibers utilized in their making.
They cover the entire production process to ensure sustainability is to its maximum. The set of criteria has to be met for this purpose.
You could be the change that you have been waiting for. Take the first step, and you will see people around you, making changes. You can help yourself and the world by checking the labels before making a purchase.
The textile industries clearly mention on the label the type of fabric that they used to create a specific product. These labels are sewn inside the garments. Go for those made from sustainable material.
I have told you all that I knew regarding sustainable fabrics and how we can improve our planet’s condition by taking small measures. Now, it is upon you to take action.
Some Fashion Brands’ Designs Based on Sustainability
Phoebe English—Environment-Friendly Recycled Fabric Stitching
In order to improve their sustainable development, Phoebe English implement the green fabric project: 2020 A/W collection.
She asked more than a dozen studios for the remaining fabrics for recycling and reshaping.
These garments express a compact style through loose silhouettes and playful layering: comfortable, natural, casual, and not bound by rigid gender boundaries.
The low-key recycled fabrics are re-stitched and put together to bring a more avant-garde and fashionable feeling to the simple neutral-toned casual jackets, skirts and trousers.
Nanushka—Environmental-Friendly Bourgeois Lady
Sandra Sandor has designed a development plan for her fashionable brand Nanushka.
She hopes to stick to her signature identity and maintain the freshness of each season’s works by looking at her iconic elements “in different contexts”
For example, 202020/21 is inspired by the tension between “junk rock” and bourgeois aesthetics.
She continued to provide a large number of leather items, not only promoting the use of stylish and eco-friendly vegan leather, but also bringing more organic and recyclable fabrics, using recyclable polyester fibers, to further fulfill her commitment to sustainable development.
Sean Barron & Jamie Mazur—Old Stuff To Remake
Sean Barron and Jamie Mazur focused on sustainable fashion, combined with street sports elements, perfectly implemented the concept of environmental protection in the Re/Done 2019 early spring vacation series.
A series of denim jackets are remodeled and retailed with recyclable materials. One of the dress-style zipper jackets is patched together with different denim patches, reflecting the retro and fresh feeling they want to create.
The clothing with a sense of the times can be revived with fashion vitality through modern design methods.
The collection also showed other bright spots: belts with obvious curve contrast effects, down coat in collaboration with the emerging brand Ienki Ienki, cashmere sweaters in various colors, and Logo stockings and hats in accessories.
