How sustainable are we really in our purchasing choices?
Are you an intentional shopper?
Do you challenge where your clothes come from, how they are manufactured and the people involved?
Let’s face it, in our busy lives, it’s all too easy to make a quick purchase without considering these kinds of questions. However, I believe that as consumers we must take responsibility for the impact our purchasing decisions have, and of course so must retailers. We need to shift our habits and reduce our consumption.
Did you know that we now buy 4 times more clothes than we did a decade ago and they are only lasting half the amount of time before we decide to discard them. It is estimated that £140 million worth of clothing goes to landfill in the UK every year, which is approximately 350,000 tonnes of clothing waste.
Fashion is one industry where garments have become cheaper and more accessible to us. In the 1970’s a dress would have cost about a day’s wage, whereas today it’s more like half an hour of your wage, which has certainly fuelled our consumption, driven by retailers constantly pushing new product on us.
Furthermore, many retailers bombard us with green washing to convince us they are doing the right thing, being more sustainable and mindful of the environment but this can be very misleading. So, I want to shine a light on E.L.V.Denim who I feel are truly amazing and innovative in what they are doing. In contrast to many retailers, they are totally transparent and completely circular in the production of their creative merchandise.
They source good quality denim from vintage warehouses around the UK and all their designs are upcycled from existing garments that otherwise would be sent to landfill. These are then washed in an East London launderette which only uses 7 litres of water, compared to the 10,000 litres needed to make a new pair of jeans (the equivalent to the amount of water one person drinks in 13 years!). Their zero waste policy means that every part of the jean is used with offcuts even being reincarnated into paper which they use for their labels.
What they create is a labour of love produced by people passionate about sustainability. When you understand what they do you can relate to the prices – it is much better to purchase one pair of truly unique jeans designed with women’s bodies in mind, than have lots in your wardrobe, none of which quite do the job you want them to.
Now I want you to count how many pairs of jeans you own, approximately what you paid for each pair and then work out how often you are wearing them? What do you reckon that investment looks like, what’s the cost per wear? Does it represent true value for money?
If this article has inspired you to be more mindful in your purchasing habits and strive to be more sustainable you might be interested in coming along to E.L.V. Denim’s studio with me for a fascinating day – experience their collection and have a fun try on as well as an inspiring talk from Anna Foster, founder and Creative Director.
There is no cost to attend this event (obviously apart from your personal travel to their London studio) I’d love to share this opportunity with you – just message me if you are interested to discuss in more detail and find a suitable date!
https://elvdenim.com/pages/our-sustainable-design-process
And needless to say, if you need help with any aspect of colour or styling, don’t hesitate to get in touch!