Let's Talk About..... Sustainability

So here we are, with our homes bulging with stuff, enjoying 21st Century living in our 1st World society. We are able to choose what to wear, what car to drive, and what furniture to fill our houses with. Then designers and manufacturers come up with different shapes, designs and colours for all their products, and a new trend is thought out. After all, they are in the business of making money. And yes, innovation is a good thing, and technology can help improve lives, but do we always need brand new things? Pre owned can be just as good. 

But what happens when we change our minds and decide we prefer one colour over another? One shape over another? The clothing industry is constantly tweaking what they sell us. Constantly looking for the next ‘look’ with hemlines going up and down.

At the moment trouser shapes have changed dramatically over the last year or two. We all had skinny jeans with long tops to cover our hips. So what do we do with them, now that it’s been decided we should all be wearing wide legged trousers, either long enough to drag on the floor, or shorter, exposing our ankles? And to balance out the flares and high waisted trousers, our tops are much shorter, and jackets boxier. Does this mean we abandon perfectly adequate clothing just because someone else had a different idea? I for one feel conflicted with lots of my clothes in my wardrobe, that are not yet worn out, but obviously not this years shape.

So many clothes are now being re-homed, with lots of online second-hand markets available. And the charity shops seem to be thriving with our cast-offs. But also clothes are being dumped by the ton in far off places in the hope that no one will notice. Our priorities have slipped. No longer do we wear something until it is worn out, and then replaced. 

So it is time to act. Reinventing existing clothes and using fabric that we already have around us feels like positive action. Reimagining and maybe improving the original design is obviously more sustainable. 

Jackets are practical, they need to keep out the cold, and the jeans jacket has become a classic shape, and comfortable to wear. So what better than to individualise it and make it a fun, striking item to boost any outfit. 

So let’s all do something to reduce, reuse and recycle one outfit at a time!