Take good care of your clothes - that's good style
We've said it before, and now we'll say it again. Clothes rot and pollute. So much so that it is the second most polluting industry in the world. Therefore, it is also not entirely true when fashion brands call themselves sustainable.
"Well, dear ELSK, don't you call yourself sustainable?"
No, we don't. It would be a big lie to insist that we are. We must recognize that clothing production will probably never be 100% sustainable. However, that is no excuse for not trying to make it better and burden as little as possible. That is why we do our very best to constantly improve and to push the clothing industry in a greener direction.
But why are clothes so harmful to the environment?
First of all, an incredible amount of water is used – sometimes chemicals and large areas of land – to produce a piece of clothing, and it often has to be produced so quickly and cheaply that it creates incredibly poor conditions for those who make the clothes. When such large quantities are produced, it ends up making a huge mess.
However, so much would not be produced if there was no demand.
Therefore, a large part of the burden basically comes from you as a consumer. Every time you buy new clothes, you create a greater demand, and it is this demand that fashion brands produce their clothes according to.
Today, incredible amounts of clothing are bought, and unfortunately a large part of it is used very little before it is replaced. By cutting back on your purchase of clothes and prolonging their use, you will make a significant difference. When you do this, you reduce the demand for the clothes, and thus fashion brands get nothing out of producing such large quantities, in a short time, as they do today. If you also choose clothes that are of high quality and produced under good conditions, you put pressure on the rest of the industry, which can ultimately lead to these brands also starting to prioritize quality, sustainability and better conditions. Show the industry what you want. That creates change.
When you buy good quality clothes, they last longer. It will last even longer if you do everything you can to keep it alive.
One of the things you can do to extend the life of your clothes is to wash less. It wears out the clothes every time you wash them. Instead of washing every time you've worn the garment, you can spot-remove or hang it outside to air. Wash only if the bad smell does not disappear or if it is very dirty. In addition, you should not give up on the clothes if holes appear in them. There are many good ways to patch them. For example, if you have a pair of jeans that have become a little worn at the knees, you can make them into ripped jeans. Or if a t-shirt or jacket has got a hole, you can sew a patch in, or you can embroider on top of the hole.
You should also not be shy to try to sew your clothes into something else. For example, you can make shorts out of a pair of old trousers, or make your dress into a top or skirt – maybe even both. In this way, you can give new life to your old clothes.
Of course, you alone cannot remedy the problem, but the solution starts somewhere, and it might as well be with you. What you do makes a difference.
If you want to help create a green clothing industry, it is important to treat your clothes better, wash them less and generally reduce your purchase of clothes.