Sustainable Fashion: What it Is, Why it Works, and New Designers of Color

Brands such as Patagonia and American Apparel are well known for their unique approach to fashion design otherwise known as sustainable fashion. But do you even know what sustainable fashion is, and have you heard of any Black sustainable fashion designers? If not, don’t worry. Read on to find out what sustainable fashion is, why it works, how you can practice it, and about new sustainable fashion Black designers.

The Meaning of Sustainable Fashion

Writing for Vogue, reporter Emily Chan defined sustainable fashion as fashion that can be sustained while at the same time protecting the environment and those making clothes. This contrasts with fast fashion, in which the goal is rapid production of high volumes of clothing[1] 

Fast fashion requires a lot of water which impacts the environment. According to Pavritha Rao, writing for African Renewal, it takes 8,000 liters of water to make a pair of jeans; this is the amount of water a person drinks over seven years. However, after 10 uses, a pair of jeans will be thrown away for a new pair, “contributing to the 21 billion tons of textiles sent to landfills each year.” Hence, this contributes to environmental harm.

How Sustainable Fashion Helps the Environment

Sustainable fashion is different. According to Renee Cho for the Columbia Climate School, less waste has been and can be used in sustainable fashion garments than compared to fast fashion clothes. This occurs because nearly all the sustainability of a clothing item is determined by decisions made during the design stage; this is in turn results in a pattern called zero-waste cutting [2].

In addition, sustainable fashion uses natural materials instead of synthetic cotton, including hemp, ramie (a vegetable fiber) bamboo, and even agricultural waste that do not contain environmentally harmful chemicals, meaning the environment and human health are kept safe. This in turn contributes to another way sustainable fashion helps the human environment. Sustainable fashion design companies are actively working to provide better conditions for textile workers. Instead of making clothes in harmful factory conditions, including low wages, lack of resources, physical abuse, and health problems, [3] sustainable fashion companies all over the world are paying their employees fair wages, have contracts, and are provided benefits including paid sick leave, overtime pay, and breaks. Some companies include Mayamiko which advocates for labor rights and Dorsu which creates creates clothing from fabric discarded by garment factories.

New Black Sustainable Fashion Designers

Nandi Howard, writing for Essence magazine, reported on ten Black sustainable fashion designers. For example, Cee Cee’s Closet NYC, an African brand headquartered in New York City, designs accessories that “celebrate the beauty of West African prints.” [4]  Founded by Nigerian-American sisters Chioma and Uchenna Ngwudo in 2015, the company makes headwraps, African exfoliating nets, waistbands, earrings, and stylish clothing for the African diaspora, including African-Americans [5].

According to Essence, the accessories are produced handmade by tailors in Nigeria, thus fitting in neatly with the sustainable fashion approach [6]. In addition, the company is able to improve the artisan-tailors’ quality of life as they are able to send their children to school, get proper healthcare, and “dream of a future.” [7]

How to Practice Sustainable Fashion

Practicing sustainable fashion is simple. For example, one can “buy less and buy better,” according to Emily Chan for Vogue. Instead of buying fast fashion clothes that will only be thrown away after a few uses, one can consider how many times they’ll use the particular piece of clothing before buying it - which will lead to less accumulation and disposal of clothes overall. Practically, one can shop at thrift stores which, due to their design, will have a longer environmental impact than new clothes at fast fashion brands. In addition, it’s also possible to rent clothes. This is advisable for such garments that are used only a few times, such as wedding (or prom) dresses. Businesses such as Stitch Fix and Rent the Runway permit consumers to rent clothes according to size, meaning that more people will get to use them and thus have less of an impact on the environment overall. Finally, one can support sustainable fashion companies. While these companies tend to be more expensive than fast fashion companies, the impacts on the environment and fashion designers make the cost worth it [8] Sustainable fashion may appear to some to be merely a trendy movement. However, with its focus on helping the environment, consumers, and minor makers of fashion, it’s clear that it’s here to stay