Your Primer to Sustainable Fashion

4 min readApr 28, 2020

The COVID-19 induced confinement has slowed down our life to some extent. We have gotten time to introspect, and to notice things which earlier escaped our attention.

Fashion may not be on top of your mind right now. But consider this: Fashion accounts for around 10% of greenhouse gas emissions from human activity, and nearly 20% of waste water! To produce a pair of jeans made of cotton, we need to use 10 kg of it. To be able to grow cotton, we need to use approximately 7,500–10,000 litres of water. It’s about 10 years of drinking water for one person. Shouldn’t we then give it some mind-space and get to know a little about what we can do on our part?

Less than a week ago was the seven-year anniversary of the Rana Plaza structure collapse in Bangladesh. In the incident, nearly 1100 people working there died and a lot more were injured. It was the harrowing scenes of this fatal garment factory collapse that sent shock waves around the world about the reality of fast fashion and its human cost. ⁠

The whole world began to pay more attention to the conditions in which clothes were manufactured, and the remunerations that were paid to the workers. Two women, Orsola de Castro and Carry Somers, well known in a fashion industry, launched a campaign “Who Made My Clothes” to inspire change in an industry where people and the environment are not always valued.

Since then more and more people have been joining the revolution. And we hope after reading this blog you will join the movement too.

There’s one more thing. We have seen enough cute animals videos to know that animals, even the most unexpected ones, are sentient. But think about those shoes and handbags and wallets and jackets made of animal leather. Best is to avoid fashion products of animal origin. We should buy products made of vegan leather, micro-suede and other high-quality materials that don’t harm animals. When in doubt, look for the “PETA-Approved Vegan” label. However, if for some reason you are not yet ready for that, at least opt for cruelty free animal products.

In sum, if we want to embrace sustainable fashion, we should make sure that the product we are buying is:

Planet Friendly (brands that follow The Global Organic Textile Standard)
Socially Good (respectable working conditions and wages, no child labor)
Animal Cruelty-free

What can we do if we are excited about jumping on the sustainable fashion bandwagon?

Watch ‘The True Cost’

Check out #WhoMadeMyClothes revolution
Buy less #lessismore
Buy clothes from sustainable and (preferably) local brands
Swap and rent clothing you can
Donate clothes you don’t wear anymore

Some French/Parisian Sustainable Fashion Brands

Centre Commercial, Photo Credit: Global Blue

Veja: Known for their ecological sneakers (esp. the classic white sporting a distinctive V logo). They also have bags and accessories. Their products can be found in Merci and Centre Commercial.

Aujourd’hui Demain: Vegan restaurant and boutique store for cosmetics, footwear and ready-to-wear. Through and through sustainable! 42 rue du Chemin Vert, 75011 Paris.

1083: Known for their jeans, they also have good collection of vests, T shirts, shorts, accessories and footwear. Their items are designed, spun, dyed and sewn exclusively in Paris. 114 Rue de Turenne, 75003 Paris.

Ambrym: Their garments are cross-over between Parisian fashion and Brazilian tribal aesthetics. Only creative and expressive souls can carry such fashion! Have online store. Also in 22 Rue des Vinaigriers, 75010 Paris.

Hopaal: Their clothing is made using recycled materials. You like to wear elegant, go for Hopaal. Their clothing is easy to wear and style. Do check their swimwear collection. Have online store.

Nimboo: Their clothing is dyed using natural origin colours and have fruity and earthy tones. They have linen range too. Have online store. 05 Rue Faidherbe, 75011 Paris.