Sustainable fashion is all about don'ts. Don't buy the $10 polyester top, you're crippling the environment and supporting human exploitation. Don't buy leather, you're killing animals for your benefit. Don't buy faux leather, you're essentially wearing plastic. Don't buy wool, you're adding to greenhouse emissions. Don't buy synthetic, they pollute rivers and oceans. Don't buy cotton or viscose, you're killing farmers by exposing them to the pesticides needed to yield a higher crop. Don't buy organic cotton, you're uprooting more forestry, causing soil erosion in the process and wasting water. Don't buy new, you're feeding the beast of over-consumption.
I can honestly go on, and even about non-fashion statements (don't take aeroplanes, you're accelerating global warming, etc.) but the point is, it has become very fashionable to shun anything that is not considered sustainable (and even bust some of the wolves in sustainable sheep coats too, looking at you organic cotton).
The word sustainable has become an extremely confusing word, without an all-encompassing definition to settle the argument once and for all. Sustainability, as defined by our dear friend Google, is the "avoidance of the depletion of natural resources in order to maintain an ecological balance". It does not tell you what to do but rather tells you what NOT to do. It sets up a boundary around all the activities considered unsustainable and rings the alarm if we even come close to the perimeter.
This is extremely useful on one hand, because we are more aware now than ever, about how our choices affect our planet. On the other hand, by proclaiming what is good for the environment and what is not, it gets easier to call out those who haven't gotten rid of their unsustainable habits. But there is something amiss - if we really want to be sustainable, we have to make sustainable options easily accessible to all.
Today, sustainable goods are expensive, time-consuming and obscure when compared to the current model of mass production and see-now-buy-now mindsets. Also, truth be told, being sustainable does not equate to you caring immensely about climate emergencies (you still could, don't get me wrong), but is more about the ease at which you can switch to sustainable alternatives without having to worry about going into debt. Whether it means you have pockets deep enough to pay the luxury prices for organic labelled produce or live in a metropolitan city that boasts a gratuitous public transport system, you possess some invisible privileges which aid in you living a sustainable life.
These privileges of race, gender, class, ethnicity are packaged in pretty bows of wealth, country of settlement and the abundance of time to research about the choices you're making. It's not a bad word, privilege - just sometimes it becomes so glaring and bright, it blinds you from seeing the world as it is. However, privilege, when used right, is not a blinding light shining into one's own eyes but a spotlight shining on the issues less visible, and less talked about in popular culture.
The purpose of talking about privilege is not to criticize the privileged for their advantages, but to encourage them to use their privilege to challenge the injustices in the system. To call out the large corporations for not shifting away from using fossil fuels, highlight the lack of policies to prevent discrimination in the workplace, and start conversations among their peers about why it’s become normalized to pay 16 dollars for avocado on toast.
This post’s title might be a bit misleading since I talk about ”winning”, and when you talk about winning, you also talk about losing. So who are the losers, and what are they losing? Now, before you think I’m going to start naming names - no, this is NOT a shaming post, it’s an awareness post. With that being said, the real losers are those who deny we need to change our ways. Those who refuse to acknowledge bushfires in Australia burning for months, species going extinct at a blasphemous rate, ice caps melting like snow cones on a hot day, as real threats to humanity and our planet. Wake up and smell the soot!
As I said, sustainability is confusing, disorienting and not the most inclusive of terms. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the savants of sustainability, who grow their own tomatoes and make bags from old denim jeans. It’s easy to feel like you’re not doing enough, or have hopeless feelings when you buy bubble tea but forget your metal straw at home, forced to pick up the plastic one wrapped in more plastic to stab another piece of plastic.
I don’t think it’s possible to even be 100% sustainable unless you plan on leaving your paying job to farm cotton, harvest and dye it naturally, spin into yarns and make your own clothes on a manual sewing machine. It’s not about getting it 100% right, just even taking a step towards saying no to single-use plastic or join a protest demanding eco-conscious governments will make a difference. Instead of shrugging your shoulders and saying there’s nothing you can do that will reverse global warming, why not google “how can I be more sustainable“ and learn a few tips.
Fashion does not have to be the most polluting industry. Governments can provide free healthcare and public transport in every country. As idealistic as I am, I truly believe we will be able to walk into a store and buy anything without questioning if it’s sustainable because every company WILL produce sustainably sourced, manufactured, and packaged goods (and not brag about it). It’s all a matter of time, effort and awareness to push for the changes we want. It’s about changing our perspective on what we consider successes and failures so that it won’t matter if we win at fashion and sustainability, because it would be a default.
Disclaimer! Cover image and post images are from Unsplash.