There’s a question to be asked when it comes to the environment’s role in fashion: can fashion be sustainable? Believe it or not, sustainable clothing is easier to find than someone might think.

From using different dyes to a creating a greater carbon footprint through manufacturing, laboring and shipping, the fashion industry is constantly involved with the environment and put in a negative spotlight. Linda Greer, a scientist at The Natural Resources Defense Council, says “fashion is the second polluter of water in China.” According to last year’s Pulse of the Fashion Industry Report, “fashion was responsible for emitting 1,715 million tons of CO2 in 2015.”

Sustainability has been and continues to be a huge trend in the fashion industry. Issues like climate change and global warming have affected the environment across the country with the use of fossil fuels and non renewable resources. The fashion industry has taken huge leaps to keep the market green and environmentally-friendly, such as recycling fabrics to make clothes. Most brands have focused on marketable issues like detoxifying the cotton supply, using non-toxic dyes and recycling clothes. We as consumers can help with sustainability in fashion by purchasing from these brands that use non-toxic dyes or use raw materials into textiles. Recycling clothes is important as well, and places like Plato’s Closet not only take your unwanted clothes, but give you money for them in return.

Sustainable fashion isn’t just good for the environment, but these trendy pieces are of great quality and will last a long time, unlike a $5 shirt purchased from Charlotte Russe. That being said, Ecofashion has become a reality in fashion today. Especially in big cities like New York City and LA, healthier lifestyles and trends can be found not only when it comes to food but fashion as well. It’s trendy to be sustainable and healthy, and businesses are catching on. Alo Yoga is an example of a trendy athlesiure brand who takes their clothing beyond the store. Celebrities like Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid are seen on the streets of NYC in yoga pants, dressing them up or down for a killer street style. Alo Yoga creates a lifestyle within their clothing, and have “a solar-powered office, yoga twice a day at their studio, electric-car charging stations, an advanced recycling program that reduces waste to that of a small household, meetings outside by the fountains in a meditative zen garden, and dog friends at work.” In doing so, they not only create a trendy sustainable brand, but a sustainable environment as well.

One of the biggest myths about sustainable fashion is that it’s hard to find. Living in Kent, OH, and not in a big city, one would think it’s nowhere to be found, but actually it’s a lot easier than people think. Online shopping is a great example with brands like Everlane and Reformation. Even though these brands can be on the pricer side, the garments are made of quality that lasts, and the brands have sales going on all the time. Locally, brands like Little Chicago Clothing Company are on the upcome in cities like Cleveland, and they promote consumers to shop locally while being sustainable.

About Us. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.aloyoga.com/pages/about

Wicker, A., & Eylul, A. (n.d.). Relax. Sustainable Fashion Is Easier Than You Think. Retrieved from https://www.refinery29.com/sustainable-fashion-shopping-tips

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