Clothes Aren’t Trash!
The other day I was running some trash to a shared city bin behind the store and I noticed a stack of clothing in the garbage. I hate seeing that! It makes me so mad because not only are there tons of places in Denver that take clothing donations, but there’s literally a fashion resale store around the corner.
Did you know that the textile/fashion industry is one of the biggest contributors of waste in the world? The statistics are mind blowing. The average person throws away (like in the actual trash) around 70 pounds of clothing and shoes each year. That means that of the 32 billion garments produced yearly, 64% of them will end up in a landfill. It’s completely insane, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Don’t even get me started on water waste, microplastics, and chemical runoff….
But what can we do about it? Well, for starters you can continue to shop secondhand! Increasing the lifespan of a piece of clothing by just 9 more months reduces it’s overall footprint by an additional 20% to 30% according to a report from the BBC. And with consumers becoming increasingly interested in sustainable fashion, secondhand clothing is set to pass fast fashion in popularity by the end of this decade.
We want to be a part of that, and honestly this is one of the big reasons that Strawberry Mountain exists! In addition to keeping fashion accessible by providing secondhand items at affordable prices, our goal is to minimize waste in fashion and keep clothes out of the garbage. We love clothes but in an effort to keep our store curated and within our budget, we can’t take everything. We wish we could, but we just can’t. But, no fear!
Denver is loaded with places that need and accept clothing donations. We love this short list that 303 Magazine put together.
So in addition to shopping secondhand, what else can be done? We can try to buy new clothing from companies that are environmentally conscious, but there are lots of brands out there that make claims about sustainability while only taking the smallest measures possible to look like they’re doing their part. It’s frustrating, but huge brands and fast fashion corporations just don’t care.
Now, there are absolutely companies that go above and beyond to create sustainable fashion by utilizing recycled materials, natural fibers, and long lasting manufacturing techniques, but we’ve noticed that a lot of it is neutral, minimalist (no judgement, but we’ve already covered the death of minimalism in our 2021 Streetwear Trends Blog), and occasionally a little boring. But it doesn’t have to be that way! So who IS producing the best sustainably made, fashion forward clothing that is both fun and timeless?
Here are a few brands we love who seem to really understand the importance of minimizing their carbon footprint in the fashion industry, while continuing to make exciting clothes.
Good ol’ Patagonia is a great place to start! Not only have they been industry leaders in sustainable fashion since like the 70s, they’re committed to educating their customers and they really get creative with some of their reworked items and recycled textiles. Their Worn Wear and Recrafted items are really the direction we’d love to see more brands take on. “Buy less, demand more” is one of their slogans and we love it! Plus, they sell used gear right on their website.
European brand Paloma Wool is all about awareness and transparency when it comes to their manufacturing methods. They maintain that. Plus, their clothes are cute as hell! Their mix of 70s and 90s silhouettes means that their clothes exude both current trends and classic design. Let’s be real, the trends of past decades are part of what makes fashion so exciting! Paloma Wool totally captures that.
Ok, so I know we talked a little trash about minimalism before, but there are exceptions to every rule! So when we see a company like Nanushka who does minimalist fashion in a way that’s somehow both avant garde, fashion forward, and classic — sign us up! As self described “citizens of this earth”, Nanushka is a bold brand that provides sustainably made pieces that you can really build a wardrobe around.
Sustainability extends beyond recycling, which is why we’re featuring MadHappy! On the surface, MadHappy looks like cool brand making elevated streetwear, but they are much more than that. MadHappy is on a mission to make the world a better place by frankly discussing mental health. This attitude extends to a resource center called The Local Optimist. It’s full of useful tools, interviews, and more. It’s truly rad.
When it comes to doing the right thing, the denim-heads at Nudie Jeans are checking all the boxes. From taking care of employees to ensuring quality and ethical production that is safe for the environment, they mean business and have a bunch or codes and policies in place to keep them accountable. Actions speak louder than words and honesty and transparency really are the best policies. Plus, their jeans rock! Premium denim that remains classic, and is long lasting isn’t easy to find, but here it is.
We love that these brands (and so many more) are working towards a more ecologically progressive future, but at the end of the day the best way to sustainably add flair to your wardrobe is to shop secondhand. Support local secondhand businesses, take care of your clothes, and practice mindfulness when it comes to waste. Like we said before, this is one of the main reasons Strawberry Mountain exists!
Until next time,
Be excellent to each other (and the planet)
