7 Ways Alternative Fashion Can be MORE Sustainable

A vintage jacket I DIYed with patches from small businesses.

Welcome to Part 3 of my sustainability and alternative fashion trilogy. In the first blogpost, we explored the sustainable traits of alternative fashion, and in the second blogpost, we analysed where we fall short. This week, we learn from our successes and failures to figure out how we can improve as individuals and as a community. If we want our subcultures to be a part of the sustainable fashion conversation and revolution, we need to take action together and right now via the following actions.

1. Support alternative brands trying to be more sustainable and/or ethical.

Especially those that fit a less common aesthetic. Unfortunately I only know of two brands that focus on creating sustainable and kawaii clothing. CLEAN and Strawberry Skies Designs both upcycle fabric into amazing garments. They might be expensive, but they’re charging a fair price for their time and resources. I’m not saying that you need to buy a ton from them, but if people can afford to spend $$$ on Lazy Oaf or Liz Lisa, they can probably afford to invest in at least one quality piece from these brands.

But there are also other cute and funky brands trying to be sustainable that don’t necessarily fit under the kawaii or alternative fashion umbrella. Kimbralou is a Brisbane-based brand that focuses on upcyling clothes to achieve a punk aesthetic with tons of attitude. They don’t have an online store but at the very least they can be great for DIY inspiration. Grump Online isn’t necessarily sustainable, but they are an ethically made plus size brand specialising in adorable, bold prints. I’ll be posting a list of recommended brands soon so watch this space!

2. Participate in activism efforts like Fashion Revolution Week.

Every sustainable fashion advocate has heard of the Rana Plaza collapse that killed over 1000 garment workers. This disaster is what thrust the sustainable fashion movement into the mainstream spotlight, and forced fast fashion companies to at least pretend to care about their supply chains. Fashion Revolution Week is an annual online activism event starting on the anniversary of the Rana Plaza collapse. Participants contact their favourite brands on social media with the hashtag #whomademyclothes, and if the brand so chooses, they’ll respond with #imadeyourclothes and a photo of their garment workers. Most people direct these hashtags at the big fast fashion brands, but we need to direct our hashtags to some of the prominent brands in our community. We need to ask Punkrave, Angelic Pretty, 6%DOKIDOKI, Lazy Oaf, YRU, and many more, “Who made our clothes?” 

April 22-28 2019. Mark it on your calendars.

3. Ask brands for information about their supply chains.

If you’re thinking about purchasing from a brand, but you don’t know how sustainable and/or ethical they are, and you can’t find any or much information on their website or anywhere in general, then your best option is to email them. Say that you’re a customer and/or fan, and state what it is that you’re interested in knowing more about. If you’re unsure about how to write said email, Fashion Revolution has one written for you. Just enter your name and email and you’re set. When the brand responds, if they provide vague answers, “promises”, and/or refuse to answer your questions, then that’s a major red flag. If they don’t respond at all, that’s also a red flag. To gain some perspective on the kinds of answers one might receive from a brand, check out this video by The Stitchess who contacted UNIF, Lazy Oaf, Forever 21, H&M, and Dollskill about where and by whom their clothes are made. 

4. Recycle materials in your DIYs.

Whether you source materials from op shops, friends, family, or your own closet, recycling and repurposing old items and materials into new items is not only inexpensive and rewarding, but also diverts waste away from landfill. It breaths new life into items that you’ve worn to death, or maybe want to wear more but can’t because of some sort of inconvenience like fit or low quality. Two recent examples for me would be this vintage jacket and these earrings:

I had been collecting patches for this jacket I found secondhand at the Suitcase Rummage for a long time. I already had eight of them ironed onto the jacket, but I barely wore it because the patches would peel, and I didn’t want to risk them falling off. Recently, I hand-stitched the patches to the jacket to ensure they stayed secure, and can’t wait to wear the jacket in cooler weather. For the earrings, the heart beads used to link the larger hearts to the earring hook, but unfortunately they would nearly reach my shoulders and flip around to the wrong side. With only a rusty pair of pliers, I removed the beads and reattached the hooks to create what felt like a new pair of earrings that don’t dangle and flip awkwardly. If you have an item that you want to wear but can’t for whatever reason, see what simple fixes you can use so that they don’t sit around idly.

5. Boycott fast fashion wherever possible.

There are certain demographics who wear fast fashion because they don’t have any other options. There are also certain items that are difficult to purchase sustainably like tights/stockings and bras which are usually best tried on before purchase. The important thing here is that any effort is good effort, no matter how limited you are by your circumstances. If you can access and fit into secondhand clothing, and/or afford high quality small businesses, then why not shop there instead of fast fashion stores? You’ll find better, more unique items, and you can do it guilt free. If quitting fast fashion isn’t an option for you, then you can still quit the fast fashion mindset. Fast fashion companies rely on trends and poor quality clothing to make you keep consuming more and more. They cannot afford to have customers to shop mindfully and only buy what they need, so you can still make a difference based on your consumer habits if you reduce the amount of fast fashion you consume.

6. Shop smarter.

I’ve already dedicated an entire article to this, so I’ll keep this point brief and fresh with new information. Shopping smarter means shopping less and shopping with intention. For every new item you add to your wardrobe, you’ve researched its quality, you’ve meticulously checked its sizing, you know exactly how the item will serve you, you've confirmed that you don’t already have something similar, and you know of at least three distinct outfits you can create with the item using only what you already have.

One tool I’ve started using recently to help with those last two points is the SmartCloset app. I’m still new to it and haven’t gotten much use out of it yet, but I intend for this app to be a tool I can refer to when I’m shopping out and about. Do I have a hunch that I already have something similar? I can pull out my phone to see if it's correct. Do I need some help visualising outfits? I can photograph the item in store (if allowed) and create potential coordinates in the app. That way I can be sure that each purchase is a calculated one if I am ever away from my wardrobe.

7. Shop your closet.

The first and most important level in Sarah Lazarovic’s Buyerarchy of Needs is to use what you have, and sometimes I wonder if we as a community have forgotten. There are some people with five similar pink dresses, or three pastel rainbow striped outerwear garments, or multiple pairs of sparkly pink glitter boots that just happen to be separate heights. My advice to people is that if you already have something similar to what you’re thinking about buying, and you like and plan on keeping the original item, then don’t buy the new item. Instead, wear the old item and put that money towards something else like travel or savings or perhaps one of your holy grail items. It saves you money and space, is better for people and the planet, and helps you love and appreciate what you already own so much more. Less shopping eventually results in less overproduction of goods and thus, fewer resources are needed to keep the world clothed. Always remember that less is more in the world of sustainability.

Art by @sarahlazarovic on Instagram and reposted by @fash_rev. Original artist has given blanket permission to anyone who wants to use it.

I hope this article inspires you to make better fashion-related choices. If there is one message I want you to walk away with, it’s that any small change is worth celebrating. If you were to follow just one or two of these tips (if you don’t already), then you will help make the world a happier and healthier place for all who live upon its surface.

If you haven’t read the first two articles in this blogpost trilogy, you can find them here:

Part 1 - Why Alternative Fashion IS Sustainable

Part 2 - Why Alternative Fashion is NOT Sustainable

If you’ve read all three articles, you might also enjoy ‘6 Things Kawaii Lifestylers Can Learn From Minimalism’.

For more kawaii content, be sure to follow me on Instagram @thecoramaria if you don’t already, and to receive alerts for new blogposts and other awesome content, subscribe to my mailing list using the form at the top of the page.

Finally, to join the conversation surrounding sustainability and alternative fashion, be sure to join the Alternative Fashion Lovers For Sustainability Facebook group for recommended brands, relevant resources, quality advice, and community discussion.

Question of the Week: What small change are you going to make today to be more sustainable in your fashion? Let me know in the comments below or on social media.