What is eco fashion?
According to Wikipedia sustainable fashion, also called eco fashion, is a part of the growing design philosophy and trend of sustainability, the goal of which is to create a system which can be supported indefinitely in terms of environmentalism and social responsibility. Sustainable fashion is part of the larger trend of sustainable design where a product is created and produced with consideration to the environmental and social impact it may have throughout its total life span, including its “carbon footprint”.
Eco fashion can also be described as a term that is applied to clothing, footwear, and accessories that are either made from recycled products, are made with little to no animal products, or are made from cloth that comes from sustainable plant fibres. Eco-fashion may also apply to any of these kinds of items that are made with organic materials. It is a response on the part of the clothing and accessories industries to the green movement and the new focus on conservation and protection of the planet.
So having said all this, are you still trying to decipher the difference between your re-cycled, up-cycled and down-cycled garments…? If that sounds like you, read on for the liveeco guide to decoding eco fashion…
1. Ethical fashion vs Eco fashion
As described above, eco fashion refers more to what fabrics are used and to how they are made and the effects this has on the environment while ethical fashion represents an approach to the design, sourcing and manufacture of clothing which maximises benefits to people and communities while minimising impact on the environment.
“If you describe something as ethical, you mean that it is morally right or morally acceptable” according to the Collins English Dictionary.
For the Ethical Fashion Forum, the meaning of ethical goes beyond doing no harm. To them it represents an approach which strives to take an active role in poverty reduction, sustainable livelihood creation, minimising and counteracting environmental concerns.
2. REcycled vs UPcycled vs DOWNcycled
The definition of recycling according to Wikipedia: “Recycling involves processing used materials into new products to prevent waste of potentially useful materials, reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reduce energy usage, reduce air pollution (from incineration) and water pollution (from landfilling) by reducing the need for “conventional” waste disposal, and lower greenhouse gas emissions as compared to virgin production. So recycled fashion pieces would be something like Nike´s 2010 World Cup kits. They’re made from discarded plastic bottles, harvested from landfills in Japan and Taiwan, that were melted down into yarn and then spun into fabric.
Wikipedia states that upcycling is the process of converting waste materials or useless products into new materials or products of better quality or a higher environmental value.The term upcycling was coined by William McDonough and Michael Braungart in their 2002 book Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things. They state that the goal of upcycling is to prevent wasting potentially useful materials by making use of existing ones. This reduces the consumption of new raw materials when creating new products. Reducing the use of new raw materials can result in a reduction of energy usage, air pollution, water pollution and even greenhouse gas emissions. Upcycled creations include those from REcreate, an upcycling furniture design business in Cape Town.
Upcycling is the opposite of downcycling, which is the other half of the recycling process. Downcycling involves converting materials and products into new materials of lesser quality. Most recycling involves converting or extracting useful materials from a product and creating a different product or material.
For example, during the recycling process of plastics other than those used to create bottles, many different types of plastics are mixed together, resulting in a hybrid. This hybrid, marked by the chasing arrows symbol and the number 7, is used in the manufacturing of plastic lumber applications.
3. Vintage
Clothing from the 1920s to 1980 is considered vintage. Vintage is ´green´ as it is a form of recycling fashion. Instead of producing new garments, and using more scarce, natural resources, you are purchasing garments that were made decades ago and are thereby saving energy, water and the environment in general. Most vintage clothing has been previously worn, but a small percentage of pieces have not. If you are willing to spend some time in a second hand clothing store you can often find some really fabulous, one of a kind, pieces. In Cape Town try Second Hand Rose in Cavendish Square – contact Liz on 021 674-4270.
4. Fair Trade fashion
Fair Trade is an organized social movement and market-based approach that aims to help producers in developing countries obtain better trading conditions and promote sustainability. The movement advocates the payment of a higher price to producers as well as social and environmental standards. Fair trade fashions can be seen from many up and coming designers including South African design duo, Lalesso. Lalesso´s creations are manufactured by locals in Kenya where all workers are treated fairly are paid above minimum wage.
So now that you know the difference, what are you waiting for… Get out there and support eco fashion no matter what shape or form!
The liveeco team
