Living for tomorrow

As I've probably mentioned at some point on here before, sustainable and eco-friendly fashion is something I have grown to become incredibly passionate about over the past few years. 
Sustainable fashion isn't a particularly new movement, in fact it's been steadily becoming more prominent since the late 80's, however it still shocks me how little people are aware of it and the effects the fashion industry has upon the environment.
My impact on the environment is something I've always been aware of, mainly due to my mothers influence but also (as much as I disagree with the idea of it being just a 'trend'), due to the fact that unless you're blind, you'll have noticed it is absolutely everywhere at the moment.

We had a lecture a few months ago in which my tutor outlined the basics of eco-fashion and gave some general facts about the industries' wastefulness, and I was both shocked and slightly appalled at how many people hadn't heard anything of the sort before. And these are fashion students I'm talking about. How this had bypassed them I have no idea, but thankfully the majority of them were absolutely horrified by the statistics and have begun to research into ways they can start leading a more eco lifestyle. There were however a couple of people who admitted to not giving a shit, which is fair enough if they had a strong or valid point- Their reasoning was that that it didn't directly affect them. Well, I'm sorry but if you're both alive on this planet and wearing clothes, then this affects you.
This did however get me thinking; if the people supposedly living and breathing fashion day in day out are this clueless, imagine how the rest of the population stands... Quite a terrifying prospect.

For the past four or so months I've thrown myself into the world of sustainable fashion, researching the rise of 'fast fashion' within the UK for my dissertation and have to say that I'm incredibly excited to get involved with something that is hopefully eventually  become a natural way of life...  
I felt the time was right to write this post after I went to a talk on sustainable fashion at Pure London on Tuesday. I was so excited to discover that both Safia Minney (chief executive officer of People Tree) and Jane Molley (Owner of Get clobbered) were amongst the 4 guest speakers, as well as Merryn Leslie (owner of boutique 69b), sustainable fashion specialist Jocelyn Whipple and Tamsin Lejeune- managing director and founder of Ethicalfashionforum.com. 
It was one of the best discussions I've been too- they pretty much summed up everything I believe in in less than an hour, and made some really important points on how to help make the public more aware of sustainable fashion as well as encouraging people to start being more curious about the clothes they buy. It makes me wonder how many people truly question how their clothes were made and who they were made by, and also what happens to them once they no longer desire them. 
The UK has seen a rapid rise of irresponsible consumer consumption within the past decade, which has inevitably had a huge impact on the environment particularly in terms of waste. Not only that but the low high street prices I feel, has resulted in a lack of differentiation between the way we look, and fast fashion continues to drive this wasteful notion of quantity over quality. Although I'm strongly against the idea of 'fast' fashion, there are a few areas of the high street that I am thankful for. For example, the high street has enabled us to buy into the latest trends without breaking the bank and now also means that class is no longer determined by appearance alone (something that for some reason felt important to me growing up). It is evident though that the high street has to change- our fickle 'live for today' attitude cannot continue in the way it does and something needs to be done if we want save the world we live in. 
I think it's probably time for me to start blogging about this on a more regular basis, so I'll be sure to start talking about it in more detail, introducing some really wonderful brands who encompass ethical and ecological and sustainable processes within their companies and also about how we as consumers can start changing the way consume fashion that doesn't have a negative impact on the environment. I really want to start coming up with more ways to be sustainable but without having to spend a great deal of money- so making the most out of my current wardrobe and upcycling anything I no longer want... So watch this space :)