The fashion culture has been slowly evolving, leaning towards a more sustainable way of producing clothing. Although some companies are leaning towards sustainability, fashion still harms the environment. Through the production of clothing we are increasing our carbon footprint on earth and affecting many walks of life globally. Sustainability is a fairly new method being introduced to the fashion world and contributes to conserving our environment. Many companies and brands are slowly shifting into working with fair trade manufacturers and sustainable production.
The Girlfriend collective is a sustainability activewear brand based in Washington, DC. This particular company practices ethical production through the use of eco-friendly dyes and recycled sustainable methods. They encourage customers to take back and recycle used garments to receive an incentive in return. This brand mainly stood out to me because not only are they sustainable, their sizes run up to 6X, being a US32 (Staff, 2022). As you visit the website you can sign up for their newsletter and receive a small discount on your first purchase. The website is filled with all shapes and sizes of natural bodies which is refreshing and pricing is affordable. This is one of the few companies that offers the highest sizes available, promoting inclusivity. Furthermore they offer a variety of styles and a wide selection of colors for every collection reflective of the season and trends. Through various methods, the Girlfriend Collective is making activewear widely accessible and contributing to global conservation.
Although fashion harms our environment and places risk on citizens around the world there are ways to improve the manufacturing process. It can take decades to have companies convert to fair trade production methods. The lives of millions of citizens in different countries have been impacted because of our clothing and there needs to be change. Although companies are using eco-friendly packaging, dyes and fabrics, they can also push to use renewable energy. Thankfully there are many sustainable companies to discover on The Good Trade website. They highlight companies that are sustainable and their contribution to revolutionize the fashion industry.
By Amber Alicea
References
Staff. (2022, February). 35 ethical and sustainable clothing brands betting against Fast Fashion. The Good Trade. Retrieved March 2022, from https://www.thegoodtrade.com/features/fair-trade-clothing
Image:
Griggs, M. (2020, October). 17 picks from girlfriend Collective’s 20% off everything sale. SELF. Retrieved March 2022, from https://www.self.com/gallery/girlfriend-collective-sale
