Sustainable fashion – An opening for a new yet old profession?

Is it possible to make fashion sustainable?

By now, we all know the fashion industry isn’t much for sustainability or environmental issues. In fact, it still has a massive and growing negative impact on the environment. It accounts for up to 10% of greenhouse gas emissions. That’s actually more than international aviation and shipping combined!
Sure, some fashion brands have started using recycled fabrics and the pre-loved trends (don’t get the copywriter in me started about the wording choice: pre-loved). Some, like Nude Jeans, offer to mend their jeans. And I get it; it’s a decent attempt, but a bit underwhelming, since the rest of the industry is not joining the cause. One little question though: why not just make the jeans durable from the start?

What is fashion?

If you ask Google, Fashion is a ”popular or current style of clothing, hair, makeup, and behaviour that reflects a specific time and culture.” Let’s focus on clothes for now.
In Sweden, we tend to dress very low-key, and we all look the same.
We tend to buy demure work clothes that really don’t tell anyone anything. We believe our clothes are of good quality. But the throwaway society, driven by buying cheaper clothes online, is rapidly growing. And that is an unfortunate trend, as nobody is accountable. Unless a trend starts that craves higher quality or a slower pace of trends.

Some new trends are happening.

I just read about the 3-3-3 rule in fashion.
In short, the 3-3-3 rule is that you pick 3 pairs of shoes, 3 pairs of bottoms, and 3 pairs of tops; by mixing and matching these, you will have up to 27 different combinations. Even if one quite ridiculous reason for this rule is avoiding decision fatigue, it does seem to reduce how much clothing you buy.
But my favourite is Slow fashion. This means buying quality, mending or redesigning torn clothes, and buying second-hand. By buying a base of good quality, you can style and mix it with accessories to your heart’s content, unless you suffer from decision fatigue, of course.

An opening for a new old profession

If you start buying good quality, it’s going to be worth mending or redesigning it with time. Alas, in today’s society most people don’t know how to sew. This should, in theory, open up for tailors and seamstresses!
Good-quality material and tailoring are worth mending and maintaining.
This could, in theory, force the fashion industry to prioritise quality over quantity. And we would have the pleasure of reintroducing a new old trade guild. Skilled tailors and seamstresses are very hard to find nowadays.
The fashion industry is fickle and very sensitive to trends; they believe they are setting the trends, but in reality that is far from true. The buyers are the real trendsetters. So if buyers are buying fewer things but with better quality, the trend will happen.

Expensive brands and taste are not the same.

Nor is the quality. I might be going out on a limb here, but most bougie brands like Prada, Hermés, Gucci, Rolex or Louis Vuitton are more about making a statement about your wealth than good taste and quality.
If you prefer slow fashion and sustainability, focus on quiet luxury brands like Max Mara, The Row, and Loro Piana, which offer timeless styles without all the gaudy branding. This makes it easier to redesign, style, and mend torn clothes. This also gives you timeless, high-quality pieces you can personalise to your mood and budget.

Slow down, save the planet, save your money and enjoy life with style.