With more choices, comes more responsibility. Tanzia Haq brings you five voices fighting for sustainable fashion who are here to help inspire you!
Ethical fashion is a tricky and sometimes unclear path for consumers to follow. The insatiable demand for new clothes is the foundation on which fast-fashion companies like H&M and Zara have become some of the biggest and most successful brands of the 21st century. While the demand for fash fashion needs to be addressed, it should also be noted how this industry did create a huge economic boost to countries like Bangladesh, Cambodia and Vietnam as it provided millions with jobs that required very little skills.
While consumers happily welcomed the availability of fashion with a relatively small price tag, the real cost behind this boom remained hidden or simply ignored. The habit of consumers making educated choices about the clothes that they bought only became mainstream after incidents such as the Rana Plaza collapse in Bangladesh.
Choosing to buy ethically made clothes is not easy, but if enough of us make the effort, we can make this more accessible for everyone. By demanding our clothes be made ethically, consumers can change the way clothes are made throughout the industry.
If you are looking for inspiration for your own eco-fashion wardrobe, let these ladies be your guide:
Aditi, @aditimayer
Aditi is a Los Angeles based photojournalist with an amazing eye for sustainable fashion. Her Instagram feed is a beautiful spread of clothes either made from ethically sourced fabric or bought from environment-conscious brands, all of whom Aditi promotes. Her style and aesthetic is also laced with social politics, and she has a cheeky way of promoting social justice through youth culture. To know what we mean, check out her post below:
Sally, @callmeflowerchild
Sally’s feed is all about green, and we don’t just mean her fashion choices. Sally has made an art out turning second-hand clothes into trendy fashionable pieces. She promotes low waste living, clean beauty and ethical fashion movements. Another reason to love her is she advocates for cleaner parks, park access and equality and inclusion for people of all backgrounds. Also hailing from L.A. it makes you wonder what’s in the air there that births such creative and caring souls. Check out Sally’s posts about #SlowFashionSpiritWeek here:
Mahenaz, @broque.af
Mahenaz is an artist and designer based in Dhaka running the only fashion upcycle label, Broque. Mahenaz not only weaves new beautiful creations out of her own second hand clothes, but if you turn to her with an old jacket and an old blanket, you can own a one-of-a-kind piece as well. Mahenaz’s goal with Broque was simple: to promote sustainable fashion and maybe inspire the new generation to treasure their belongings where fast-fashion teaches to discard fast as well. Mahenaz has been keeping busy seeking out underprivileged tailors with decades of experience to employ and also promoting upcycling events in Dhaka with her friends. Check out one of her gorgeous upcycled pieces below:
Jasmine, @msjasminerose
Jasmine is a film student and social activist based in New York. Jasmine’s feed is a beautiful mix of the fast-paced life in NYC and living green. She promotes cruelty-free beauty products, vegan eating, and sustainable fashion brands. What we love about her is her honesty about her journey to making eco-friendly choices. It’s not easy to give up on plastic when so much of it makes up our lives, but Jasmine inspires her followers that anything is possible when we’re all in it together. Check out the beautiful Ms. Jasmine’s feed below:
Tolmeia, @tollydollyposh
At only nineteen years old, Tolmeia has already made huge strides in creating environmental awareness among young fashion lovers on social media. Tolmeia started her blog at the age of eleven to share her love of fashion and digital media but slowly evolved into promoting climate action and awareness, one of the ways through greener fashion choices. She was the face of Instagram’s flagship account on Earth Day 2018, and since then has gained a wider platform which she uses to passionately promote the environment. What makes Tolmeia even more awesome is her conviction to being an influencer for social and environmental welfare over profits. Tolmeia is active on her blog, Twitter and Instagram, but for some pure aesthetic vibes, check out her Insta-feed below:
