There are 2 sides to fashion and what the consumer will buy: fast fashion and slow fashion.

Fast fashion includes clothing designs that move rapidly off the runway to stores to take advantage of trends. Sustainable fashion or slow fashion, are garments that have been made in a way that is mindful of the many environmental issues the fashion industry suffers from.

The fashion industry is continuously being called out because of its lack of reusing and recycling fabrics from old projects on runways.

In 2020, the Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc. wrote an article that covered entrepreneurs transforming scraps into fashion. In the process of composing the article, they revealed many facts about fashion designers.

According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc., “it’s been estimated that around 15 percent of the fabric that designers purchase ends up in the trash.”

Using sustainable fashion is just as easy as creating new garments from old clothing in your closet, shopping with sustainable brands like Threads 4 Thought and even re-buying from thrift stores.

Threads 4 Thought is just one of many brands that are continuously working to promote and create sustainable fashion. Since 2006, the brand has been hard at work creating a response to the fashion industry’s waste problem.

Their first collection was composed of T-shirts made from responsibly sourced materials with graphic designs inspired by the meaning behind the movement.

Now, sixteen years later, Threads 4 Thought is one of the biggest sustainable brands in the world.

Famous designer Iris Van Herpen is known for her sustainable high-class couture looks. She has embraced technology and science in her fashion to create many pieces.

Van Herpen has used materials such as silicone, metal, lace and even glass. Through recycling old materials, she is continuously producing and creating new looks that fall under the sustainable category.

Pushing for sustainable fashion is the only way society will begin to see a change in the fashion industry. And getting involved and becoming familiar with sustainable fashion is an easy way to help the environment and expand your wardrobe.