Reuse: Sustainable Fashion
by Ciarra Collier
Student at Thomas Jefferson University
With fast fashion on the rise even more since the use of social media, waste and overproduction has become an increasingly large problem throughout the fashion industry’s environmental footprint. Only 1% of clothing is recycled, but a huge percentage of clothing goes directly to the landfill (73%), which shows there is a huge disconnect. It leaves people questioning if this problem has become so large that it is pointless to try and attack, but we need to at least say that we’ve given our best effort to make changes. The need for keeping up with trends nowadays means that clothes are made not only quickly, but very cheaply and inevitably they do not last. However, all hope is not lost as there are many impactful ways of reusing clothes, including: using deadstock fabrics, revamping old clothing, and shopping seasonless.
Majority of clothing (about 95%) can be recycled in some way, shape, or form. It’s important to take into consideration giving clothing a second life even though it may not have a place in our wardrobes anymore. Whether it’s that vintage sweater or the shirt you purchased solely because it was on the clearance rack, think about how much of a breath of fresh air it could be to someone else’s closet. Consider family and friends, you could either give them the clothes or host a clothes swap, which is a win-win situation. Though the clothes are worn, they will be new to you. If you are looking to make some money for your old clothing, you could use online platforms to sell them, including: Depop, Mercari, or Facebook Marketplace. If you’re just looking to get those old clothes off your hands, think about donating them. Some options include textile collection and recycling programs in your neighborhood, or organizations like Goodwill. There are also retailer programs that accept unwanted clothing. Patagonia and Eileen Fisher accept clothing only from their brand, which they reuse later in their production processes. However, both H&M and The North Face accept clothing from any brands, which leaves a lot of room for letting things go.
Deadstock fabrics, also commonly referred to as overstock, are fabrics that no longer serve a purpose to the original use. This means a company has ordered a surplus of fabric than they needed to, and unfortunately the yardage is now essentially useless to them. However, the fabric being deadstock has no correlation to the quality of the fabric. A lot of the time this fabric is sent directly to the landfill, but this is not always the case. For individuals who run small brands and even larger brands, in terms of costliness, purchasing deadstock fabrics can be a beneficial option from both an environmental and economic standpoint. This keeps yardage from going directly to the landfill and when they are sold, they are usually sold at a much lower price point. For example, check out Louis Vuitton’s Fall/Winter 2021 collection designed by Virgil Abloh which took sustainability into careful consideration. The garments were created using recycled and organic materials, such as organic cotton and recycled wool. Other fabric sourcing came directly from the brand’s stock of fabric, including 100% recycled polyester.
Going a step further than just using deadstock fabric, think about incorporating the reuse of clothing into their production process. Think about that tote bag you may have wanted, but didn’t want to pay an arm and a leg for. Why not use that pair of jeans that cannot be worn anymore to make it yourself. Denim is a textile that has a very high impact on the environment, being that one pair of jeans needs 500 liters of water to be produced. The possibilities are endless when it comes to revamping clothes into something completely fresh and new. The end result will also probably make the garment(s) more special because it is handmade, making the connection to it much stronger. In turn, you’ll likely keep it around longer because of this.
Now of course there will come a point in time when it is necessary to buy new things, but as a consumer moving away from overconsumption is important. Instead of thinking about how many items you can get for a certain amount, think about the quality of items you could get for the same amount. For example, instead of following trends and buying five low quality $10 shirts, think about buying one high quality $50 shirt. You may be thinking that’s a lot of money, but in the long run you will realize you are investing in your wardrobe. Quality definitely beats quantity when it comes to moving away from the amount of waste being created by the fashion industry. Moving more towards a seasonless closet ties directly into this. Buying clothes that not only have a higher quality, but are versatile and can be worn at any point of the year.
Though there have been a lot of issues with overconsumption/production, this does not mean that there is a dead end for solving this problem. We’ve reached a point where talking about these problems is not enough, even for larger brands. Everyone is being held accountable for their choices and expected to take initiatives in improving their brand. However, that does not mean that the issue falls solely on fashion brands. As consumers, there also needs to be a shift in buying habits. By shopping for clothing in search of quality over quantity, your clothing will not only last longer, but there is more likely to be an emotional connection to them. By incorporating these changes into our lifestyles, it will help contribute to the turn the fashion industry in the right direction.
Works Cited
Moorhouse, Debbie. “Making Fashion Sustainable: Waste and Collective Responsibility.” One earth (Cambridge, Mass.) vol. 3,1 (2020): 17-19. doi:10.1016/j.oneear.2020.07.002 Pacampara, Sidney. “Louis Vuitton Previews New ‘Felt Line’ Made with Recycled Materials.” Futurevvorld, 5 Aug. 2021, https://futurevvorld.com/fashion/louis-vuitton-felt-line-bags-recycled-materials-fall-winter-2021- virgil-abloh/. “Textiles Reuse Recycling.” CT.gov, https://portal.ct.gov/DEEP/Reduce-Reuse-Recycle/Textiles-Reuse--Recycling. Zhi, Y. (2022) The Upcycling and Reconstruction of Garments and Fabrics. Art and Design Review, 10, 72-102. doi: 10.4236/adr.2022.101007.
