Sustainable fashion, what is it?

Many of you may wonder what exactly "sustainable fashion" is, and what vintage has got to do with it.  Well, you have come to the right place, for you shall find out right here!

One definition of sustainable fashion is:

"Sustainable fashion, also called eco-fashion, is a part of the growing design philosophy and trend of sustainability, the goal of which is to create a system which can be supported indefinitely in terms of environmentalism and social responsibility. Sustainable fashion is part of the larger trend of sustainable design where a product is created and produced with consideration to the environmental and social impact it may have throughout its total life span, including its "carbon footprint."

Thank you to Wikipedia for that lovely definition, and check out the page for more information about sustainable fashion!

Although sustainable fashion really has to do with the PRODUCTION of NEW eco-friendly materials/clothing, I believe that it can also pertain to vintage.   I believe that vintage is sustainable because by reusing clothing, less resources are used to produce new clothing and it reduces our carbon footprint.

Many people do not realize just how many natural resources are used in the production of materials for clothing. Aside from that, many of us throw away clothing after a few years, or maybe after a few months depending on the quality of that t-shirt or pair of pants that you bought on sale at a discount store.  They just end up taking up space in a landfill, and according to My Zero Waste blog, "when you throw biodegradable material into the landfill (such as cotton and wool in the case of clothing), they cannot rot because there is not enough oxygen or light, so they sit there producing methane instead."

By reusing clothing, you are helping the environment a great deal and reducing your carbon footprint.  It helps you sleep better at night, trust me.  So why not go out to thrift and vintage stores?  Why not wear hand-me-downs? It's not a bad thing anymore!  I wear my mother's old clothing from the 80's and 90's.  What was once thought of as uncool is now all the rage and definitely in style again.   So go out and ask your mom, dad, grandparents, whoever, or go to your nearest vintage and thrift shops.   You'll be stylish and eco-friendly all at the same time!!