It takes courage to use the knowledge we have been empowered with to shift our habits entirely. For those of us that want to align our spending to our values, and rally behind organisations using their businesses as a platform for environmental and societal progress – it’s important we have access to the facts and truth.
Regardless of whether you’ve been hardwired to be skeptical of sustainability claims or are more likely to give brands the benefit of the doubt – it is still easy to be caught out.
From misconceptions about ‘sustainable’ materials through to incorrect clothing labels and the false promise of certifications – it’s time to separate the sustainable fashion myths from facts.
This month, Besma and I shared our joint frustrations about the false narratives perpetuated by the fashion industry to help you navigate through the lies and obscurities in ‘11 Fashion Lies To Look Out For’.
For years, Besma has been writing and sharing with her community about kinder ways to live and dress. Curiously Conscious ( @besmacc) is an encyclopedia of ethical everything, from fashion to food and how to use our voices to support important causes like refugee aid and climate action. She is the real deal.
The list of 11 big fashion lies include:
- Fast fashion is democratising fashion for all
- Using sustainable materials = sustainable fashion
- Higher price = higher quality garments
- Clothe sizes are consistent at each brand
- Clothing labels accurately describe clothing care
- Synthetic fibres are more sustainable than cotton
- Recycled polyester is recyclable
- Clothing returns are always resold or recycled
- Certifications guarantee social sustainability
- We should always trust sustainable fashion indexes
A salient point of consideration from my perspective, is the research and quality of our sources. Bad fashion facts are contagious and it has been communicated that the industry has a huge misinformation problem, with which I entirely agree. It’s also important to consider which corporations may be funding the fashion reports you are obtaining this data from. As the situation is constantly evolving, let’s all place more trust in scientific, peer-reviewed data and research before we jump to conclusions or believe click bait/fake news headlines.
Head over to Curiously Conscious to read the full article published by Besma.
Don’t forget to get in touch to let us know what you think!
If you enjoyed this article, read more via Instagram here . Browse the S & S fashion channel for more.
You can also read my thoughts shared with Input magazine.
Join hundreds of other readers and subscribe to the S & S monthly newsletter here
