5 Types of Trends That are Sustainable Fashion for The Future
According to recent academic estimates, the global fashion industry accounts for 8.1% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, with as much as 20% to 35% of all primary source microplastics in the marine environment coming from synthetic clothing. By 2030, it’s expected that there will be 148 million tons of fashion waste. But to counter that, at least 60% of millennials say they want to shop more sustainably — so thankfully, there is still hope for real change when it comes to ethical fashion.
What is sustainable fashion?
In a nutshell, sustainable men’s fashion means minimising unethical and wasteful practices when it comes to our clothes. This involves taking into consideration everything from the labor methods used, to the materials your clothes are stitched from. Sustainable fashion has been growing in popularity for a while now, but lately it seems to have become more important than ever to our collective consciousness as consumers.
In recent years, many men’s fashion brands have seriously revamped their production processes and embraced the opportunity to manufacture clothes with morals behind them. Thankfully this means that for us consumers, shopping sustainably has never been easier. But as demand increases for more ethical choices — what will be the future of fashion?
Here are five ethical trends to tap into that can help you shop with sustainability in mind, and navigate your way through the fashion world of the future.
1. Give clothing a second chance
According to Business of Fashion, “before the pandemic hit, the clothing resale market was on track to double.” It seems now more than ever, people are turning their second-hand garments into “pre-loved” fashion pieces that are proving to be a hit with consumers. The popularity of resale websites like thredUP or Vestiaire Collective is soaring, as buyers seem to be moving away from the throwaway culture of fast fashion, in a bid to find a more environmentally friendly way of dressing. In fact, thredUP even predicts that online thrifting will increase by a huge 69% by the end of 2021. It could be time to get yourself a sewing machine!
2. Shop sustainably online
It won’t come as a surprise that throughout 2020 and 2021, more customers than ever have been shopping online. Although the reasoning for this can mostly be chalked up to the COVID-19 pandemic, it seems that this is one sustainable fashion trope that’s likely here to stay. Ethical online shopping combines two of our greatest loves — convenience, and sustainability, and is largely considered far more eco-friendly than “brick-and-mortar” store shopping. In fact, it’s been suggested by one major American study that the entire online buying process actually has a carbon footprint almost two times smaller than a traditional shopper.
3. Choosing ethical brands
It’s no secret that the fashion industry is one of the most pollution-filled industries around. That’s why making conscious decisions as consumers to shop exclusively with sustainable brands has never been more important. Making the switch to an ethically made men’s fashion brand ensures that the clothing you’re buying hasn’t taken advantage of workers, or damaged the environment before it gets to you. When it comes to finding out which fashion brands use sustainable practices, the only way you can be truly sure is to do your research. Check out any big brand websites to see what their ethical policies are, or try shopping from independent online sellers instead, rather than your usual fast fashion brands. A good starting point is menswear brand Dockers®, particularly their Water<Less collection, which is helping to cut back on the fashion industry’s excessive water consumption.
4. Choosing bio-based materials
When we think of our wardrobe, our first thoughts mostly revolve around which pants will go with which shirt. It’s not very often that we think about what actually goes into the materials that make them. Choosing clothes that are made from ethically sourced materials is one of the most effective ways we can truly move into the world of sustainable dressing. These days, shoppers can even have a wardrobe that’s fully biodegradable. And you’d be very surprised at some of the natural substances our clothes can be fashioned from now. Think socks made from sugarcane and even leather made from cacti!
5. Capsule wardrobes
Thankfully, it seems that being spotted in the same outfit twice is no longer considered a fashion faux pas. In fact, it’s now considered to be the ethical choice. The capsule wardrobe trend has gained a lot of traction in the last couple of years, with its simplistic clothing concept. The idea is that you reduce your wardrobe to just a few key pieces that you can dress up or down for most occasions. Opting for a capsule wardrobe is a great way of shunning fast fashion and means you can focus on more timeless menswear pieces instead.
Why choose sustainable fashion?
Much less waste
Sustainable fashion brands tend to focus much more on the quality of their products, often using environmentally friendly materials and massively reducing plastic packaging usage too. It’s no surprise that clothing produced by fast fashion brands isn’t exactly built to last. In fact, fast fashion is made that way to encourage constant consumption. In choosing more ethical and sustainable brands that give you great quality menswear pieces, you can reduce your waste as well as the amount of clothing that you purchase.
Expressing your style
The world of fast fashion is a fickle one, with trends constantly coming and going. It can be exhausting work trying to constantly predict future fashion trends, and with so many styles arriving and leaving, it’s no wonder that we can sometimes lose sense of what our personal fashion tastes even are over time. Many sustainable brands focus on creating timeless pieces that are of high quality, so you can say goodbye to fad trend pieces that you’ll never wear again. It’s time to start wearing the clothes that really reflect you!
Real people benefit
Low pay conditions and unsafe working environments are just some of the challenges that workers face in the fast fashion industry. Fast fashion brands will often produce their goods in underdeveloped countries where workers have very little in the way of rights and protection. By switching to a sustainable and ethical fashion brand, you’ll have the peace of mind of knowing the workers who produced your garments are properly paid and taken care of.
More friendly for our planet
Over the years, the fashion industry, in particular, has totted up a pretty huge environmental footprint. From pesticides used to make cotton to landfill impact, to excessive water and power usage — it’s a given that the fast-fashion world is massively problematic when it comes to the environment. By opting for sustainable fashion brands instead, you’ll be helping to preserve the planet, as ethical brands are often focused on reducing their carbon footprint, banishing the use of plastic, and using materials that are biodegradable and won’t end up in a landfill.
Men’s sustainable fashion brands that do it well
So now you’re in the know about why sustainable fashion is important and its many benefits — here are a couple of great men’s fashion brands that take their commitment to sustainability seriously:
● Dockers® — This menswear brand set out on a mission to lessen our impact on the environment through ethical clothing processes and materials long ago. They even have several sustainably made menswear collections, including their hugely popular and stylish Water<Less collection.
● Brothers We Stand — Known best for their t-shirts made in a wind-powered factory with a carbon footprint 90 percent lower than that of conventional products. This brand has been taking a stand against fast fashion for a long time.
● Patagonia — Patagonia has made no secret of the fact they have not always been the most environmentally friendly clothing brand in the past — but in recent years they have done a lot to right their wrongs, and are now totally committed to reducing the environmental impact of their production.
● Arket — The nordic style brand that uses entirely recycled polyester to make their stylish clothes. Arket promotes sustainability in its long-lasting pieces that feel timeless.
So there you have it, our quick guide on how to shop sustainably in the world of men’s fashion. Don’t forget, even the smallest changes to shopping more ethically and sustainably can make a huge difference. Do it for planet Earth.
