Treasure the emotional connections to the clothes you have and style could be a whole lot more sustainable |
With January sales around the corner, another flood of unwanted clothes risks drowning our wardrobes and the planet.
The average person now discards around 16kg of textile waste annually and a mountain of fabric equivalent to thousands of landfills accumulates each year.
But the EU is bringing in new laws surrounding fast fashion. More responsibility is being put on manufacturers to reduce material waste and it’s becoming more important to invest in clothes we’ll cherish.
That’s why the emotional value of fashion plays a crucial role in creating a more sustainable wardrobe.
By understanding why we keep certain garments, we can extend their lifespans and rethink sustainability. Designing fashion to be emotionally durable and less likely to be dumped will not just benefit personal connections to cherished items but also the brand’s bottom line because companies will be fined for non-compliance with regulations (for example, for the destruction of unsold textiles).
Emotional attachments could be as influential as sustainability regulations if they help us make more informed choices about what’s in our wardrobes.
After years of working in fashion, experiencing sample sales and loving the buzz of the Christmas bargain, I had my own mountain of clothes to confront during an unexpected house move last Christmas. Overwhelmed by clutter and house full of........