Thoughts on "sustainable fashion" and "mindful shopping"

"Sustainability" seems to be the buzzword in the recent 2-3 years. Companies actively create "eco-conscious" lines, influencers preach it, media is full of articles about "ethical fashion" or "sustainable fashion" etc. But there seems to be something missing in all this madness - honesty. Let me elaborate.

When companies advertise their "new, sustainable" lines, what do they even mean with "sustainable" or "eco-friendly"? How much does the production of the said clothes actually differ from their regular lines? There seem to be no definitive answers to the question. If you ask me, the brands just add 1% of "recycled" or "organic" fabric to their regular fabrics, used in the production of, let's say, a t-shirt, and then sell it for a noticeably higher price, because "Environment, duh?!". Does it look like a brand actually becoming "eco-conscious" or just another marketing ploy? 'Cause to me it definitely looks like the latter. On the other hand, how can a fast fashion brand become "sustainable" without the prices skyrocketing and becoming unaffordable for most of its buyers? Why would a fast fashion brand suddenly change its model and stay afloat? I have no logical answers to these questions and, honestly, they don't need an answer.

Come to think of it. What does "sustainable" even mean? How many boxes should a brand check to be considered "sustainable" or "eco-friendly"? Where does the border between "sustainable" and "unsustainable" lie? Does anyone know? 🤷‍♀


Another big part of the eco-movement are the media and "influencers". Just like in the fashion industry, the buzz about the environment seems to be more of a click-generator or another hot thing everyone jumps onto, here, too. Big words are thrown around, hashtags about "buying less" or "being more mindful" are created, while not much really changes.

Now, my thoughts on the "influencers" deserve a post of their own, so I'll save my not so positive views on them for another time and only talk about the topic at hand. I noticed a bunch of patterns in the behaviors of influencers, but I'll discuss only some of them here.

So. One of the biggest trends among influencers lately is getting second-hand or "pre-loved" (hate the term btw) clothes and accessories.
Well, first of all, buying 20 pairs of "pre-loved" shoes, bags, whatever, is not much different from buying 20 pairs of those in a regular shop. Think about it - who needs that much clothes or shoes in their wardrobe? Won't most of them end up hanging there without a chance of being worn and end up in a trash bin sooner or later anyway? Shortly - a thrift store haul is still a haul. 
Also, shipping an item from one continent to another, or even across the country, does the same amount of damage, whether its second hand or brand new, so the holier-than-thou attitude about buying second hand online is oh, so uncalled for.


Another trend is buying from non fast fashion brands, but in bulks. I don't know about you, but to me, if we're talking about buying less, it should be about all brands. You didn't shop at an unethical, fast fashion brand? Good for you. You bought a ton of clothes you don't need? Now, that is messy, especially if it's (and it often is) combined  with a pat on one's own back, because "Oi, I'm eco-friendly now". Having  the same blazer in 4 sizes and 4 colours, doesn't make you a savior of the planet simply because they are from a non fast fashion brand.

Here comes one of my pet peeves, masquerading as the next trend 😅😂 - "Investing" in clothes, bags, shoes etc, as a means of justifying the fact of shopping. I mean, most of the time the term is used to justify a pricey, ugly a*s, designer "classic piece", "that I'll wear for years and years~🎶". Well, first of all, clothes are meant to be worn "for years and years", only spoiled, nouveau riche kids wear an outfit once and toss it away. Second of all, it's ok to spend money - just be mindful with it. Don't justify your bad decisions with fancy words - the fact, that you "invested~" in a piece, doesn't make the unwearable fashion mistake you just got, any prettier.


Ok, after reading all of this, a righteous question may arise - well, if all of this is crooked and wrong, what is the right way of being mindful, when shopping, according to Luineile?
Well, first of all, I don't think we should demonize people solely because they shop at fast fashion brands (especially if it's all they can afford), as long as they buy things that they need.
Second of all, IMO, buying clothes made of natural, biodegradable materials (I'm looking at you, polyester and co, faux fur and "vegan" leather), even if it's from a fast fashion brand, is already much better than all of the aforementioned.
If one can afford it, sure, shop at higher end brands, that make clothes ethically and are less harmful for the environment, but even in that case, don't buy more than you need, solely because you can.


End of post 😁



P. S. If anyone is interested, here's a link to Justine Leconte's video on the topic, and another one by Hasan Minjah, that I found in my recommended and ended up liking very much 😁😁