LONG LASTING GARMENTS GAINING TRACTION AGAINST FAST FASHION

According to a 2014 Nielson study, 41% of Americans are willing to pay more for clothing from companies which are committed to making a positive social and environmental impact. Across the 60 countries surveyed, over half of those willing to pay more were under 34.

The idea that we should keep our clothes for longer, and pay a little more money for them, is becoming more widespread. We’re not surprised, when you listen to stories about the supply chain failing miserably, such as the pleas for help found in garments bought from Primark. Maybe people are becoming tired of the in-out nature of fashion. It’s frustrating to pay money for a piece of clothing only for it to look outdated after a year.

What’s more, with proper attention paid to the production and materials used, we can make our garments keep their shape for much longer. How’s about 30 years?

Tom Cridland wants to sell you a sweater for just £65 which he claims should give you 30 years of use, with free repairs. Or a tee-shirt which will do the same trick for £35. The sweater uses Italian organic cotton which is resistant to shrinkage and pilling, and is handmade in Portugal. He aims to pull us way from the quick trends that people buy into, but without making a brand that only appeals to the experienced, older shopper typically associated with brands like Eddie Bauer, who already offer a lifetime guarantee. “I wanted to make ethically conscious clothing seem less stuffy.” And less stuffy it seems, since Leonardo DiCaprio and Hugh Grant have been spied wearing his label.

We totally agree with this approach, not only because we would go through less material, but because the items themselves have longevity and become timeless.

Another brand who are pursuing this idea are Cuyana. Their website is full of simple, elegant items which promise not to date, unlike the high-street equivalent. Using Scottish cashmere, and leather from Argentina, Italy and Spain, their products are priced moderately but offer so much more in return. This is all summed up beautifully with their slogan - “fewer, better things”.

Co-founder of Cuyana, Karla Gallardo, suggests that there’s more business sense to this approach as well. “…What we’re actually doing is building a very strong relationship with our customers, who trust us for quality products made in a sustainable way”.

Much of the problem faced by companies such as these, is that the current generation have become used to super-cheap clothing from the big retailers. It’s typical that a t-shirt costs less than a pizza. These prices give no room for smaller brands with more ethically made clothing to make an impact, since their material, labour and distribution costs are much higher.

According to Elizabeth Cline of theatlantic.com, “Americans also buy a lot more clothing than they once did, on average 64 items and more than seven pairs of shoes per year—double what they bought annually in the 1990s.”

The success of Tom Cridland and Cuyana tells us that there could be a changing attitude in the way we buy clothes. Cridland has sold 5,000 sweaters already, and expects to bring in $1million this year. But it isn’t exactly easy. Gallardo mentions that existing offerings made from bamboo and hemp often “missed the mark on being fashionable”. It’ll be an uphill battle to bring about lasting change, but by making more long-lasting alternatives and making sure they are fashionable, we can turn around sustainability in the fashion industry.

Just as there’s a rise in the popularity of artisan coffee, artisan bread, artisan beer, “There’s a big trend in… the growth in demand for artisanal products, and more handmade items” says Juliet Schor, Professor of economics and sociology at Boston College. Studying consumer behaviour, Schor also states that people are starting to reject mass-production for aesthetic reasons, not just for ethical ones.

Original article by Elizabeth Cline, the atlantic.com

Image copyright to Tom Cridland