On World Earth Day, The Sustainable Fashion Experts Told Us How We Can All Make A Difference

What changes should we be making today - and keeping forever?

A model wearing a cut-work jumpsuit from seventy + mochi

by Natalie Hammond |
Updated on

Yesterday was World Earth Day and, while it is certainly a good thing to be reminded of that fact by an animation on Google, the word 'day' in itself is problematic. Because what we need to do to actually stop and maybe even reverse the effects of the climate crisis is to make conscious changes now - and keep them forever. This doesn't have be as drastic as it sounds. In fact, when we asked seven experts in the field of sustainability for one realistic change that people should make right now, with the intention of developing that change into a lifelong habit, they actually came up with very doable suggestions. These mostly centred around the need to both care for what you already own and make more conscious choices when it comes to what you're adding into your wardrobe.

Orsola de Castro, founder and global creative director of Fashion Revolution

'Become a radical keeper, look after your wardrobe like you’d look after your health - clothes are for life, not just for one season. It’s time for repairs and reparations and modern give-back schemes - and that’s giving back to people and nature first.'

Hasna Kourda, founder of Save Your Wardrobe

'On this Earth Day, I would love to celebrate how resilient and regenerative the resources we have at our disposal are. But we mustn’t take them for granted as they are merely borrowed from future generations. For this occasion, I would like to urge readers to take a first step towards more sustainable attitudes. It can be a deep inventorying of their wardrobe, repairing an old pair of jeans or learning and appreciating skills that will bring closer together our wardrobe style aesthetics to the circular values we need to promote for a regenerative world.'

Livia Firth, founder and creative director of Eco-Age

'The one most important thing to do now is to act against fast fashion and if you want to know why and what to do, just watch the new episode of Fashionscapes: Living Wage. The power is in us, we vote with our wallet, so let’s show them what our wallets can do when we want dignity for ALL women in the world.’

Nina Marenzi, founder and director of The Sustainable Angle

'As much as the fashion industry is a big contributor to the climate crisis and pollution it is also part of the solution: before you consider buying anything new, enjoy, reinvent and mend what you have already, look for vintage and pre-loved or rent, and only then consider buying something new as long as you know it is made responsibly and sustainably, contributing positively to people and planet. We have to rediscover our creativity which is independent from buying more stuff!'

Raia Gomez, founder of Relevé Fashion

'What's one change that I would urge people to make today and keep forever? When it comes to fashion, it would be to not constantly change - resist the temptation to jump on every transient trend. As we say at Relevé Fashion, #purchasewithpurpose. Buy what you love, wear them and keep them forever. The current global situation has underscored how interconnected we all are and if there's one thing we share, it's our planet. Choosing sustainable clothing means choosing to protect our planet for ourselves and future generations. It's the meaningful fashion statement we all need to make.'

Esther Knight, founder of Fanfare Label

'It is a big week this week in terms of sustainability, we have Fashion Revolution Week coinciding with Earth Day. This time provides us with the perfect opportunity to pause and reflect on our fashion choices.

If I was going to advise someone to make a change today and keep it forever, I would say to never regard any fashion piece as disposable. We are creating this habit of using up more clothing. Buying it, wearing it for a short time, and then discarding it. What does this say about the value of fashion?

Unfortunately, fashion’s landfill issue is real. We are in a position now where we have too much waste. We need to respect our products, keep them and repair them.

Haya Iqbal Ahmed, founder of seventy + mochi

'Normally, we see a pair of jeans or a dress and think, that’s cute! And if it fits the budget, we make the purchase. But what if we also envision how we will consume the clothing? Can it be a piece that you can style in several ways and get lots of wear out of? Consider what will happen to it once you’re done wearing it. Is it made well enough to sustain the wear, and find another home with someone? Think about what it’s made of. Is it recyclable? If it ever ends up in a landfill, is it biodegradable? These are questions we at seventy + mochi ask ourselves every day when designing our collections. All our clothing is kindly and mindfully manufactured to account for its end of life.'

Gallery

SHOP: The Most Mindful Buys For World Earth Day 2021

Baum Und Pferdgarten, Asayo Dress, £1991 of 20

Baum Und Pferdgarten, Asayo Dress, £199

Baum Und Pferdgarten's 'Und Earth' collection is made using more mindful materials, including organic cotton and recycled plastic bottles, and €4 of each purchase will go towards Green Transition Denmark, a member of the umbrella organisation Clear Air Europe.

Whering2 of 20

Whering

Whering, the app that helps you digitise your wardrobe for 'a lifetime of zen', has a whole host of fun partnerships for World Earth Day. Collaborating with companies such as Ecologi, CoGo, Guppyfriend and Re-Fashion to address issues like reforestation, carbon emissions, water pollution and waste, it will get you thinking about sustainable fashion like you never have before.

DeMellier, The Earth Tote, £1853 of 20

DeMellier, The Earth Tote, £185

DeMellier's pleasingly smart tote bag is the fruit of its charitable initiative 7 Women, 7 Causes. Each of these women has partnered with Mireia Llusia-Lindh, DeMellier's founder, to co-design a tote bag where 100% of profits will support a cause that is close to their hearts. 'The Earth Tote' is a collaboration with creative director Angela Fink, with 100% of the profits going towards No More Plastic, a non-profit foundation that generates awareness about plastic pollution.

Mother Of Pearl x Onloan4 of 20

Mother of Pearl x Onloan

Proving its position as an industry front-runner when it comes to sustainability, Mother of Pearl is making its first foray into the world of renting with Onloan. Together they've created The Full Circle, and it's a partnership that allows customers to both rent garments - prices start from £69 to rent two garments and sizes go up to 16 - and buy them if the road test turns out to be particularly successful. Speaking about this two-step approach to shopping, which they've called 'Try Before You Buy', Onloan's creative director, Natalie Hasseck, says: 'This is super cool because it means we're switching impulse purchase behaviour to something that is more considered and slower.' Amy Powney, Mother of Pearl's creative director, agrees, adding: 'By renting you are able to enjoy items that signify a moment in your life or mood but may not have a place in your forever wardrobe.'

Rotaro5 of 20

Rotaro

Rotaro, the fashion rental platform, has a long-standing partnership with Ecologi, the tree-planting organisation that works to fund the world's best carbon-offsetting solutions, but this time it's going a step further. For World Earth Day 2021, Rotaro is partnering with them to plant an entire forest. 'We are passionate about reforesting over-harvested farmlands and rewilding the UK. This year has really emphasised how essential thriving local ecosystems and outdoor spaces are and we want to protect that for generations going forward,' said Georgie Hyatt, co-founder of Rotaro.

Frame, Le Oversized Denim Jacket, £3856 of 20

Frame, Le Oversized Denim Jacket, £385

Available as of World Earth Day, Frame is launching a pocket-sized denim collection, comprising of two pairs of jeans and one jacket, that have been made using the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's Jeans Redesign. What this means is the pieces have been designed with circularity in mind (i.e. the idea of a garment that can be made, broken down and remade into something new in a closed loop system where nothing is wasted) with 100% cotton, post-consumer recycled materials and easy-to-remove raw metal hardware.

Eastpak, Resist Waste Padded Pak'r, £457 of 20

Eastpak, Resist Waste Padded Pak'r, £45

Eastpak's new collection for World Earth Day, Resist Waste, takes the brand's made-to-last credentials and pushes them even further by using repurposed, recycled and responsibly-sourced materials.

Kitty Joyas, Solid Stacked Ring in Gold Vermeil, £2498 of 20

Kitty Joyas, Solid Stacked Ring in Gold Vermeil, £249

Kitty Joyas's new ring collection, launching on Thursday, is founded on two sustainable principles: it's entirely made-to-order and uses recycled metals. 10% of all sales from the collection will also be going to the Woodland Trust, the UK's largest woodland conservation charity.

Aspinal Of London, Bee Keyring, £459 of 20

Aspinal Of London, Bee Keyring, £45

Aspinal of London has made impressive strides towards a more mindful approach to manufacturing in the build up to World Earth Day 2021. The hero product from its new collection, the limited-edition London Tote, is made from upcycled canvas, responsibly-sourced (and metal-free) leather, and recycled thread, while this sweet keyring celebrates its new charity partner, the South Downs National Trust, with £4.50 from each sold going towards the planting of a local wildflower meadow, within the grounds of Aspinal HQ, to help support the livelihood of local bees and butterflies.

BITE Studios, 5-6 Boyfriend Shirt Crinkled, £33010 of 20

BITE Studios, 5-6 Boyfriend Shirt Crinkled, £330

BITE, the luxury sustainable brand from Sweden, prides itself on the fact that 95% of the materials it uses are either organic, recycled or low impact. Celebrating World Earth Day, the brand will be donating 20% of all online sales this week to Cool Earth, an organisation that works with rainforest communities to stop deforestation.

Tomorrow, Flowers Tee By Elena Cremona, £3511 of 20

Tomorrow, Flowers Tee By Elena Cremona, £35

Tomorrow believes in thoughtful design as a tool for advocacy and activism, collaborating with artists and non-profit organisations to support ongoing social and environmental issues by giving each a 50% share of the profits. For Earth Day, it has a new collection designed with The Earth Issue's head of photography Elena Cremona, Stand For Trees, that will be supporting the organisation of the same name, working to help forest communities around the world keep their forests standing and individuals to offset their own emissions.

Rails, The Classic Crew Love Your Planet, £8112 of 20

Rails, The Classic Crew Love Your Planet, £81

To celebrate Earth Month, Rails is partnering with the Surfrider Foundation, which campaigns against fossil fuel extraction in Los Angeles, on a 100% recycled cotton T-shirt, with 25% of proceeds going straight to the organisation.

Allbirds, Women's Wool Runners, £9513 of 20

Allbirds, Women's Wool Runners, £95

Last year, Allbirds became the first fashion brand to label all its products with a carbon output. To celebrate Earth Day, it's open-sourcing a version of its Carbon Footprint Calculator - for other brands to use entirely free of charge - to help drive the fashion industry towards transparency and, ultimately, a greener future.

Choose Earth, T-shirt Natural, £2514 of 20

Choose Earth, T-shirt Natural, £25

Putting a twist on Choose Love, the refugee charity's name and famous slogan, the organisation has partnered with Earthrise, a climate crisis media company, to launch a new campaign for Earth Day, Choose Earth, to support the indigenous communities of Brazil. Its range of organic cotton tees and totes, stamped with the iconic slogan, will be giving 100% of its profits to the cause.

ESSu0112N THE LABEL, The Foundation Flat, £28615 of 20

ESSĒN THE LABEL, The Foundation Flat, £286

For World Earth Day, ESSĒN THE LABEL has partnered with another pre-order brand, Linden Cook, to make a pair of leather flats with a difference. Not only can you choose whether or not to add a gold ankle chain, but customers can also share details about their feet (such as width, arch and height) so that the shoe can be customised perfectly. What both brands are choosing to celebrate is that made-to-order and pre-order fashion are some of the most sustainable ways to shop, reducing waste and highlighting the fashion industry's problem with overproduction.

Baukjen, Linde Dress, Rent For £2516 of 20

Baukjen, Linde Dress, Rent For £25

Renting instead of buying is a brilliant way to be more mindful about your clothing consumption. Baukjen has just jumped on the rental bandwagon, allowing customers to borrow its clothes in two-week slots for as little as £15 for a blouse and £25 for a dress. The brand has also partnered with Eden Reforestation Projects, planting one tree for every order placed online today.

Depop17 of 20

Depop

For the third episode of Let's Talk, Depop's video series on YouTube, Bimini Bom Boulash, María Isabel, Arlo Parks and Lime Cordiale tackled the question, "What does Earth Day even mean?' Tune in to hear them share their personal sustainability practices and their relationships to fashion in 2021.

Lee Jeans, Breese In Dark Joni, £7518 of 20

Lee Jeans, Breese In Dark Joni, £75

For World Earth 2021, Lee Jeans has renewed its commitment to growing the number of low-impact pieces and processes in its range. By 2025, it will use renewable energy to power 100% of all owned and operated facilities, will utilise 50% sustainable synthetics, will source 100% sustainably-grown or recycled cotton, and increased dyed product from Indigood, its patented foam-dyeing method that reduces the water, energy and chemicals required in traditional denim dyeing methods, every year.

Wires Glasses, Half Moon, £16519 of 20

Wires Glasses, Half Moon, £165

Wires Glasses makes opticals and sunglasses using mindful materials - the lenses are 60% nylon and 40% bio polyamide made from the castor oil plant, for example - and for every pair bought this week, a tree will be planted.

UGG, Neumel Natural Boot, £14520 of 20

UGG, Neumel Natural Boot, £145

In honour of World Earth Day, UGG has announced four key commitments focused on restoring the planet, including land regeneration (200,000 acres in 2021; 1,000,000 acres by 2025); its first-ever repair programme that will restore customers' favourite shoes to like-new condition; sourcing 100% wood-based products from responsible forests by partnering with Canopy; and, finally, joining the Transparency Pledge.

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