Green Fashion 101: A Quick Guide to Eco-Friendly Shopping
Photo Credit: 1
It’s undeniable: the eco-friendly fashion movement is growing stronger every day. From Harry Potter’s resident fashionista Emma Watson designing her own collection of magical duds for British brand People Tree to Seattle’s hosting of the first ever Eco-Chic Expo in April, sustainable style is spreading like wildfire. (Oops–bad metaphor for an eco-friendly fashion post?)
Whether you’re new to eco-fashion or just want some tips on greening your wardrobe, never fear: I’ve boiled down the basic lingo & facts you need to know into a quick, easy-to-understand guide. Read this, and you’ll be ready to embark on your first green shopping trip in no time!
Green Fashion Terms to Know Before You Shop:
- Sustainable: A sustainable product has the ability to be produced (over & over & over again) without doing much harm to the environment.
- Renew-ability: Renewable resources are derived from something living (plant, animal, ecosystem) that can regenerate.
- Cruelty-free: Cruelty-free companies do not test on or use animals in their products.
- Carbon Footprint: A carbon footprint is a measurement of the impact human activities have on the environment. In terms of fashion, a clothing’s carbon or ecological footprint is the impact the piece of clothing has had on the environment from start to finish.
Eco-Friendly Fabrics to Try:
- Bamboo: Bamboo is one of nature’s most sustainable resources! Added bonus: It drapes super-nicely across the human bod.
- Organic Cotton: Organic cotton is harvested using what are called “organic farming methods” and doesn’t require pesticides or herbicides to grow. (On the other hand, regular cotton is usually permeated with chemicals!)
- Hemp: Hemp doesn’t need pesticides, herbicides or fungicides to grow, so it’s a popular fabric used to make organic clothing. Plus, it’s very comfortable to wear.
- Other Eco-Chic Fabrics: Soy, Eco-Spun (fabric made from soda bottles/cans!), SeaCell (a mix of seaweed and wood pulp fiber), Wool (in place of other furs).
Where to Look for Inspiration:
- On Your Fave Eco-Conscious Celeb: Celebrities are at the forefront of the eco-fashion movement. Kristen Stewart, Erykah Badu, Courteney Cox, Sienna Miller, Angelina Jolie and even rehab-bound Lindsay Lohan have all spoken out about their love of eco-friendly fashion (although I definitely don’t advocate following in LiLo’s footsteps when it comes to anything but style!).
- Fashion Blogs: More & more blogs dedicated to eco-fashion are cropping up. Check out Eco Stilleto, Eco-Chick & Ecofabulous to start.
- Polyvore: I was super-impressed with Polyvore’s vegan and organic clothing selection. If you’re looking for some inspiration, try this: Go to Polyvore.com, search for an organic tee or dress and browse the creative sets others have built around the item you picked. Instant inspiration!
Other Tips for Your Eco-Friendly Shopping Trip:
- Save. An integral part of living the eco-conscious lifestyle is reducing the amount you consume. Save for vegan and eco-friendly products (which tend to run a little more expensive than other products), so you can splurge on high-quality goods that will last—curbing your need to buy more stuff.
- Buy Basics. Basics never go out of style. Use this to your advantage & build the core of your wardrobe with products made from organic cotton, hemp or recycled materials. You’ll wear them often, so you’ll definitely get your money’s worth (totally important while you’re penny-pinching in college!).
- Know What You Already Own. Another way to save: Work eco-friendly fashion into your wardrobe slowly. Pick green pieces that complement the items you already own. Vegan shoes (so many options!) or organic cotton tees are good items to start with.
- Check the Labels for Care Instructions. Some eco-friendly clothing requires special care (like hand-washing), so check the labels before you buy so you won’t be upset when you bring home a tee that requires washing in the dorm bathroom sink after every wear.
Sample Outfits for Inspiration:
Outfit 1 – Casual Vegan
All items are vegan or eco-friendly (minus skinny jeans).
Product Information: Shoes – Swell, Tee – Net-a-Porter.com, Skinny Jeans – AE, Bag – Mod Cloth, Bangle – REVOLVEclothing, Urban Decay Eyeshadow – Sephora, Faux Leather Jacket Good Goth
Outfit 2 – Eco-Chic Coed
All items are vegan or eco-friendly (minus cardigan).
Product Information: Cardigan – Dorothy Perkins, Organic Tank – General Pants Co., Jeans – yoox.com,
Vegan Ankle Boot – Fashion-Conscience, Vegan Bag – Fashion-Conscience, Necklace – Mod Cloth
What do you think?
Do you shop for green clothing? What types of clothing do you buy that are made from organic materials? Do you have a favorite place to shop for eco-friendly clothing? Share your eco-fashion stories in the comments!
Posted on on August 7, 2010 / Filed Under: Shopping / Tags: Eco-friendly style, Featured, Green Fashion, Shopping
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Luinae
I’d say an integral part of the green style is NOT shopping a lot- reusing what you own, shopping your own closet. The resources it takes to manufacture the clothing we were is incredible. It’s also very green and eco-friendly (this is my personal choice) to by much of my clothing second hand so I can recycle and save it from landfills.
Karissa
Great post! I’m a vegetarian and a Fashion major so it’s nice to see a post that features some vegan friendly items. I also love when designers like Stella McCartney who feature vegan-friendly materials in their work :)
Tinlsey
Who knew Vegan fashion could be so fashionable? I really like both of these outfits, but it would have been awesome if the whole thing was vegan.
Alternative Outfitters sells good vegan apparel, too.
Amber
I love the silky feel and drape of bamboo, so I was disappointed recently to read that it’s not as eco-friendly as we were led to believe:
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/alerts/alt160.shtm
Eimear
This is an awesome post! Although I must share a link to something that completely shocked me. http://www.morethanprettyknickers.com/ It talks about what our underwear has to go through before we can wear it. Absolutely mental! Keep up the good work!
C
“I’d say an integral part of the green style is NOT shopping a lot-…”
This.
Consumerism does little to make you “green” or “eco-friendly.”
It’s easy to find alternatives to leather/fur and clothing made from sweat-shops, but people tend to forget that over-consumption is the main contributor to our ever-growing landfills and pollution.
gg
just wanted to say that bamboo really isn’t all that eco-friendly…the processes you have to put bamboo through to make the fibers suitable for clothing uses and releases plenty of chemicals. when you think about it, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to go through so much to make bamboo into fabric when you have much more easily processed fibers like cotton
Kelly
This is a great post! If you like these blogs, try reading the book Style Naturally. It lists a bunch of eco-friendly makeup, clothing, and accessories brands
Yuki
I love this post. All of the eco friendly outfits are cute and not looking like you hug trees for sport. ^__^;;; However I do have to point out that faux-leather/fur isn’t eco friendly. It is vegan but faux products are made of plastic, no matter how nice they feel (or great on the wallet!). Maybe there could be a canvas or organic denim jacket but faux leather just equals more disposable plastic and isn’t healthy for the air to make. Or there could be vintage pieces thrown in as a side note. No matter what its made out of, vintage is better on the environment than anything new.
Again, thank you for making earth conscious outfits that look like something people would want to wear. Can’t wait to see more.
Sari
Along with what Luiane said, thrifting is also great because you’re not spending money new clothing- instead you’re extending the lives of old pieces. It cuts back on waste and whatnot.
paul smith women's bikini swimwear
do you like the paul smith bikini.
Charlotte
I like the pic at the top of the article, however, my tip for eco-shopping would be to never buy anything from Primark! Don’t let the paper bag fool you, that place is def not sustainable, cruelty free or renewable. The clothes also last a few months, a few weeks for some of the shoes :(
Erica - Kent State
After reading everyone’s comments I have to say one thing: CF readers are one smart, savvy bunch.
But to address a few concerns: I mentioned in my last post–and obviously, should’ve mentioned here–that yes, reducing your consumption, shopping your closet & looking for vintage or already-owned pieces is a key part of living a more green lifestyle. So true.
Also, I’m upset about bamboo not being as eco-friendly as we’ve been led to believe. The reason I included “Research” in my tips is because new reports and studies are released all the time, and information can literally change daily.
I plan to make more outfit posts with vegan items (it was so much fun!), so keep checking back.
Lalalina
This was a really great article! Thanks for all of the helpful info, I learned alot! The only thing I would add is, when you do shop, bring your own bag to carry your purchases in. Where it is for groceries or at the mall, when stores give out less bags…..they order less bags….and then production decreases. It is a small thing, but if enough people get in the habit of doing it, it can really lead to change.
Wilberthe
I was so excited to see that you included so many vegan items in this post! I’m a vegan, and shopping for certain things (especially coats and boots) and be pretty difficult. Thanks :]
cathybarnes
i love this pic ,it is so fashion and chic ,it sounds informative ,but i think if you are wear fashion handbag ,it will be better ,http://www.honeyreplicas.com .i suggest you
Shannon
Hi this is great but I must say, wool is NOT vegan and therefore NOT eco-friendly. Livestock is the number one cause of carbon emissions aka global warming. And most wool comes from rapidly shearing sheep which injures them greatly in the process. All in all, unless wool comes from a groovy small farmer, its not nice!