HOW NEW IS YOUR WARDROBE REALLY?

By Abigail Isherwood

Most of us have experienced walking into a highstreet clothes shop, through the big glass doors into the air conditioned room full of rows and rows of textures and colours. This is usually accompanied by a sense of newness, but when we pick out a pair of jeans, it hasn’t just appeared on the shelf out of thin air. It has come from somewhere, it’s made of something, by someone. The fashion industry, the way that pair of jeans gets to the shelves in the first place, has an incredibly large impact on the world. Did you know that:

  1. Textile production contributes more to climate change than international aviation and shipping combined and the fashion industry is responsible for 8% of carbon emissions.

  2. Three out of five fast fashion items end up in a landfill.

  3. Washing, solvents, and dyes used in manufacturing are responsible for one-fifth of industrial water pollution and fashion accounts for 20 to 35 percent of microplastic flows into the ocean

  4. The textile sector still represents 10 to 20 percent of pesticide use. and the fashion industry is projected to use 35% more land for fibre and textile produce by 2030, further threatening biodiversity.

  5. Forced, bonded, and child labour are all forms of modern slavery that are prevalent within the fashion industry.

  6. 93% of brands surveyed by the Fashion Checker aren’t paying garment workers a living wage.

We know that fast fashion is unsustainable and we desperately need change in the industry as a whole. We need everyone to act, from policymakers, industry leaders, and retailers, to us, the consumers. Although we may feel powerless, individual action can make a difference.

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So what can we do? Jennifer Darmo from Good On You says that “by thinking of the garments we wear as short term tools rather than long term investments, we contribute to wasteful consumption patterns that inevitably lead us towards drastic climate change”. One of the first things I do to get out of this ‘short-term’ mindset is to remember that whatever I am buying isn’t really new. It was grown, picked, sewn, dyed, transported and packaged long before it arrived at my door. It has gone through a process and contributed to a system that results in the heavy impact demonstrated above.  

Just as one item of clothing contributes to a huge impact, you, as a human being with a voice, have a huge impact too! Especially when combining your voice and action with the action of others. Because we are not living in isolation from each other, despite the year we have just had. We have an incredible power and impact on the people and the world around us. And when we put our mind to something together, when we decide that it’s time for us to change, it truly can change. 

So when we’ve just heard that the IPCC report is calling the climate crisis a code red for humanity, and we’re probably feeling overwhelmed, helpless and a thousand other emotions that come when facing this crisis, let’s remember that we don’t have to do this alone. We can surround ourselves with people and voices who inspire us to keep going. The people who help us change our shopping habits for the better, who remind us how to stop supporting fast fashion, and keep us feeling creative and excited about the new sustainable lifestyle that we are building together. 

Now more than ever is the time to lean on each other and find those little sparks of hope that drive us to take the next step forward.

MAKEUP FOR MANKIND

By Selina Seesunkur

Makeup for men has made a huge comeback. Some of you may ask “when was it ever in fashion?”

The men of Ancient Egypt wore a black pigment to highlight their eyes, creating a cat’s eye effect, as a sign of status and wealth. In the 1st century AD, Roman men were said to have applied red pigment to their cheeks, lighten their skin with powder, and paint their nails using a stomach-turning elixir of pig fat and blood. Like the Romans, Elizabethan men and women whitened their faces with a lead-based powder, but who could beat the French Aristocrats with their painted-on beauty spots, pink lips, ostentatious wigs, and heels. But then makeup seemed to have just gone out of fashion, perhaps because no-one relished the thought of having their heads removed just by standing out with makeup. Research suggests that the Victorians did in fact frown upon men wearing makeup and the trend ended. 

Makeup re-emerged with the invention of the television. Movie stars, both men and women, would use powder to take off the sheen and to emphasise their best assets. During the Eighties and Nineties, makeup was not as mainstream as it is now, it was a privilege normally reserved for the bold and flamboyant like Prince, Boy George and David Bowie.

However, it was only during the last decade that the makeup brands began to give more focus to male makeup. Yves St Laurent launched the male version of Touché eclat, whilst brands like Chanel launched their men’s line Boy De Chanel, Danny Gray launched War Paint, a complete collection of makeup for men, and MMUK MAN now sell foundations, concealers, guyliner, and mascara aimed solely at men. 

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Why is makeup for men so popular now? 

3.69 billion people use social media worldwide, equivalent to 58.11% of the world’s population. Male makeup artists use social media as a platform to gain exposure and have been successful in collaborating with brands to make money. Manny MUA has a following of over 4 million on Instagram alone. You-Tuber Jeffree Star has over 13 million followers, with his makeup brand Jeffree Star Cosmetics, now estimated to be worth $1.5 billion. Companies use social media to talent spot, selecting those users with the widest reach to promote their products which, by the time you hit the big time, are provided for free.

What about the non-makeup artist?  Men, like women, seem to have a need to look beautiful and flawless, again a pressure born out of social media. It is easy for us to say don’t use social media if it makes you feel ugly, that would be like telling children to just not go to school if they are being bullied., just excluding yourself should not be the necessary option. Social media is an integral part of modern life. The beauty industry has helped women for centuries by remedying their perceived flaws and imperfections, so why not men in this gender fluid society? According to Priya Elan for the Guardian, “Euromonitor predicts the men’s grooming and beauty market will be worth more than £49bn this year, a quadruple rise from what it generated in 2015”. Is this the end of the rugged man look that women are perceived to love so much? We will be competing with men to look pretty and feminine?  For some of us, yes.

MINDFUL FASHION - DO YOUR BIT

By Selina Seesunkur

London Fashion Week went digital last week however like me, many of you will have found that lockdown has meant working from home living in comfy clothes, with the days of hair and makeup a thing of the past. Wearing PJ bottoms whilst on Zoom with a relatively professional top on, whilst hoping that you do not forget and stand up for everyone to see, has become our new normal.

But for others like my youngest sister, makeup goes on no matter what! And her sense of style both in and out of the house is second to none. One thing we all share as people return to work or even continue working from home, is that Covid has given us a chance to reassess our wardrobes.  

According to the UN Conference on Trade and Development, the Fashion Industry is the second biggest polluter in the world, with textile dying being the second biggest polluter of water. Fast Fashion, which is quick and cheap to produce has been said to be a key contributor to a number of the environmental problems faced within this industry today.

But is the answer to simply stop shopping at Primark and H&M? What else can be done to help? 

Repair

Spending more time at home means we can re-assess our wardrobe. How many of you discard an item because there is a hole in the armpit or the hem on your trousers has come loose? Why not try to repair these items yourself or, if you do not know how to sew, find a service which will offer to repair clothes for you. Many will even collect and return the items to you. I generally take mine to my local dry cleaner.

Clothes Swap

Once the Covid restrictions have been relaxed, why not host a clothes swap party with your friends. In my area, the North London Waste Authority (NLWA) runs the scheme Wise Up to Waste and, prior to the Covid restrictions, they hosted several clothes swapping events in our area. In their ‘Wise up to Waste’ brochure they state that “The average household spends £1,700 per year on clothing- if we take a bit more care over our wardrobes, we could save both money and the environment”

Return

If you purchase something and it does not fit, return it! Don’t leave it laying at the bottom of the wardrobe gathering dust, only to buy another item that fits. But if you really want to create some space, shops like John Lewis and H&M offer a buy back service where they ask customers to return old clothes bought from them in return for an amount/ percentage towards another item in that store. Don’t forget you can also sell your wears on eBay or Shpock.

 Second Hand September

It is not too late to join Second Hand September, the idea is to pledge to only shop second hand for 30 days or more. You’ll give clothes a longer life by keeping them from landfill, and by shopping with Oxfam, you’ll be reinvesting your money to help the poorest people on the planet earn a fair living and beat poverty.

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Repurpose 

Finally, think of different ways you can use your clothes or fabrics in your home. At the peak of Covid, people were making scrubs out of old duvet covers and facemasks from scarves.  What can you do? I chopped up a skirt and attempted to make a top! I have not given up improving my sewing skills, it is a lot of fun and I’ll probably try chopping up a few other items in my wardrobe

If you do repurpose your clothes please share your ideas with us on Facebook!