HOW CAN WE MAKE FASHION SUSTAINABLE?

09 Nov 2021

This November we are partnering with sustainable fashion brand Saywood Studio to run a Fashion for Good challenge.

Founder Harriet Saywood-Bellisario sat down with us to give us her view on sustainable fashion & her top tips to help us ensure our wardrobes are as green as possible.

WHAT WAS THE ORIGINAL INSPIRATION FOR LAUNCHING SAYWOOD?

Saywood designs are much based on my own style and after speaking to friends, family and colleagues, I realised that there was an untapped area in fashion - colourful, wearable everyday essentials - the staples beyond the classics.

And that very much aligned with my own style; that was exactly what Saywood was born from - wardrobe classics elevated with colour and special details.

Being in design for over 10 years I had become frustrated with the slow speed of change in the fashion industry. I strongly believe that whatever we create from now on must be done responsibly, both in regards to people and planet. This should be the way we create, always. 

YOU'VE SAID BEFORE THAT 'ORGANIC' ISN'T THE ONLY WAY TO BE SUSTAINABLE, CAN YOU EXPLAIN THIS MORE?

We hear a lot about the Organic and Conscious collections from the big highstreet brands, but realistically, if your conscious collection is only 1% of your range, and you are creating hundreds of thousands of units per phase or season, that small percentage of organic cotton doesn’t even touch the surface of the damage being caused to the Earth. Too many resources are being used, and they are being harvested and processed in a damaging way, due to speed to market and pollutive supply chains. We have to reduce production levels, reduce consumption levels, and slow everything down. 

Take organic cotton as an example, there are also other sustainable ways that we can produce cotton, from field to cloth.

For example, one of the fabric mills we work with is Canclini, in Italy. They use only Supima cotton. Supima cotton is from a small collective of 500 family run farms in California. They use satellite technology to monitor and promote soil health. Healthy soil actually retains moisture, which means less water is required. They also use this technology to understand when and how to water the crop, whether it is drip irrigation to water only the plant, or flood irrigation to restore moisture to the soil. All the while fostering wildlife to maintain biodiversity. And being in the farmers interests to care for their lands and workers, everyone is fairly paid and the farms ensure a high level of health and safety standards.

WHAT ARE YOUR 3 TOP TIPS FOR SOMEONE WHO IS TRYING TO BE MORE SUSTAINABLE IN THEIR FASHION HABITS?

1. Shop your wardrobe

Wearing what you already own is the mostly sustainable route. Get creative. Dig out those pieces you haven’t worn for a while and try styling them with different items in your wardrobe, work out what they work with and what makes you feel confident.

2. Ask yourself 3 questions…

When you find something to buy, ask yourself, will I still love this in 5 years time? What will I wear it with that I already own? Do I already have something similar?

3. Hide your wardrobe

Do a seasonal rotation - all the pieces that are summery and you will never wear in Winter, put them away. (I recommend vacuum pack bags, these keep clothes safe from moth and take up much less space). You can do the same in Summer with all your wintry pieces.

That way, when you get them back out the following season, you’ll have a new lease of love for your wardrobe items.

 

We can’t shop our way to a more sustainable world but when we do shop, we can try our best to choose more sustainable options. Consider the fibre, investigate the brand, look at how much the brand produces, and if you can, try to buy from small sustainable brands.

If we reduce our consumption and consider investing in special pieces we know we will wear over and over and love always; we are more likely to avoid those fast fashion pieces that are so bad for people and the planet.

Join the SoCo x Saywood fashion for good challenge now in the SoCo App & earn a free workshop with Saywood Studio