Sustainability in fashion starts before the garment is even made.
When we talk about sustainable fashion, we often talk about recycling,upcycling and organic fabrics, or what happens to clothes after we stop wearing them.
But I think sustainability begins much earlier.
It begins at the design stage.
The decisions a designer makes can influence the entire lifecycle of a garment
- Which fiber is selected?
- How much fabric will be wasted during cutting?
- Is the garment designed to last?
- Can it be repaired?
- Can the materials be recycled?
- Will people actually want to wear it for years?
A garment made from a “sustainable” material isn’t automatically sustainable if it is poorly designed, quickly discarded, or difficult to repair or recycle.
That’s why I’m starting to look at sustainability beyond just fabric selection.
It’s about thinking about the entire lifecycle of a garment before it is even produced.
Sustainability isn’t one decision. It’s a series of better decisions throughout the design and production process.
