Books By Style

Fashion continues to be one of the fastest-growing industries, producing around 80 billion pieces of new clothing each year. There’s been more than a 400% increase in consumer consumption compared to only twenty years ago. Creating a significant rise in industry pollution and waste. The manufacturing process requires large amounts of energy, materials, and water- depleting crucial resources and negatively impacting the natural environment. Toxic chemicals and acids are released during production, contaminating water sources and destroying nearby land.  

Pesticides used in the growth of cotton have even posed health risks for the farmers, leading to a push for more sustainable practices. Manufacturing clothes using renewable resources helps reduce the industry’s carbon footprint, pollution, and waste while preserving natural resources. Sustainable fabrics can support a circular economy by countering waste and pollution through recycling and chemical-free materials. Using renewable resources eliminates many pesticides and contaminants. Luckily, the process replenishes soil nutrients and requires less water and energy. Not only do these fabrics support biodiversity and healthy ecosystems, but they’re more durable and better for your skin.

There are many different kinds of sustainable fabrics, including organic cotton, hemp, linen, bamboo, and even an experimental algae fabric. Since renewable materials last longer, clothes can be bought less frequently and in smaller quantities. Consumers will save money by buying less while protecting their environment. Another method of sustainable design uses living organisms in the design process. Biodesigners combine biology, engineering, and design to create sustainable products and materials.

Innovator and biodesigner, Emi, who goes by eeemieeemi on Instagram, designed a way to use algae to create stunning purses and unique garments. The IUAV University of Venice student is researching and experimenting with different techniques and algae-based recipes to design incredible textiles. Each piece has a specific texture inspired by the natural world, and the shape is supposed to remind viewers of the environment the biomaterials came from. She makes her colors from organic materials, considering the natural contours of the biomaterials when creating designs to help minimize waste. 

More designers are turning to biogarments, including Canadian-Iranian designer Roya Aghighi, who also uses algae to create clothes. The designer joined scientists to invent a living, biodegradable fabric known as biogarmentry. His design turns carbon dioxide into oxygen via photosynthesis, with the prototype still in its early stages. It challenges a wasteful industry to reimagine ways to reduce its carbon emissions through sustainable fabrics.

This biogarment would be cared for like a plant, with consumers only needing to spray their clothes once a week. The garment can even be composted at the end of its life cycle, reducing waste and saving more water and energy. Consumers should focus on buying more sustainable products and materials- instead of harming the environment by creating more synthetic fibers and discarding clothes after a few uses.

Wearing eco-friendly clothing can help bring awareness to designers and brands using sustainable materials and practices. Buying their products can help them get more funding and support to complete their designs. Promoting products and practices that are better for the environment and reduce the amount of waste and pollution generated by the industry. Living textiles encourage the idea of change while focusing on transforming values and consumer habits.

I encourage readers to think more about what and how they consume products and discover which habits negatively impact their lives and environment. Choosing quality products that last longer will be more cost-effective in the end. Not only do renewable materials look stunning, but they feel better on your skin. Some materials even get softer after each wash, making sustainable fabrics some of the most comfortable clothing on the market. Readers and consumers will appreciate that sustainable garments look more unique compared to their synthetic counterparts and they can be used to create remarkable outfits.