Sustainable fashion is one of the fastest-growing trends judging by this spring’s fashion weeks in London, New York and other big cities. And not only that, sustainable fashion is a trend that’s here to stay until it becomes the norm – unlike the recent somewhat strange see-through plastic trend (what was that about?) For many of us it means having to familiarise ourselves with fibres used in fashion and their environmental footprint – and it also means rethinking what we thought we knew about fashion fibres. Some of the fibres that we have been taught were good for us and the environment are actually not so great, while some of the better ones are still fairly unknown, making it a...
My grandmothers lived in a different time and never owned a pair of jeans. Apart from that, I am pretty sure that everyone in my circle of family, friends and acquaintances have at least 1 pair of jeans in their wardrobe. Personally, I have 6 - in line with the average of 6-7 per person as stated in the statistics from Statistic Brain Research Institute. No wonder that denim has the biggest market share in the fashion industry and that the annual number of jeans produced on a global scale is 1,240,000,000. Our love of denim jeans equals big business! Traditionally denim jeans are made from cotton, making them comfortable, breathable and durable. Each pair can last for years depending on style,...
In my first role as a Buyer in Denmark 17 years ago, I was sometimes tasked with sourcing coats made from real furs. At that time in Scandinavia it was quite mainstream for people to own a real fur and little thought was given to where the fur came from. Whether it was due to the colder weather, a sense of ‘wearing fur is part of nature's lifecycle’ or something else is unclear. People's attitude towards fur was just different and in the 5 years I worked as a Buyer, I only remember seeing one (1!) letter from a customer worried about us selling real fur. In this particular incident it was in fact (a not very nice) 100% faux...
We all want to make the best possible choices in our daily lives, but do you also find it difficult sometimes to know what the best option is? Cotton is one of the most popular fibres in the textile industry, providing jobs for millions of people across the world. Plucked directly from the cotton plant and being processed mechanically, it is as natural as it comes. It is soft, breathable and very comfortable to wear next to your skin. Therefore, surely, cotton must be great for us and for the planet? Traditionally, cotton fabrics have certainly been perceived as the better choice in terms of the environment and our comfort, as opposed to synthetic fibres with a rocky reputation. Unfortunately, cotton...
