Eco Friendly Fashion Goes Mainstream (For Better or Worse)
It wasn’t that long ago when eco friendly fashion was seen by most consumers and fashion industry insiders as a fad that only people on the outskirts of the normal purchasing populace embraced. Well-dressed folks the world over saw these eco friendly fashion offerings as being for “Hippies” or “Tree Huggers” but that attitude has turned around 360 degrees.
With a global focus on the Earth’s environment and daily attention from local and national news outlets, it’s not as easy to dismiss the concerns of those “outsiders” anymore and many mainstream clothing and accessory producers have adopted eco friendly fashion (or eco fashion as it’s now often called) as the wave of the future.
Many manufacturers including big names and international chains have eco fashion lines available. Not that Wal-Mart is a fashion chain at all but even their clothing departments have organic shirts and pants made from recycled materials if you know where to look for them. This adoption, however, has been a bit of a mixed blessing. Many of the original trendsetters in the eco fashion revolution have been overlooked by consumers as these relative newcomers gobble up the limelight.
What can you do to help? Buy from small outlets, medium-sized manufacturers, and local companies.
Shopping for what you want and finding what you need may take a little longer but you’ll feel a whole lot better about buying. In fact, one of the best things you can do is find outlets that sell fair trade fashion and accessories.
Fair trade fashion is not only more environmentally friendly (the raw materials are often grown locally and the finished products are produced with less mechanical and chemical intervention) but it supports local artisans and craftspeople—even in far-flung lands. Fair trade fashion items have undergone a lengthy certification process by national and international organizations dedicated to the protection of the rights and livelihoods of the laborers and craftspeople who produce the goods. When you buy fair trade clothing and accessories, you don’t have to worry that your new dress is made of recycled cotton but made by virtual slave labor!
After all, shouldn’t the clothing and accessories you were make you look good on the outside and feel good on the inside?
So the next time you’re surfing the internet for that perfect item of clothing, and accessories to go with it, take a minute of your time to make sure the items you are buying are “guilt-free.” You’ll remember it every time you wear them.
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