ECO-FRIENDLY FASHION IS EVER MORE SUSTAINABLE

The concept of eco-friendly and sustainable fashion started to be considered as early as the late 1980s. The movement driving sustainability and ethical practices within the industry has grown hand in hand with the fast fashion trend, which, today, is one of the reasons why the current fashion system is in a critical situation. It is an issue that is being addressed by most fashion houses, from the most exclusive high fashion to the most popular fast fashion, with many positive results in terms of innovative textiles and eco-friendly fabrics.

SUSTAINABILITY AND AWARENESS OF ECO-FRIENDLY FASHION

Giving a precise definition to the concept of sustainable fashion is no easy task. In addition to the topic of eco-friendly fabrics, there are many aspects to consider when going green. The continuous rise in consumer awareness has led, in just a few years, to a radical transformation or at least to a significant demand for change. This is not only on the part of companies in the supply chain in their role of creating innovative textile materials, but also on the part of fashion brands, whose collections are increasingly becoming more environmentally oriented. As numerous fashion magazines now say, green is the new black. Eco-friendy and sustainable fashion is undoubtedly the trend of the day and will only continue to grow.

THE DIFFERENT FACETS OF BEING SUSTAINABLE: FROM INNOVATIVE TEXTILES TO ECO-FRIENDLY FABRICS

There are many ways to pursue a sustainable path. You can be sustainable because you use innovative and recycled textiles or because you use eco-friendly fabrics sewn with natural fibres that are dyed with as few chemical additives as possible. However, the world of sustainable fashion does not stop with these examples. Sustainability also means respecting the code of ethics and upholding workers’ rights, offering them contracts with the right balance of working hours and wages. Otherwise, you can be sustainable because you are transparent in your production processes, controlling the entire production chain from the creative idea to the finished product.

The main objective of sustainable fashion is to create a greater awareness of the environmental impact that the fashion industry has on the world by encouraging a slowdown in the production of garments, that will naturally lead to a reduction in waste and unsold items without having to give up the beauty of fashion. Ideally, we should start again with eco-friendly fabrics depicting with taste and originality a world of trends, colours and prints from season to season.

For more detailed information, see the in-depth article “THE GREEN APPROACH TO PRODUCTION AT RATTI” by Ratti, now one of the world’s leading players in the production of high-end fabrics and accessories.