VeganVogue - All About Opening Doors to Sustainable Fashion

Are Our Fashion Choices Affecting More Than Our Socials

Our fashion choices are more than just about expressing our individuality (though this is top tier when making this decision). Instead, they also trickle down to how we feel about ourselves, how we incorporate our social and cultural identities in our day-to-day lives, how we keep up with new trends and our self-care practices. So, while one person may just see you wearing a bold shirt, your choice might mean the difference between a good day and a bad day.

But the environment may not be ready to applaud your look just yet. Think about it this way. Every year, clothing companies make up to a hundred billion clothes - and each year, up to 90 million tons end up in landfills. But why? Well, it all comes down to several reasons. Top on the list is our overconsumption. People want to keep up with the latest trends as they come out - and as you know, trends appear almost every day in this digital age. It takes just one post for an outfit to go viral, and suddenly, the manufacturer now has to fulfill thousands to millions of dollars. While this is good for the manufacturer or designer, it spells trouble for the environment.

Of course, we cannot talk about overconsumption without touching on trends. When one trend comes out, the others that were previously at the top take a backseat, and you can already imagine what happens to clothes that become deemed out of style. They end up as waste, and designers and manufacturers must work around the clock to ensure that they can keep up with the ever-changing demands. It's like a hamster's wheel. But unlike the hamster's wheel, which takes place in a bubble and does not affect the outside world, the fashion industry spews out millions of waste each year. Moreover, it affects people, animals, and the environment every day.

So, The Fashion Industry is Wasteful - Why Do We Care

Cause and effect can be hard to picture when you think of your life as one person. After all, what happens if you change your wardrobe every season? What does it matter if you buy clothes from fast fashion? What effect could your actions possibly have? It seems minimal - even minute in some cases. But when you think about the millions of people engaging in overconsumption and wastage, the problem comes to light - we are all part of the problem.

Our goal at VeganVogue is not to judge or assign blame to anyone. Instead, we aim to educate you about the problems associated with the current fashion trends and why they could destroy the environment if left unaddressed.

Let's start with the environment. Those landfills with millions of clothing (that are piling up each day) are an environmental hazard. After all, they take up space and pollute the environment. They also point to a glaring issue - if people needed billions of clothes each year, we would not have this much wastage. It's hard to justify the 10% global carbon emissions that result from the fashion industry if there is this much wastage. And let's not forget the resources used to make new clothes - did you know it takes 2,700 liters of water to make one cotton shirt?

But that's not all. Clothing manufacturers use all sorts of chemicals to make clothes - many of these remain in the clothes post-production and have negative health effects. Examples include synthetic dyes and formaldehyde (yes, the embalming agent). Workers who handle these chemicals face more exposure and are thus more likely to suffer long-term effects. Consumers are not safe either and often develop health complications from just wearing these treated clothes.

How about the impact on our society? Fast fashion often exploits people and animals in the quest for new pieces. Many people work in deplorable conditions and earn minimal wages (with some not earning money at all) - all this is in exchange for cheap clothes that people will wear and eventually send off to the landfills. Animals also suffer - when they are not the subjects of experiments, they get used in the production of clothing (think leather and other products sourced from animals). We have a social responsibility to people and animals who have to endure suffering for others to wear the latest fashion.

So, how can we stop this trend and ensure that people still get to express their individuality without hurting others and the environment? It comes down to embracing sustainable fashion, where we find easy yet practical ways to dress.

Are We Walking the Talk? - How We Are Making a Difference

The only way to achieve sustainability in any industry is to educate ourselves and develop practical measures that can work for everyone. At VeganVogue, we believe that fashion is not just about looking amazing but also feeling confident in your fashion choices. To do this sustainably, we have a mission to educate and inspire you about the importance of eco-friendly fashion and how it differs from conventional fashion standards. But we don't stop at education - we dig deeper to help you uncover the latest trends in this industry, helping you strike the much-needed balance between being stylish and practicing compassion. Join us in this journey so that, together, we can explore how eco-friendly and conscious decisions could change the way we dress while addressing environmental and social ills that threaten the very fabric of our society.

Conclusion

The damage caused by conventional fashion trends is undeniable. But all is not lost. We have time to undo the negatives and set the pace for a transformative future. Become part of us, and together, let's create a greener and kinder world by taking one stylish step at a time.