Sustainable Fashion Week started in Bristol in 2021, to highlight the environmental impact of the industry during London Fashion Week. Since then it has tripled in size, with events now happening across the UK and around the world. This year, Sustainable Fashion Week will take place from 20-29 September.
The Oxford hub is led by Cherwell Collective, who are coordinating a number of events, including the following (find out more and book here):
- An exhibition at Blenheim Palace looking at the Carbon Cost of Fashion (Mon 23-Sat 28 September, 10am – 5pm)
- A runway event showcasing local designers and artists diverting materials from landfill (Tuesday 24 September, 7.30pm – 10pm, Blenheim Palace)
- Clothes swap in collaboration with Tap Social Movement: bring old clothes and swap for new ones, or just come along and buy! (Saturday 28 September, 1pm – 4pm, Botley Taproom, 27 Curtis Industrial Estate, Oxford, OX2 0LX)
As part of the celebrations, we’re running a workshop on fixing holes in your autumn wardrobe (Sunday 29 September, 2pm-4pm, 1 Aristotle Lane, Oxford, OX2 6TP). Email Caroline at repaircafe@shareoxford.org if you’d like to get involved!
What is sustainable fashion, and why does it matter?
We are all buying more clothes: according to the UN Alliance for Sustainable Fashion, the average consumer now buys 60% more clothing than they did 15 years ago. And the UK is a big part of that: in 2023, we spent the fourth largest amount on clothing and footwear in the world after the US, China and India, and we are the third largest exporter of used clothing in the world, dumping tonnes of waste on countries like Ghana, UAE and Poland.
- The fashion industry now produces 100 billion garments a year;
- 87% of clothes end up in landfill, despite over 90% being reusable or recyclable;
- The global fashion industry is responsible for more than 2.1 billion tonnes of CO2 every year – more than aviation and shipping combined;
- It is the third most polluting industry after food and construction;
- An average of 80% of ‘fast fashion’ is made of synthetic materials such as polyester, derived from non-renewable crude oil, which do not biodegrade and contribute to the build-up of microplastics in oceans, sea life, and us!
- Every year over 200 million trees are destroyed to be made into textiles for the clothing industry.
Ideas to try at home
Beyond joining in at the events this month, there are lots of new ideas as well as trusted approaches to reduce impact of the clothes we wear. Here are some ideas to try.
Less is more
As anyone who watches programmes like Sort Your Life Out on the BBC will know, clothes are a big part of the clutter that is taking over our homes. Buying less means less clutter, making it easier to keep everything tidy, and enjoy the clothes we have.
It is also possible to rent clothes rather than buy them; Money Saving Expert has put together a guide to some of the best places to hire clothes at a fraction of their sale price.
See how far secondhand has come
The secondhand clothing market has come a long way from jumble sales. Local charity shops are great places to find bargains, while online retailers such as thrift.plus, Vinted, Depop, and of course eBay offer a wider choice of pre-loved clothes. And you can also donate or sell your old clothes, keeping them out of landfill and in circulation. Or head to the Charity Super.Mkt in the Westgate in Oxford to buy or donate clothes.
It’s also worth keeping an eye out for any local clothing swaps near you, like the one being run by the Cherwell Collective on 28 September. Or organise your own with friends!
So you can experience that feeling of finding your next favourite top without the environmental downsides of new clothes, and give someone else the opportunity to fall in love with the dress that you don’t wear anymore.
Show your clothes some love
The impact of fashion on the environment doesn’t stop once the clothing has been bought; how we look after our clothes is also important:
Are we all eating plastic?
Every time we wash clothes made of manmade fibres like polyester, nylon and acrylic – all used extensively in fast fashion – they shed microfibres that end up in our water systems. Half a million tonnes of plastic microfibres are released into oceans every year, and are now found all over the natural world. This is having a devastating impact on marine life, and could also be damaging our health. It isn’t an easy problem to solve, but there are things we can do (tips from Friends of the Earth):
- Buy clothes made of natural rather than manmade fibres
- Wash clothes less frequently (try spot cleaning!) and at lower temperatures, reduce spin speeds (which will also help them last longer), and fill washing machines to their recommended maximum to minimise friction between garments
- Use a Guppyfriend Washing Bag to catch fibres during washing and prevent them entering the water supply
- Air dry rather than tumble dry so clothes shed less plastic
- Keep clothes for longer, or buy secondhand – clothes shed more plastic in the first few washes, so buying fewer new clothes will mean less impact.
In a lather
The environmental impact of our clothes continues every time we wash them. Not only do many detergents contain harmful chemicals that damage the environment (for example phosphorus that contributes to the growth of algae, and so-called ‘forever chemicals’), most are also sold in plastic bottles that are made of non-renewable materials, do not decompose, and end up in landfill or polluting waterways.
If you want to reduce the environmental impact of your laundry, there are a few options in and around Oxford where you can get refills of laundry detergent, as well as many other products, most of which offer delivery:
- Oxunboxed are based in the Covered Market;
- Tribe Zero Waste have a shop in Faringdon where you can get refills, or use their Oxfordshire delivery service;
- Flo’s Refill Shop at The Place in the Park, in Rymers Lane, Oxford;
- The Village Refill at Yarnton Home and Garden, or with zero-emission delivery via Velocity (who also deliver for us)!
- Wild Honey have stores in Summertown (South Parade), Little Clarendon Street and Magdalen Road
Make do and mend
For many of us, clothing repair skills may be limited to sewing on a button, but you don’t need to be a contender for the Great British Sewing Bee to learn a few techniques that can extend the life of your favourite clothes.
Not sure where to start? Share Oxford is running a workshop at their repair café on Sunday 29 September at Makespace in Aristotle Lane focusing on fixing jeans and jumpers ready for the autumn. You can read about the environmental impact of denim here.
If the repairs are too tricky, or you don’t have time to do them yourself, there are several tailoring services in Oxford who can bring your clothes back to life, including Bespoke Tailoring, Stitch Tailoring, Trinity Clothing Alterations, Oxford Tailoring in St Ebbe’s Street, Oxford, and Jo Lyn Originals.
Banner artwork by Emotional Waterfall Art for Sustainable Fashion Week