How To Be a Sustainable Fashion Advocate
Have you ever wondered how you can become more deeply engaged in sustainable fashion? It may be hard to know where to start and the proper steps to be assimilated in a particularly niche community. I spent a couple of years learning how to navigate the scene online and it came with plenty of frustration and irritation. There was too much aimless google searches and Instagram stalking that I didn’t make me feel as if I was getting in closer in making a change in the fashion industry Hopefully, this post can clarify some key ways you can begin your journey as a sustainable fashion advocate.
What is a sustainable fashion advocate?
To start off with, a sustainable fashion advocate is defined as a person that identifies themselves as advocating for the sustainable fashion movement. It encompasses the complex variety of issues found in the fashion industry and the diverse perspectives in providing solutions to them. This definition is purposely left general and open ended since everyone will define their path and personal moral philosophy differently. Sustainable fashion is interpreted uniquely on an individualistic basis but comes together in a collective purpose, so we invite you to reflect on what advocating for sustainable fashion would look like, feel like and play out like in real life.
How do I get started ?
Set intentions, set intentions and set intentions! It is uber important to know your WHY. If you don’t understand why this is important to you, it is likely that this advocacy journey will be short lived. Knowing why you care will help you feel more deeply integrated in the movement ….. even when it feels like a one man show. Take a couple of minutes to grab a sheet of paper and a pen and write why you care about sustainable fashion. It can be a list, a paragraph, or a story. Do what feels right to you! Thereafter, write down ways you think you can advocate for sustainability in the fashion industry and explain how that’s relevant in bringing greater awareness to what you care about. Lastly, set realistic goals on when and how you will achieve your freelance advocacy work. It is ok to only focus on 2-3 goals at a time and don't feel pressured in having to accomplish them perfectly. Start somewhere and don’t worry that you aren’t doing enough. As they say, slow and steady wins the race.
How do I get involved in sustainable fashion advocacy?
If you want to take it a step further, consider joining organizations that specialize in sustainable fashion. There are plenty of NGO’s, social enterprises and nonprofits that are fighting hard in remedying the deeply systemic issues in the fashion industry. Consider learning more about the following organizations:
We highly recommend following them on all their social media platforms and subscribing to their newsletter. In this manner, you can be updated on a daily basis on their initiatives, campaigns and community events.
How to advocate for sustainable fashion ?
If you are familiar with sustainable fashion and the previously mentioned organizations, but don’t know how to engage in sustainable fashion, don't worry! It is actually easier than you may think. The following are a few ways you can directly and indirectly advocate:
Social media: Use your voice in any way you can. During COVID-19, it may be more realistic to use social media to spread your message. A perfect example is when Extinction Rebellion Fashion Action, XR NL Fashion Action and CollAction created the Guerilla Repair Online Outside Workshop. The focus was on REPAIR, REWEAR AND REBEL. Their call to action was for engaged consumers to find an item needed repairing, find a location in their home to do so, and then join live on their Instagram. This sense of activism in conjunction with community effectively brought awareness and power to their cause via remote methods. This is why its so important to follow like minded organizations on social media. You will be able share events that reflect your mission, discover online campaigning efforts and you can easily upload posts and stories on related content.
Photo Courtesy from Extinction Rebellion Fashion Action
Blog: If you are interested in being a sustainable fashion advocate, we can infer you are informed about the issues in the fashion industry. Consider sharing your knowledge via a blog. There are free website hosting services, which include Wix and Wordpress that will allow you to do this. Don’t focus too much on not having your own domain when you start out and how to write the perfect posts. However, by publishing what you know on one platform and then sharing the website link to friends and family can help expose new people to a topic they may have never heard of before. The potential of creating new dialogue and awareness is everything!
Embroidery: It can be as simple as taking the time to embroider a pair of jeans or a shirt. This can be a new skill you can harness and use to “tag” your clothes with your values. You can embroider certain shirts with certain words, such as REPAIR, REWEAR AND REBEL. This can catch the attention of friends, family, academic and/or work peers. As mentioned before, dialogue is powerful. You can explain why you care about those certain words and its connection to the issues in the fashion industry. You never know who you can inspire.
Photo Courtesy of Tolly Dolly Posh
Play a movie. There is a trend where sustainable fashion advocates have learned about issues in the fashion industry through the iconic True Cost film. It is effectively illuminating, informative and challenges us all to act in a manner that is more conscious. Feel free to play it on your living room tv to draw in family and friends to watch it with you. It’s quite a sneaky and inviting way to draw people in hearing your case. In addition, feel free to recommend as a must watch movie when people ask for recommendations!
Clothing Swap: When you feel it’s appropriate, host a clothing swap party. Invite your friends to bring clothing they no longer want so everyone can come away with new pieces. You can share stories relating to each garment and explain why you no longer want it! It is such a fun and free way to exchange clothing that can start a chain reaction with your friends.
Shop Wisely: Advocacy can mean only buying and promoting from stores and brands that reflect your values. The easiest way to do this is buying from thrift stores to avoid confusion of which brands are sustainable, ethical or pay their workers a fair living wage. If you can’t buy from a brick and mortar thrift store then consider shopping from Poshmark, Depop and eBay. Your money is your purchasing money and those actions speak for themselves what you are voting and advocating for. If you are properly informed of sustainable fashion brands, consider joining sustainable fashion Facebook groups where you share and learn about sustainably produced products.
Thrift Flip: Try looking in your wardrobe and finding items that fit weird, haven't been used in years or need a small extra touch of individualization. Try forming a closer emotional connection with your clothing. This can really help establish a stronger sense of empathy with your cause. It can be easy forgetting the WHY of your work but if you have pants you mended yourself or a shirt that you cropped, you are reminded of the need for circularity, innovation and creativity. When times are dark and seem hopeless the small moments of inspiration and of light can help push you along in the right direction.
Film YouTube Videos: There is a need for information to be disseminated to mass media through widely used platforms. YouTube is a major video hosting platform that can allow you to provide free information to a curious audience. Especially during COVID-19, people are searching for content to pass the time. Harness the use of this free platform to advocate on why we need sustainability in the fashion industry. We need more content creators covering this topic ASAP.
Plant a garden. Advocacy in the fashion industry is not simply telling people why they are wrong and why we are right. Nourish your personal love for nature and the promise of a future bloom by investing in a garden. It will take time, patience and energy which is very alike to your advocacy work. Fill your heart with the dirt of hard work and with the light of future progress. Nothing will ever be accomplished overnight and maybe we will never realize who we inspired and what we really accomplished. Take moments for yourself to nourish the community you are trying to help. In terms of the garden, challenge yourself to grow vegetables and fruits. This can help reduce food costs and provide an opportunity to see the natural value in investing in Mother Earth. If you don't have land for a garden, try taking care of potted plants. Starting somewhere works perfectly !
Donate your time, energy and resources for a nonprofit: There is a massive need for what you can bring to the table in conjunction with an organization working for the same cause. Don’t believe the hype of the winner takes all. Especially in the sustainable fashion community, we are here to support and raise each other's work up. Consider becoming an Ambassador for Remake to become closely connected with badass, like-minded sustainable fashion king and queens. Apply here.
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