Meg J Gardner, founded by Meg herself is a bespoke and couture
specialising label, focused on bringing our clients a dream wardrobe
full of garments they love… because they’re designed for them.
Having worked for award-winning brands and bespoke labels, Meg’s work embraces slow fashion – from its sustainability both pre and post production, to the bound-less slow and intricate techniques; slow fashion encompasses everything extraordinary about the industry.
In recent years, sustainability has become the forefront of the fashion industry. As we dive head-first into the very real issue of climate change, we the consumers, are tasked with the job of forcing Fashion Giants to really dig deep into their promises of sustainability and to genuinely make a difference. But its more than just the big names that need to take a step back and look at their footprint, as individuals we need to re-evaluate how sustainable our shopping habits are?
Below we list a few ways that you can genuinely start to make a difference to your impact on the environment through fashion.
Repair:
Bust Zips, missing buttons, worn knees – we’re all familiar with our clothes becoming damaged and broken, and our previous behaviours would see us throw these garments to landfill. However, this year (and next) is seeing a rising trend for repairing garments and extending their lifetime two, even three-fold. Opting for either a statement repair of contrasting fabrics and colours, or for a subtle functional-only repair, consumers are more now than ever saving their favourite pair of jeans from the incinerator, and we’re loving it! Want to take it one step further…? Try using second hand buttons and fastenings. Charity shops will undoubtably have small baskets of haberdashery items, such as threads, buttons, threads and even fat-quarters for patching up those worn knees!
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Re-wear:
We’re all guilty of having purchased a specific outfit for a specific occasion, we all have that craving to buy new pieces to reinvent ourselves and give our wardrobes a breath of new life, and we definitely all occasionally go – well I’ve worn that outfit before so I can’t wear it again…. But I’m going to stop you there. Sustainability is the new black. It is highly fashionable to turn round to the “Fast-Fashioners” and say, with confidence, fast fashion is so last season! Wear that ‘last-season’ jumper you bought two years ago and pair it with something other than those jeans you *always* pair with it. Wear that dress more than once, you look good in it! Remember: Last season is so this season!
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Resell:
Ok so there are times when we all need a clear out, and this can be for a wide variety of reasons! When the urge strikes next, I challenge you to take a moment to consider your next steps. Sure, the easy option is to simply just throw out the clothes, get them gone! But have you considered giving them a second life. Sell them. Donate them. Pass them on. Platforms such as Vinted, eBay and DePop are taking over the second-hand market. Historically the easiest way to get second hand clothes was through charity shops, but now we’re able to access pre-loved fashion nationally! I myself used pre-loved accessories to dress my looks at London Fashion Week – you can take a look via my Instagram page, @meg.j.gardner.design The additional benefit of giving clothes a new life, is that usually you can get pretty good returns from selling them. Especially the stuff you’ve maybe only worn once or twice for a wedding or a party. AS we head into the run up to Christmas, there are many people looking for a new outfit for their Xmas Do, so what better way to clear out your closet then to Resell!
We’re not saying that you shouldn’t occasionally treat yourself to new clothing, planned or unplanned. We’re simply saying Rethink (so ok this is the 4th R), but take the time to ensure that you are supporting sustainable fashion brands, whether that be through recycled fabric, sustainable and ethical work practices, or even supporting small and local brands. As a small sustainable brand (through made-to-order practices and ethical production processes) we know how easy it is for brands to label themselves as sustainable without really providing a reason as to how or why – we’ll save greenwashing for another day.
So really there’s 4 Rs on the Rise, and probably a few more that we’ve forgotten, but we’ve all got to start somewhere, so take one R, repair, re-wear, resell or rethink, and start to improve you fashion footprint!
