In the world of fast fashion, where trends come and go in the blink of an eye, it’s easy to forget the environmental and ethical impacts of our clothing choices. Fashion Revolution Day celebrated across the world on 24th April serves as a reminder to reconsider our consumption habits and strive for more sustainable wardrobe choices.
BIORESTORE can assist you in adopting a sustainable fashion and lifestyle by reviving your worn-out clothing. It also functions as a part of your wardrobe rotation while slowing down the wear-to-waste cycle.
What is Sustainable Fashion?
Sustainable fashion is a concept of developing, preserving, and maintaining clothes that reduces environmental impact. While this may sound simple, it’s not always easy to opt for sustainable fashion choices. For instance, recycling or upcycling clothes is more challenging than producing or buying a new garment first-hand, making the overall process more complex and time-consuming.
Why is Sustainable Fashion Important?
The textile industry is one of the biggest manufacturing industries in the world. In the US alone, more than 17 million tons of textile waste is produced each year. With the footprint of materials, resources and consumption for new clothing production accelerating rapidly, making sustainable choices within fashion the need of hour.
From the outset of the vision, and a frustration from years working on the fashion industry, the team behind BIORESTORE have been a on a mission to slow the cycle of fashion, whilst pushing sustainable thinking and better thought-out solutions to a simple problem – pilling.
For instance, an ordinary laundry detergent typically comes with 16+ ingredients, however, BIORESTORE is the first-ever laundry Re-Tergent that has a minimal formulation of only 6 ingredients, designed to leave the most minimal footprint possible, whilst reducing the need for new materials, clothing or consumption.
With just one BIORESTORE wash, the same garments that you used to discard after they started to show signs of fading, pills, bobbles, lint, and fuzz, or surface texture damage, can now be revitalised and refreshed.
BIORESTORE cotton can work on any fabric or print as long as it includes at least 70% cotton. You can easily breathe new life into any textile or fabric, from bed sheets and towels to cotton-rich office wear like shirts or cotton knitwear, sweatshirts, hoodies, and t's.
Tips to extend the life of your clothing
An average 4-person household washes up to 470 laundry loads per year. In other words, we're all trying to figure out how to look our best and get the most out of our clothes. You may effortlessly extend the life of your clothing by using the professional tips given below.
Gentle Washing
To make a long-term impact, starting with small steps in your laundry care routine, is very important. Hot-water washing can not only weaken the fabric but is also energy-intensive, i.e., the water is heated in the machine, which takes in more electricity, leading to increased electric bills.
Using gentle washing or a cold-water cycle in your laundry routine can not only keep your clothes “new” for longer, but it also reduces electricity consumption.
Use a debobbler
After a few wears, it's normal for even expensive, high-quality clothing to develop bobbles, pilling, or lint accumulation. Many of us have the back of the closet full of our favorite clothing that has become a little harder to wear because of fading with time, building bobbles or pilling. Here are some common disadvantages of not using a debobbler for your clothes:
- The linty clothes will gather additional dirt and become much more difficult to clean afterwards.
- The fabric becomes weakened and has its texture and shape altered by pilling and bobbles.
Occasionally washing your garments with BIORESTORE can help them stay brighter and pill-free for a long time. By doing this, you can greatly extend the life of your clothes and ensure that they are always ready for not just the next wear but also the next year and years to come.
Proper Storage
How you store your clothes is as important as how you wash or wear them. The finest hangers for storing fragile objects are wooden or padded ones. Knitwear and bulkier items should be stored folded to preserve their shape and texture. Leaving them on hangers can eventually cause the garment to stretch out of shape.
Additionally, make sure that every item of clothing has adequate breathing room and that any stains or bobbles are eliminated before storing the items in the closet. Adopting sustainable fashion habits can assist you in decluttering your closet, arranging your existing items, identifying items you no longer wear, and repurposing your favourite items.
Wash Wisely
Not every article of apparel requires a frequent washing cycle. Over washing is a very regular occurrence in most homes, which weakens the fabric's fibres, fades colours and designs, and ultimately shortens the lifespan of your priceless wardrobe staples. You can rethink your washing process by taking a strategic approach.
- Light Wear: To freshen up garments like sweaters and jackets, hang them out to dry naturally after a few wears.
- Moderate Wear: Is it really necessary to wash pants or jeans every other wear? Wash them after at least 3-4 wears.
- Heavy Wear: Clothing that is worn in close proximity to the body, such as T-shirts and underwear, should be cleaned after every wear.
- Examine the Label: Make sure to always read the "care-label" that is attached to your apparel. The label will provide the ideal cycle and temperature for washing. To achieve the greatest washing results and future wear, follow those directions.
Give Clothes a second life
For clothes that no longer fit your body type, lifestyle or fashion sense, you should consider swapping, donating, or getting creative to give them a second chance in life.
- Why not create a circle of 8-10 friends and swap your clothes with each other?
- Donate the clothes that no longer fit to local charity organisations that have a donation scheme to help benefit those in need.
- Get creative and mend any damage with patches, stitches, or embroidery for a personal look.
- Alter your clothes for the best fit. If an outfit is loose, you can always use a sewing machine to take it in, or tight clothes can be let out by a seamstress or tailer.
Top Tip
There are hundreds of DIY Videos available on YouTube that can help you in creating new, fashionable, or exciting items from left-over, not worn or damaged clothing sitting idly in your wardrobe.
How can the Fashion Industry be more Sustainable?
The road of sustainability in the fashion industry passes through four main points.
Ethical Fashion: Focusing on garment worker & employee wellness with ethical and sustainable labor practices across the entire production cycle of your clothing
Circular Fashion: Keeps clothes in a circle for as long as possible. It means reviving your worn-out clothes, bringing back vintage fashion pieces, buying second-hand or thrifted items, and donating or swapping with others when needed.
Slow Fashion: The anti-thesis of fashion! Prioritising quality over quantity and only purchasing well-made, timeless pieces that can be worn over and over again. Think of this mantra before making a purchase, “Do I love it? Does it love me back? Can I wear it on more than three occasions?” If the answer to all of these questions is “YES”- you are making a sustainable fashion choice.
Conscious Fashion: Prefer purchasing from sustainable fashion brands even if it comes at a slightly higher price. Make informed decisions and choose products with streamlined formulation and minimum footprint.
Final Remarks
Fashion Revolution Day serves as a reminder to all of us to adopt sustainable fashion habits. With a little effort and an embrace of "circular fashion," you can prolong the life of your clothing, cut down on textile waste, and help make the fashion industry more eco-friendly.
BIORESTORE is an effective solution that can help you achieve this goal. It enables you to revive your favourite outfits, lessen your need for "fast fashion," and participate in a more morally and environmentally friendly approach to clothing.
Remember, small changes in your washing routine, storage habits, and buying behavior can make a big difference. Let's all work together to create a more sustainable future for fashion!
