The term 'sustainable fashion' - a term that has been swirling around the internet and taken over conversations due to it's recent rise in popularity. But what really is 'ssustainable fashion' as in it's current craze the term has most likely lost true meaning and come to be an uneducated trend. Sustainable fashion is ethically made and sustinablly sorced clothing that makes an improvement to the conditions of the environment and economy. It can include second hand clothing, charity shop donations, cloths re worn and the reuse of materials in order to prevent waste and recycle textiles. 

This is due to the fact that the fashion industry is the cause of 10% of the Earth's carbon emissions and produces an immense amount of waste as 92 million of tons of waste is thrown into landfill annually. Therefore, the reuse of fashion is working toward eliminating the harmful factors that are affecting the environment and the economy.

For example, a company looking to change the future of fashion is 'We Are' second hand fashion that uses second hand clothing to sell at pop ups around the UK. By doing this, they can sell the clothing for a very cheap price as they price by weight - allowing the clothing to be re used instead of being put into landfill. Don't get me wrong this is a very impactful step forward in the world of fashion; however, when asking one of the staff hosting the event she informed me that they do not take donations and instead have the clothing imported from parts of Europe. This opens up the discussion of whether this is actually sustainable for the environment as the travel miles contradict the resale of the clothes.

Also, society looks to advocate fast fashion brands left, right and centre. It is literally everywhere: adverts, magazines, social media platforms, cute outfits displayed by our favourite influencers, leaving us begging to increase our wadrobe size even more. I am so guilty of this and I don't blame myself or anyone else that does the same. Ridiculously cheap prices are splashed across our pages, red sale letters and bulk deals which lead us to go on a fun - filled spree without knowing were doing harm. Fast fashion culture then demonises those indulging in the industry when really this is all that is presented to us. As a still growing person and a major lover of fashion - MAJOR - you will most likely scrolling through endless pages on a website such as Shein or PLT,  even H&M or Zara that are disguised as better for the environment. Why? In simple terms because I can afford it. I am a near 16 year old - therefore do not have a steady income due to the fact no one will hire me under 16 and would like to buy clothes for the changind seasons, new trends etc. When flicking through magazined there are many articles provoking the need for a more sustainable amy to shop following with adverts and website links of these amazing and intricate - either hand made or originally sourced clothing. Skip to me searching up the brand and getting excited about the prospect of discovering a new and benefitting brand, only to find the price of a jumper marked at £350 - I don't even have this much money in my bank account. Consequnetly, I am left to feel guilty and misguided by my purchases because I cannot afford the impactful way to shop and I am certain many others feel the same to.

  This steers us to the question of ' is sustainable shopping really that sustainable?' Considering the demands for new clothing by the hour, fast fashion is very much a lingering issue, with so called 'sustainable' remedies using travel miles for only a handful of people being able to purchase them. The answer to this crisis is still unresolved as we need to find an accesible way for everyone to feel as though they can be sustaiable. Places such as charity shops and upcoming selling websites are becoming more advanced which gives hope to the future of fashion. For now it is okay to not be able to switch up your shopping patterns drastically without a realistic and affordable way to shop. Personally, a few of my stratergies I try to use to improve this issue which i think iss quite easy to do  this issue is to: shop smart (make sure you are content with your purchase) this way you are more likely to keep it for linger and get good use out of it. Once you have finished with garments, repurpose, donate or sell your clothing to a better source - allowing me to contribute yto making a difference. Do anything you can to make a small difference as that is all you can do and will make a difference. It's all small steps to a more sustainable planet.