3 reasons why choosing sustainable fashion is worth it

When you think “sustainable fashion” what words come to mind?

You may have come up with ethical, eco-friendly, renewable, enduring, slow fashion.

Or, if you’re like me, the first word you thought of was “expensive”.

In a fast fashion world, we as consumers have grown used to the search for the lowest price for any particular item. The more we consume, the more we’re hungry for the biggest bargain. It’s become about how much we can keep in our pockets while still achieving the satisfaction of owning something new.

As satisfying as it is in the moment, fast fashion comes at a cost (click here to learn more).

Maybe you’ve eyed the Essential Bikini on our website and you immediately thought of a dozen other brands selling a similar product for a third of the price. You’ve read the reviews and descriptions, desire the comfort of the buttery-soft fabric against your skin, yet can’t justify the price tag.

Now, I know not everyone is a finance nerd like me but a great way to make any financial decision is by using a cost-benefit analysis. Stick with me here.

A cost-benefit analysis is like a pros and cons list but using dollar values. So, if you’re trying to decide whether to buy a certain clothing item, add up all the benefits associated with buying it (assigning dollar values to each). Then, subtract the costs from the total benefits to see whether the purchase is worth it. 

It’s a useful strategy to use to help you make intentional purchasing decisions. Trust me, your future self will thank you for it!

Using this approach, let’s see whether choosing sustainable fashion is actually worth it by looking at its benefits.

1. Good for the earth

Textiles account for approximately 20-35% of microplastics entering the ocean each year (McKinsey, 2020), a result of washing synthetic clothes.

The fashion industry, fast fashion especially, leaves a mark on our planet. And it’s not a good one.

On the other hand, slow fashion uses eco-friendly fabrics and processes to minimise the environmental footprint from the production and use of clothing. Many sustainable clothing brands use renewable resources in the manufacturing of their products, use recycled fabrics and strive to reduce waste as much as possible.

For example, to decrease the negative impact of toxic chemicals and microplastics in our waterways, sustainable clothing brands use eco-friendly materials such as organic hemp, organic linen, recycled cotton, recycled wool, organic cotton, TENCEL™ and Monocel®. SHADIE BY EA uses TENCEL™ Modal, which comes from renewable raw material beech wood sources. The process used to develop this material is found to use up to 20 times less water than the processes used to make cotton. 

Now, if that isn’t good for the earth, I don’t know what is!

2. Better for people

Most fast fashion garment workers are paid less than a living wage, live in poverty and consistently work in poor conditions.

Unfortunately, fast fashion doesn’t recognise the value of a human life. The industry doesn’t treat those responsible for its success with the dignity they deserve. As tough as it is to say, our continued consumption of fast fashion implies consent with this behaviour and only fuels the cycle.

But slow fashion provides another way.

The slow fashion business model supports fair and ethical labour practices, giving workers a proper living wage for their efforts. At SHADIE BY EA, our lovely workers and seamstress are paid a living wage significantly more than minimum wage. This gives them access to basic needs such as food, housing, healthcare, clothing, transportation, energy, water, childcare, education, other essential needs, and provision for unexpected events.

By investing in sustainable fashion, you invest in the futures of these workers and their families.

3. Superior quality

Every second, the equivalent of one garbage truck full of clothes is burned or dumped in a landfill (UNEP, 2018).

That’s a lot of trash that only further contributes to waste and our world’s carbon footprint.

Because fast fashion is so cheap and easily replaceable, that’s exactly how we treat it. We wear it for a season then move on to the next trend without a second thought of where our clothes end up. But it’s not just our attitude toward fashion that leads to waste, it’s that fast fashion clothing isn’t built for longevity.

Sustainable fashion brands focus on creating quality pieces that are made to last. These are durable pieces you can wear in and out of every season. Pieces that will look and feel as good as the day you bought them – for years to come.

Let me introduce you to one final way you can approach your clothing purchases to help you make better decisions. It’s the old school idea of ‘cost per wear’. With cost per wear, you take the price you pay for a garment and divide it by the number of times you wear it. So let’s try it now with our Essential Bikini, compared against a similar product.

Does that put it into perspective for you?

Think of the clothing you buy as a long-term investment, not just to meet a short-term need.