It all started with an email from a uni student…
A few months ago we received an email from some uni students introducing us to Ruby Silver, a social enterprise using the profits to provide young girls in India much needed school supplies. What really caught our attention…
Sustainable Fashion.
It’s a term that is being thrown around like crazy at the moment. Heck, we use it all the time to describe what we, as Thread Harvest, believe, do and strive for. What we’re discovering though, is that most people just think Sustainable Fashion is a ‘nice’ idea, failing to see the huge problem we are creating.
Sustainable Fashion is more than just shopping from great brands that source their products responsibly and ethically (such as the ones found on our site!). It’s approaching our wardrobes from a wholistic standpoint. It’s about the life cycle of the whole garment.
At the Copenhagen Fashion Summit held this year the big topic of discussion was sustainability. The population is set to hit 8.5 billion people by 2030, with our current rate of apparel consumption rising by 63%, “from 62 million tons today to 102 million tons in 2030—an equivalent of more than 500 billion T-shirts” (Pulse Of the Fashion Industry 2017 Report)
That’s a lot of T-shirts.
Add to this our current rate of disposing of garments in Australia – which is 6000kgs every 10 minutes (ref: WarOnWaste) – and you can see we’re on the verge of having a huge environmental crisis.
So what needs to change?
Essentially it’s our approach.
There are some amazing brands out there pushing the boundaries, utilising the latest technology to reduce the environmental impact when producing their garments.
“One of the most exciting potential new ways of producing apparel is, of course, 3D printing. 3D printers are capable of fabricating anything from toys to body parts to entire houses. More common 3D printing techniques use PLA, a biodegradable plastic, to build each item layer by layer with a technique called “additive manufacturing”. (ref:WGSN)
If, like me, you struggle to see 3D printing to be more than A4 sheets of paper stapled together to resemble apparel, than materials such as Pinatx – a leather alternative, or QMilch- a company based in Germany that produces a silky fabric woven from the protein fibres in milk – might be more your style.
The interesting trend we’re seeing emerge is that no matter the raw material, brands are pushing the technology boundaries of fabric creation and as a result significantly reducing carbon footprints and water waste.
When it comes to the consumer, our approach to our wardrobe needs to change. Sadly our charitable ways in giving our old clothes to places like Vinnies is having a negative affect. We throw away so many garments (6000kgs per 10mins) but unfortunately only around 15% of those garments ever gets sold domestically. Most get packed up and shipped to developing nations, which sounds great in theory, but this charity actually damages the local economies. These boxes of cheap clothing end up removing the need for local textile businesses in developing nations, therefore rendering the charitable donation as more harmful than good.
So if it’s going to take a collective effort from consumer and brand alike, what can we do?
It’s essentially getting back to basics. Mend your clothes. Don’t buy what you don’t need. Get creative with your wardrobe and mix up the clothing combos.
Side note: I’ve adopted this approach to my wardrobe for the entire year so far and I have to say I love the challenge. I’ve created some great looks by just mixing “this with that” in my wardrobe and had people comment that they love my outfit and ask if it’s new. The reality is that it’s the same top or vest or jacket I’ve owned for 3 seasons now!
Buy second hand. Do a clothes swap with your friends. The options to be sustainable are endless, we just need to get a little more creative!
Sustainable Fashion is a whole world issue. We’re all responsible for our part. So rather than expecting the brands to make all the changes, let’s join them in creating lasting change and, as a result, a world that will last.
To learn more about our great brands, you can visit our brand page. Check out some of our great products made from tree pulp or recycled polyester or upcycled brass!
SHOP: Your Values | New In | Womens | Mens | Accessories
Today is International Women’s Day, so it made sense that the only female Director of Thread Harvest should be the one to write a blog post today!
So here I sit, glass of red nestled beside me, favourite candle burning for inspiration and all I can think about is the four men who I run Thread Harvest with. These men wouldn’t necessarily stand out to you if you passed them in the street. They laugh at inappropriate jokes about bodily functions. They are as boisterous as they come. Their high fives to each other are always a contest as to who can make the loudest clap. To the naked eye they really are just typical guys.
But these four men do something few men would. They fight, everyday, to change the social situation globally for women. These four men are the ones who empower me to be all that I am and all that I bring to the Thread Harvest team. They respect me. Listen to me. Lift me up when I am struggling. And on a day where we are raising awareness for the empowerment of women everywhere, they are the ones sending me messages of praise and encouragement. These four men know the value women bring to the work place, they embrace it and support it wholeheartedly.
You might be wondering “well why then is there only one female Director?” which is a valid question. The answer is quite simple (and it’s not for lack of trying to bring more women on the team!), it’s because I chose to step up. I chose to be counted among the men. I chose to not shrink back. I chose to fight for women who cannot fight for themselves and I did this by acknowledging that I have been given an opportunity. So often we can leave the fight to someone else. We might throw a sentence or two behind these kinds of initiative but what are we really doing on a daily basis to change the situation for our sisters globally? Are we raising each other up in our own workplace? Are we singing the praises of our colleagues when praise is due? Are we encouraging and empowering each other?
Empowering women is our collective responsibility. We need each other to fight this fight. Both men and women. We need each other to speak up. We need each other to step up and take action against the injustice and inequality in our world. I would not be who I am today without these four men, in the same way these four men would not be who they are without me. We might not be able to change the world within a day, “but it’s precisely at those moments that knowing at least we’re doing it together gives us the strength to carry on.” (ref.)
The theme for this year’s International Women’s Day is “Women in the Changing World of Work: Planet 50-50 by 2030”
“The idea of this theme is to consider how to accelerate the 2030 Agenda, building momentum for the effective implementation of the new Sustainable Development Goals, especially goal number 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls; and number 4: Ensure inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning. The theme will also focus on new commitments under UN Women’s Step It Up initiative, and other existing commitments on gender equality, women’s empowerment and women’s human rights.” (ref.)
How can we say we hope for such things to be a reality if in our day to day we do not support, encourage and fight for those women in our immediate world? This target for gender equality won’t happen unless we are all in this fight together. At Thread Harvest we are empowering women within our organisation, through our products and through the brands we partner with. We’re so passionate about the empowerment of women we made it an impact badge – it’s that important.
So on a day such as this I encourage you, dear sisters, to step into action within your own sphere of influence. Create change where you are today. And if you’re lucky enough to find four guys who stand for you and your tribe, I guarantee you’re bound to change the world.