Green Is The New Black — Ruth MacGilp

For the first time in history, a pair of jeans can cost you less than the price of a sandwich, and you can buy them from the same shop too. In a culture of supermarket fashion, we have become so far detached geographically and mentally from the people who make our clothes that we have forgot how much it actually costs to make them. The images in this post are from my latest ethical fashion obsession, Studio Five.

Fashion trends come and go, but one that couldn't, and shouldn't, die down anytime soon is ethical fashion. To shop ethically can mean different things to different people, but overall ethics means doing the right thing. Through the clothing we purchase, and more importantly the clothing we don't purchase, we can make a difference to all people and the world we live in. N.B. Read my post 'What Does Ethical Fashion Even Mean' to find out more.

The number one way that we can make the fashion world a more ethical place is to make changes to our own shopping behaviour. Pressure from the consumer, i.e. you and me, can make a huge difference to how the industry operates. From writing in to our favourite glossy fashion magazines about our concerns and following and supporting ethical fashion bloggers, to boycotting the worst offenders in sweatshop labour and searching out fairtrade, organic, sustainable, innovative alternatives, we live in an economy based on supply and demand, so if we demand change, brands will take notice.

The cycle of extreme waste, environmental destruction, animal cruelty and human exploitation will only continue as long as customers keep buying into cheap, poor quality clothes. Fast fashion is about rapid change, focussing 100% on the aesthetic of the design and 0% on the lasting impact of the product. So lets slow fashion down, and choose the right trend to buy in to this season: green is most definitely the new black.

Footnotes:

Since I've finally started learning the basics of SEO (search engine optimization), I've been googling my intended blog post title to check there isn't too much competition from similar bloggers. So I searched for 'Green in The New Black' and found some really cool results that I thought I would recommend:

Green is the New Black: Conscious Living Festival in Singapore

Green is the New Black: How to Save the World in Style by Tasmin Blanchard

Green is the New Black: Radical Transparency in Luxury Fashion (Another Mag)