The fashion industry is one of the major polluting industries in the world — and while fast fashion makes shopping for clothes more affordable, it comes at a terrifying environmental cost. The fashion industry produces roughly 10% of all carbon emissions, and is also the second-largest consumer of the world’s water supply. As a small business, our ethos is focussed on slow fashion — a thoughtful, intentional, and holistic lifestyle approach to fashion. In our commitment to slow fashion, we emphasise principles of zero waste.
What is zero waste fashion?
Within the fashion industry, zero waste clothing refers to garments that are systematically designed to avoid and eliminate waste from the production process. For us, specifically, this has meant being conscious of the materials we are sourcing, where we’re sourcing the from, and eliminating waste from our studio. Zero waste fashion is about utilising existing materials to their full capacity, and not producing textile and other material waste.
Some of the concrete ways in which we, as a small business engage with zero waste fashion, include:
zero waste design: ensuring that we’re cutting patterns, etc in a way as to minimise waste, and also re-using, up-cycling, and transforming all the fabric in our studio into beautiful, one of a kind pieces.
Zero waste production: making sure we source fabrics with low environmental impacts, from other small and sustainable businesses - to ensure that we’re not contributing to large environmental degradation processes
Sustainable packaging: a lot of our packaging is cloth bags that are made from up cycled fabric.
Image: Khadi loom, from our textile sourcing trip to Bhuj, Gujarat. April 2019.
Why Zero waste fashion?
Waste is a major contributor to global warming. Zero waste is all about addressing waste as a primary root cause of global warming. A zero waste strategy supports the main goals of sustainability: economic well-being, environmental protection, and social well-being. Zero waste fashion recognises that fast fashion is unsustainable, and offers an alternative.
Hope for a zero waste future
Zero waste is not a new concept. Throughout history, consumers have adopted similar practices — the difference is that now, zero waste fashion has become an ethical choice, as well as one born out of necessity. Zero waste slow fashion need not be expensive, and unaffordable. Read more about concrete ways to get involved in the slow fashion movement, and zero waste fashion here.
At Sonya Sapru Designs, we’re always willing to have conversations with you about up cycling your wardrobe, and re-purposing pieces that are meaningful to you. Set up an appointment with us to talk through how we can repurpose some of your favourite textiles and clothes - reimagining them into something new.
Shop the Zero Waste Collection, and use the code ZEROWASTE10 at checkout, for 10% off.
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