The so-called "digital natives" or Gen Z have a clear idea of what is wrong in our society. Young but mature, they ask for sustainable fashion.
Who Is The Gen Z
The Pew Research Center has declared the term generation Z to identify people born after 1996. The events during their lives, from social networking, pandemics, and recession to climate change, influenced their view of life and how they act, react, and interpret the world. They opened their eyes to a fast-paced technological evolution, making them “digital natives.” Due to this openness to the vast world, Gen Z are financially and environmentally cautious. In other words, they appreciate planet Earth better than past generations.
Gen Z And Fashion Sustainability
Although they are the youngest cohort, they are more mature than other generations because they profoundly contemplate the climate crisis. One aspect of their attempts to deal with this crisis is heading towards fashion sustainability. Despite sustainable garments and accessories can be more expensive, many zoomers are determined to pay for ethically produced sustainable clothing. However, they know that being more eco-conscious is not enough as they need to put actions to words. These are some activities to consider implementing concerning sustainable fashion.
Gen Z' Guide To Sustainable Fashion, Step-by-step
- Donate old clothes
Landfills do more harm than good to the environment: they cover an ample space though they are not a pleasant sight to admire. Various clothes items that wind up there contain toxins and dyes that dissolve in the environment, causing more pollution.
For this reason, donating your old clothes reduces landfill waste, lowers the need for new clothing, and saves energy sources. Needless to say, on the ethical side of the story, donating clothes to people in need is a responsibility we all share. Not only does it make you feel better about yourself, but it also makes a difference in the lives of unprivileged people.
- Upcycle your clothes
We are all guilty of making some uncalculated decisions when it comes to buying clothes. One way to be thoughtful when making clothing-related choices is upcycling; producing and designing new clothing items out of tattered old ones is much better than getting rid of them. Turning worn-out clothing into brand-new items saves money and energy and adds value and personal touch to your outfit.
- Stop buying so much
Heedless shopping can drive us to make extravagant purchases, like buying a piece of clothing to wear just once or one that does not fit us. Before making any purchasing decision, ask yourself if you really need it; set your priorities, and consider what the British fashion designer Vivienne Westwood said: “Buy less, choose well, and make it last”.
- Shop consciously and support socially ethical brands
Creating a sustainable wardrobe may seem tiring, but think about the difference you would make to the environment and garment workers just by taking this simple step. Garment workers are those superheroes who work behind the scenes. To motivate them to keep up their great work, we must shift our purchasing practices into more ethical and sustainable ones. We can do so by supporting sustainable brands that pay fair wages to their workers. Such brands take care of their employees as well as their customers. When the employees feel appreciated and financially secured, they become more productive, enhancing work quality and customer satisfaction.
- Consider building a capsule or minimalist wardrobe
No doubt you have heard the phrase “less is more”, which is pretty much what a minimalist wardrobe is (minimal wardrobe links to. Simplicity defines it. Building a minimalist wardrobe means having the smallest possible amount of clothing items in your closet that can be matched with each other.
Minimalism, at its core, aids in consuming fewer products, resulting in downsizing the amount of waste. It also saves money in the long run and reduces visual clutter.
- Choose sustainable fabrics and materials
Unfortunately, the fashion industry is one of the largest industries that contribute to harming the planet by producing carbon emissions. It is why we need to take a sustainable lifestyle approach by wearing eco-friendly fabrics such as recycled cotton, organic hemp, organic linen, and vegan leather.
However, it does not stop here: accessories can be sustainable too. For example, most sustainable and eco glasses are made from natural materials which can be recycled. When shopping, choose quality frames made of bio acetate, bamboo or recycled metal; they should last for many years. Moreover, changing the lenses when only needed, not just for the sake of being “on-trend”, helps reduce waste and manufacturing emissions.
Conclusion
Gen Z is conscious of climate change’s effects on the planet, and they have no problem adapting their behaviours to fulfil a more sustainable lifestyle. They are leading the future of sustainable fashion; their buying choices, determination, and outlook instigated many brands to be more ethical and adapt eco-friendly manufacturing approaches.
Besides the new sustainable fashion brands emerging recently, International fashion houses and clothing manufacturers have started changing their sustainability approaches in response to Gen Z’s demands. Many of them applied eco-friendly regulations and invested millions of dollars in environmental projects worldwide.
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