Make Well, Buy Well, Resell – Circular Fashion
Extract from original article by Sasha Cohen, June 14 2018
Fast Fashion is the 2nd Largest Polluter on the Planet! We've all been there, done that. Trip to H&M, Zara or the multitude of boutiques that satisfy our immediate one-off purchases of trendy fashion items that end up in landfills.
What is Circular Fashion?
Circular fashion is a concept that builds on the idea of a circular economy. In a circular economy, economic activity builds and rebuilds overall system health, creating a “restorative economy”. In opposition to the “take, make, consume and dispose” model, the goal is to re-design the way our economy works - designing products that can be 'made to be made again' and powering the system with renewable energy. It stems from the idea that our systems should work like organisms, processing nutrients that can be fed back into the cycle.
Why is it important?
“Over the past 15 years, clothing production has doubled, while the amount of time we wear [these] clothes before throwing them away – usually to be landfilled or incinerated – has fallen dramatically,” says Initiative founder Francois Souchet.
In the 1930s the average American woman had 9 outfits; today she has 103 pieces of clothing, adding 64 pieces annually...and only really liking 10%. Add to this that less than 1% of clothing is recycled. Modern fashion has also created 52 mini seasons!
Circular Fashion aims to create an economy where clothes are never seen as waste via better design, new leasing and resale business models. Concurrent goals are to (1) eliminate waste and pollution and (2) ensure products & materials can be re-used.
Secondary clothing markets like thrift stores (Salvation Army, Goodwill, etc.) are well known, giving clothing additional lives while supporting charitable causes, incentivizing the public with the carrot of a tax rebate.
Luxury brands are not immune, it quite often I will find a branded product on Nordstrom Rack even Marshalls and the other secondary outlets.
What can you do?
As a conscious consumer, be aware of the social and environmental footprint of what you purchase; give your clothing a second (or third, or fourth!) life. Choose brands that participate in the circular economy.
What is CaravanMaya doing?
As a conscious business, CaravanMaya is aware of our mistakes from the past. We strongly believe negative Social and/Or Environmental footprint of what we procure and what you may eventually purchase; gives second (or third, or fourth!) life.
Some of the new Initiatives we have launched include:
2. Footwear for Fall, Exchanged with Warm Linings for Winter. Launching a Circular Fashion for some of our Fall and Winter product lines is awesome. You can purchase Footwear for Fall and return it for a Warmer lined Winter Product!
Please continue to check products that meet this criteria and you will be able to make substantial saving but also save the environment in return.