SENSORY JOURNAL 003: Sustainability
•Posted on May 17 2023
There are so many ways to practice sustainability in our every day lives from gardening, to composting, to what we use and buy for household goods, to our wardrobe choices. I have been blessed by community through having the shop that has provided me with so much education and inspiration around living more mindfully and consuming more consciously, and I love sharing this knowledge whenever I can!
Such a huge factor in sustainability that still has room to be improved upon is accessibility, so when hosting local events it is important to me that the shared knowledge, skill, and experience is offered for free to the community. I want to offer some resources I've been reading, using, and learning from lately to hopefully help you on your own path to doing better by Mother Earth!
READ:
Eileen Fisher is one of the brands truly leading the way in the fashion industry in terms of sustainability by focusing on circularity. To date, they have taken back 2 MILLION garments from customers who have purchased from them as part of their Renew program to re-sell, repair, and regenerate their textiles and keep them out of landfills. That milestone is hard to mentally grasp at scale for one single brand, but it is also so inspiring that such an achievement is even feasible! Along with their own program and accountability for their own products being produced, they recently shared a great article from their journal of some other companies and resources that anyone can use to keep old items out of the trash! Some of these resources I use often myself, like the
Trashie Take Back Bag. The EILEEN FISHER Journal is a wealth of knowledge, so I encourage you to explore it all HERE!
PARTICIPATE:
Speaking of ratty old clothes staying out of the trash - have you ever had items from your wardrobe that you love but stop wearing because they had small damages or stains that you didn't know how to fix? Enter SUAY Sew Shop in Los Angeles! If you haven't heard of SUAY yet, I suggest giving them a follow on instagram and deep diving into their website. They have so many incredible services and initiatives that could take up an entire email, but I'm going to highlight the monthly Community Dye Bath Program! Anyone can participate in this, local to LA or not! Each month they offer around 5-6 colors (and the colors are GOOD!) which you can choose from and mail in old clothing, towels, bedding, textiles, etc. to be dyed and given new life with new colors! I just got back my first batch of clothes sent in which were white pieces I had owned and worn for about 3-5 years each (so they were really yellow-ed and stained). I was so impressed with the results I've now sent more items in 2 additional months! Turnaround is about 8 weeks but is getting faster the more people that participate, so join the club! SUAY also has an in-person textile recycling option, as well as the opportunity for anyone to sponsor a bag to support this critical work!
LISTEN/READ:
Last week, Alec Leach was featured on the Business of Fashion Podcast to discuss his book, The World is on Fire but We're Still Buying Shoes. I read this short book earlier this year and loved it so I ordered some copies for the shop, but the podcast is a great intro to the easy read! The UK-based author comes from mostly a menswear background in the fashion industry, so there are many streetwear and Hype references made in his argument for more mindful consumption. But it's a great snapshot of generally how the industry got to its current state, why so many trends are fleeting, and how we can make more conscious purchases when shopping for fashion that ultimately bring us more joy and better represent our personal identity. You can listen to the episode with Alec HERE.
Burke has always been focused on conscious consumption and I try to offer you brands and products that are designed well and interestingly enough that they don't seem too boring or basic, but versatile enough to outlive any fleeting trend moment. The hope is that you get the most long-term wear and value out of an item as possible.
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