While I was learning about sustainability, I started to wonder about fashion. If you look at the high prices as well as the number of garments they create you would think that fashion houses like Dior, Chanel, Gucci are sustainable. But is this true?
Between fast fashion and pure luxury exist a new outgoing way of shopping: smaller shops & smaller artisans that sell their unique creations for a mid-price range.
Are designer clothes sustainable:
We have based our research on fashion houses like Dior and Chanel.
Sustainability depends on three pillars that we will rate today for those designer houses: environment, social and economic.
- Social: 5/5. It is known that the “couturière” or “the little hands” of the big houses are people passionate about sewing. It is a hard, stressful, however, it is a rewarding job. They are not a lot and are mainly based in the country of the house. We can find the main houses in Italy or France. They are not sweatshops and are paid the minimum wage expected in those countries. Their workplace is mainly based on sharing knowledge and working hard.
- Environment: 3/5. All the houses nowadays say they are environmentally friendly which is not fully true. Dior is a part of better cotton initiative. However, even, after long researches nothing shows that they are working on choosing better material or are working on reducing the impact the fashion has on the environment. I want to be sensitive on this subject as people really have to also understand: Luxury and designer produce only a really small portion of clothes of a really good quality. Of course it is really expensive due to the popularity of their name. But people buying designer clothes normally keep it for a longer time hence the minimum impact on the environment.
- Economic:5/5 those houses are using high-quality products like leather or other from different countries around the world. They also try to use small artisan around their house to create new products, new styles. Designer house are making people work and demonstrate their talent. During a lot of their defile, Designers add to their clothes some special pieces (headpieces, hand jewellery or other) to make the show even more special. Those pieces are created by really small artisan helping them to be known and to develop their product. You can find a small video of savoir-faire artisan that Dior choose to help create a flower.
Designer clothes are really expensive and are not for everyone. Even if they are not fully sustainable they are more ethical than fast fashion. Designer clothes from fashion houses are created to last and to take value with time (depending on care).
Small fashion artisans and creators, mid-price range clothing:
This is our favourite:
Small artisans or designers who are known to care about the environment are the best alternative. They are not selling their clothes at an impressive price due to the yet-not-known name. They create unique pieces that last and yet are not as expensive as designers.
However as for every type of industry you have to be careful. Some small artisan or houses are not environmental friendly. I am more referring here to your small shop at the corner of your street! They most of the time market themself as the exclusive small shop with unique design! However they, most of the time, but from a huge warehouse that are absolutely not environmental friendly. Just be aware to check the tags on the clothes and to know a bit more about how they create their clothes or where to they find it.
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