Turning Discarded Textile Waste into Fashion
When your closet develops a pile of clothing you never plan to wear again, your first thought is likely to donate that clothing to a second hand store. Unfortunately, some people toss their old clothes in the trash, and the ones who do choose to donate them may have their old shirts, pants, and shoes end up on the top of the waste pile at the dump. This is an issue when around 12 billion kilograms of clothing are thrown away annually.
We follow the “out with the old, in with the new” principle a little too loyally in the 21st century, buying four times as much clothing as consumers did in 1980. The constant price slashing at popular widespread clothing stores and the rise of social media advertising are only contributing to the massive consumption problem North American shoppers have, not to mention the expectation that Instagram personalities never wear the same outfit twice.
The good news is, many startups have been created to divert textile waste and from landfills, save money, think up innovative waste collection methods and provide their customers with quality clothing anyone would be happy to wear. In this article, we’ll look at three impactful earth- and people-friendly clothing companies.
First up is Nudnik children’s wear, a collection of upcycled garments created by the twin daughters of a waste management company founder. Having been familiar with the waste industry for over two decades, the sisters decided to put the discarded clothing they came across to good use. Inspired by their young children, they repurpose the clothing to make new pieces, decorating them with silk-screen designs for kids.
Close behind is Boro, a designer clothing rental service provided by a Torontonian who caters to the needs of environmentally-conscious and low-budget shoppers. Upon realizing that she seldom wore the same clothing item more than once, Boro’s founder and her partner decided to offer cocktail dresses, stylish jackets, high-end purses, and other things people lend them to those who want to wear something once or twice for a fraction of its retail price.
Last but not least is Peoples Product, a fair-trade clothing company that pays its workers a sustainable salary and creates long-lasting, high-quality textiles. Fair-trade clothing is often fashionable but too expensive for the average shopper, or cheap but too artsy. Peoples Product has found a happy medium to appeal to those who want to follow the latest fashion trends, but also want to shop ethically. The two founders are confident they’ll continue to inspire consumers to think before they buy.
These clever junk removal companies understand they won’t be putting large clothing chains out of business any time soon, but that doesn’t crush their enthusiasm. The goal is to show consumers attractive alternatives to the way they shop and hopefully change the minds of a few thousand individuals to work towards a healthier planet.
For now, Garage, Forever 21, Sirens, and other large textile companies will rule the clothing industry. Nevertheless, it’s exciting to think that this reality could change a mere decade from now.
