The Truth About Fabric – Part 1

April fashion revolution brings May introspection

Fashion Revolution week was April 19-25, shedding light to how the garment industry works. Then comes Me-Made-May, a whole month dedicated to re-exploring the garments we make for ourselves.

On the topic of self reflections, let’s think about how our everyday decisions impact our planet and our surroundings.  

WE ARE BUYING INTO A WHOLE SYSTEM

Each time we go to buy a piece of clothing, we aren’t just buying a shirt, pants, dress, etc. We are buying into a whole system. Buying clothes tells companies how often we want to buy them, what fabrics we like, and what we want to spend on them. Dictating what fabrics companies buy, forces the crops or materials to be harnessed to make such fabric. The quality of the garment determines how long consumers can hold on to the garment. And how their employees are paid and treated not only shows where the company’s priorities but how these employees’ livelihoods and health are affected. 

Consequences of fast fashion

We’ve all been there, wanting the latest trends and newest fashions, but these trends and fashions are turning over so quickly that our wallets, closets, and planet can’t keep up! Even when we buy classic/timeless items, it seems that the quality of fabric decreases, thus reducing the lifespan of the garment. I know I have clothes from 15+ years ago and the difference in quality can be felt in the fabric. There was a time when it was more cost effective to sew your own clothes than buy them! But fast fashion has turned sewing into an expensive hobby. Especially when you buy quality fabrics.

Let’s not forget the human aspect. As consumers demand more product, and faster, who pays the price? The garment worker, somewhere in China, India, Bangladesh or other developing nations – hidden from view of the consumer. And it would probably have stayed hidden longer had it not been for that fateful day, April 24, 2013 where “the Rana Plaza building in Bangladesh collapsed. More than 1,100 people died and another 2,500 were injured”⁺

And if you are reading this and are a sewist like me, I know what you are thinking, I sew my garments so I am not part of that cycle. But are we really? Making our own clothes only takes out one part of the cycle. To sew, we require fabric. Fabric production requires resources which in turn has a carbon footprint. Post sewing – we end up with scraps, scraps which get tossed. And the cycle continues. 

DID WE TRANSFER OUR OVER CONSUMPTION OF CLOTHES TO OVER CONSUMPTION OF FABRIC?

And there is the elephant in the room – our fabric stash. We call it a stash for a reason right?

How big is yours? Mine is so big, that I probably don’t need to buy fabric for the next 5 years! Yikes! 

Is there a perfect fabric?

What is the right fabric? Is there a right fabric? It’s hard to say – natural fibers decompose, but producing cotton requires massive amounts of pesticide and water. As more and more turn vegan, wool is used less and less. Man-made fabrics like polyester won’t decompose and expel microplastics into waterways and oceans. And the in between fabrics like viscose and cupro, which are plant based, but producing them requires extensive processing and chemicals. Did I just rule out all fabrics? Yes, I did. Am I saying to stop buying fabric completely? No, I’m not.

We need to be aware of the implications our buying has. The more we buy, the more manufacturers try to cut corners and get product to us cheaper and faster – the more the earth suffers. And the biggest problem is that the textile industry is not transparent with where they get their resources from, who makes the clothes and how they are treated, and what environmental impact the manufacturing in their factories are having.

Exploring the pros and cons for each fabric content is a good place to start understanding the impacts each of them have. And there are sites like Good on You to help. 

In 2020, I began using this site to filter the types of fabrics I do buy – like organic cotton, Tencel, and linen. I have also committed myself to buy 90% less than what I had in previous years. Only buying for projects that require something I don’t have, and that get made immediately. 

So what are we to do?

• Get wiser! Wiser in what we purchase, whether it’s fabric or garments; wiser in how often we purchase, think about the gains from making the purchase. 
• Educate ourselves of the problem and spreading the word, most people don’t associate environmental impacts with clothes. 
• Ask brands we are buying from to be more transparent with their manufacturing and processing. 
• Make investments in companies already dedicated to better wages and using sustainable fabrics. 

Make sure you are subscribed to get notification for the next part in this series, where I talk about what we can do with the fabrics we already have. Stay tuned! In the mean time, you can read my post on about upcycling on the Love Notions Blog.

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If you are interested in reading more on this topic, check out the sites below:

^{+https://www.fashionrevolution.org/about/why-do-we-need-a-fashion-revolution/}