eco fashion

The fashion TRENDmill explained by Nina Gbor

Nina Gbor wearing a secondhand ensemble with items from an op shop and consignment store acquired in 2017 and 2019. Image credit: Pepper Street Photography

I've been into sustainable fashion since I was 15 years old - wearing, promoting, styling and living the preloved lifestyle. This was long before sustainable fashion was a global movement and long before the term ‘sustainable fashion’ was a buzz word for nearly every brand and flocks of influencers. I abhorred fashion trends from a young age. I couldn’t understand why so many people clung tenaciously to a made-up reality where everyone is expected to wear the same trending styles of clothing until the dictators of fashion decided it was time to decree the next short-lived trend. This is fashion’s Jedi mind trick.

The fashion industry

In 2019, the size of the global apparel and footwear market was $1.9 trillion USD. It’s been projected to reach $3.3 trillion dollars by 2030. Several reasons exist as to why this industry is so lucrative. There’s the craftmanship, art, design, creativity, skills, beauty, artisanry and of course practicality that leads to the production of items that we love and find useful. In many instances, most or perhaps even all of these talents deserve to garner significant profits. But then there’s the dark side of the industry that has been inducing tremendous profits through atrocious practices. This side has been thriving on extreme capitalism with no concern for humans, animals nor the planet. The sole purpose is to amass huge profits at all costs. This is why we currently have 100 – 150 billion garments being manufactured each year, with only an estimated 8 billion humans to use them. It’s unsurprising that about 87% of items manufactured each year end up in landfill or incinerated.  

Where fashion trends went wrong

This unchecked, environmentally degrading side of fashion has been able to grow and thrive so expeditiously in part due to the use of fashion trends. For probably about a century, following fashion trends was a significant part of social culture and clothing. It was portrayed in different forms. Fashion collections produced by brands have traditionally been designed and manufactured based on the four western weather seasons of Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter. The trends generally adhered to this as well. Fast fashion hijacked and exacerbated the idea of trends and took it from about 4 trend cycle collections a year, to about 110 trend and microtrend collections a year. Naturally the time from one trend to the next decreased in the process. This is one of the factors that lead to over 100 billion garments being manufactured each year. Not to mention the tsunami of environmental and social justice issues from this overproduction and overconsumption.

Fashion’s environmental and social injustice issues

For too many decades, the grody side of the fashion industry has been using clever big-budget advertising, marketing, influencers and celebrities, to successfully manipulate people into feeling that they’re not enough unless they’re wearing the latest fashion trends. They’ve been able to control this aspect of social culture and use it to catapult their profits by somehow coercing many people to consistently buy apparel they don’t need. This is all in the name of aspiring to fit into this warped system that requires allegiance to whatever is trending in the moment.

With more trends being put out each year, planned obsolescence by clothing brands has become rampant. This means clothes are being designed for limited use with shorter life spans so that consumers are forced or encouraged to repeat purchases because the initially purchased items are not durable. The garments made by many fashion brands are increasingly being made from cheaper, poorer quality materials such as polyester. When something is damaged, it’s often less costly to buy a new one than to repair it. Products made in this manner very often end up in landfill in relatively short periods of time. In other words, these clothes are made to be disposable. This is the take-make-waste system that exists in fashion and several other industries.

The cost of the trends

The environmental damage from this excessive oversupply occurs at scale through deforestation, ocean and freshwater pollution, destruction of ecosystems and animal habitats, desertification, toxic chemical loading in soil and water bodies, etc. UN Climate Change states that annually, 1.2 billion tonnes of greenhouse gases are emitted from textiles production. By some calculations, sector emissions are projected to increase by more than 60% by 2030. In addition to that, there’s the devastating problem of modern slavery where garment workers are exploited, abused and drastically underpaid so that brands can make extreme profits. According to the 2022 Ethical Fashion Report conducted by The World Baptist Aid, 60 million people work in the global fashion industry. To give context to the general nature of social injustice and inequality in the industry, only 10% of companies surveyed in the report could show evidence of paying liveable wages to garment workers.

The personal style con

In the last few years, mainstream fashion began to drop the habit and promotion of following fashion trends. Embracing one’s own personal style became the thing to do. At the outset this shift appeared very positive for the environment and consumers alike. However, it didn't take long for fast fashion to find a way to also capitalise on the personal style wave by getting people to 'find or express their personal style' through constantly buying lots of fast fashion.

The shocking and sad truth is that following fashion trends never stopped. It simply changed form. OVERCONSUMPTION HAS BECOME THE LONGSTANDING TREND. In fact, overconsumption is our modern cultural trend. We’re consuming 400% more clothing than we did 20 years ago, while the length of time we use the garments has fallen by almost 40%. It’s no longer only about buying trends and microtrends to fit in with everyone else and the culture. Now the normal thing is to just buy stuff period because it’s easy, cheap or convenient to do so, then throw it away when you’re bored with it. And then buy other brand new stuff again and repeat the cycle. Fast fashion has made clothes more affordable than ever before.

The fashion TRENDmill explained

The fashion TRENDmill (or fashion treadmill) is a phrase I came up with in 2016 to describe this modern culture of mindless overproduction and overconsumption of clothing that has become too common and normalised in our world. With these factors being the trend, this conveyor belt system is fuelled by the continuous take-make-waste linear cycle on steroids.   

We take (extract raw materials or virgin resources from the environment at enormous rates far beyond what we need). Then make (manufacture far more garments than is necessary or will be used). Followed by waste (majority of clothes end up in landfill relatively quickly). Disposability of clothes is embedded and expected in this cycle either through the culture of it or through planned obsolescence. There’s little or no consideration for reusing or prolonging the life of the textiles or the damage the TRENDmill system inflicts on the planet and its inhabitants.  

The TRENDmill and general overconsumption

There’s a very strong throughline of the fashion trendmill concept with other waste streams such as food, furniture, electronics, automobiles, the built environment and hospitality.

We’re consuming more products than we ever have in human history. Nearly A$66 trillion worth of stuff is being purchased every year globally which is the equivalent of an estimated A$2 million per second. These purchases include the gamut of material stuff and possibly services. The world’s use of material resources has increased ten-fold since 1900 and is projected to double again by 2030. It’s been projected that the consumer class will reach 5 billion people by the year 2030, meaning 1.4 billion more people will have discretionary spending power which explains why consumption rates are expected to double unless we get off the TRENDmill.  

We’re consuming our way into our own extinction

With these enormous levels of manufacturing and consumption, environmental degradation is at an all time high. This comes with things like toxic chemical loading on soil and water and extreme plastics pollution. These and other factors have been known to have fatal impacts on human health. As production keeps increasing, it looks as if we’re consuming our way into our own extinction.

A drastic reduction of natural resource use is critical. We need cultures and systems based on environmental sustainability and circular economy principles. There are colossal opportunities for us to stop the rapid flow of materials to landfill and reuse or repurpose these materials instead. And in the process, only take what we need from the earth. It will make our lives healthier, save the lives of animal species, reduce biodiversity loss, give us cleaner water, a healthier planet amongst other benefits.

How to get off the fashion trendmill

We currently have enough clothing on the planet to cater for the next 6 generations of humans. From the start of my sustainable fashion career, I've always talked about ignoring trends in favour of finding and expressing your personal style for the long term through secondhand garments (and not fast fashion). Secondhand clothing includes contemporary styles and clothes from nearly every fashion era dating back almost a century. One of the coolest ways to curate a sustainable wardrobe is to mix and match styles from one or multiple fashion eras to create your own individual style. It’s likely that this one-of-a-kind wardrobe tailored to your preferences will have any or all of these outcomes:

 1. keeping your clothes for longer periods of time because you always look great even with very little effort

2. saving financial resources because you’re buying less brand new stuff

3. evolving to the best or desired version of yourself using secondhand clothes.

Getting off the fashion trendmill helps reduce clothing waste because in a sustainably curated wardrobe, the outfits suit your body, lifestyle and personality. With these aspects fulfilled, hopefully the temptation to consistently buy new clothes or fast fashion all the time can begin to fade or get eliminated altogether.

Getting off the trendmill on a systemic level

Ultimately, we need to implement circular economy principles into textiles and other industries. Things will shift when we change our relationship with clothing and the culture surrounding consumption of other material things. Here's how:

Reuse - restyle, repair, resell, repurpose, buy secondhand, redesign, swap, hire, rent, borrow, upcycle

Buy new from ethical & sustainable brands - (Not brands that greenwash). Patronise brands that are transparent about how many garments they manufacture, their entire supply chain and their manufacturing processes. Also buy from small, local and emerging designers

Advocate for system change - simply by living an authentic sustainable lifestyle when and where you’re able even if you don't proclaim it publicly. You can also gently and kindly nudge your immediate circles and communities into sustainable habits or run community events like clothes or other item swaps that inspire people to action. You can even push for policy and legislation change through your local and federal political representatives.

*Perhaps the most imperative option is for us to shift our focus away from filling our lives with material stuff and ascribing such extreme value to material things. Placing higher value on experiences and more positive developments could be the new and hopefully permanent wave.

Wear the change by Nina Gbor

Outfit restyled for The Social Outfit’s Wear The Change fundraiser challenge during National Refugee Week 2020. One dress styled in five different ways. This is the ultra gold glamourous look.

Outfit restyled for The Social Outfit’s Wear The Change fundraiser challenge during National Refugee Week 2020. One dress styled in five different ways. This is the ultra gold glamourous look.

Imagine a person with a ‘normal’ life. This person might be a doctor, waiter, lawyer, teacher, parent, accountant, nanny, architect, daughter/son - anything. They probably have a career, social life, community or even family. Then some type of cataclysm happens like war, natural disaster, climate or other disasters. On fear of death, this person and their family must leave everything behind and flee to safety in another place or country. Maybe even with young children in tow. Literally for the purpose of saving their lives. Thus, rendering them refugees. This is not the scenario for every refugee but it’s a general account I’ve heard from several refugees from different countries.

As one of the most terrifying things that can happen to a person, I’m always baffled when I hear that refugees sometimes encounter a lack of empathy or even disdain because of their status. It’s shocking considering the very real and intense nature of experiences, pain and trauma that forced them into the circumstance they find themselves in.

According to the United Nations High Commission on Refugees (UNHCR), there were 82.4 million forcibly displaced people worldwide at the end of 2020 from conflict, human rights violations, conflict, public order disruption, violence and persecution. Out of this figure, 26.4 million are refugees.

Outfit restyled for The Social Outfit’s Wear The Change fundraiser challenge during National Refugee Week 2020. One dress styled in five different ways. This is the smart casual look.

Outfit restyled for The Social Outfit’s Wear The Change fundraiser challenge during National Refugee Week 2020. One dress styled in five different ways. This is the smart casual look.

This week, June 20 – 27 is National Refugee Week. It’s a special celebration of the contributions of refugees to the arts, culture and our society. Refugees and migrants bring a wealth of skills, talent, culture and knowledge that can further enrich communities if given the right opportunity. All this potential for social and economic growth is lost when they're not supported. When women are empowered, the community, society and nation benefits.

Outfit restyled for The Social Outfit’s Wear The Change fundraiser challenge during National Refugee Week 2020. One dress styled in five different ways. This is the semi-corporate, sophisticated dressed up look.

Outfit restyled for The Social Outfit’s Wear The Change fundraiser challenge during National Refugee Week 2020. One dress styled in five different ways. This is the semi-corporate, sophisticated dressed up look.

Last year during National Refugee Week I took part in a restyle challenge fundraiser by The Social Outfit (TSO) called Wear the Change to raise funds for their training and support programs for refugee and new migrant women in Australia. (See photos above and below). TSO is a social enterprise and ethical clothing brand that celebrates creativity and diversity, employs and trains people from refugee and new migrant communities. Adapting and getting the first job can be challenging for new migrants and refugees. TSO helps women with this transition process by supporting them to thrive through employment. The invaluable training these women receive helps them learn new skills and it also allows their previous skills and natural skills to unfurl more easily. I’m excited to be an ambassador for this campaign again this year and take part in the style challenge like I did last year.

Outfit restyled for The Social Outfit’s Wear The Change fundraiser challenge during National Refugee Week 2020. One dress styled in five different ways. This is the elegant and formal look.

Outfit restyled for The Social Outfit’s Wear The Change fundraiser challenge during National Refugee Week 2020. One dress styled in five different ways. This is the elegant and formal look.

The style challenge is about wearing one garment in five different ways. To raise funds for the fundraiser, each weekday this week, I’ll post a photo of the same garment styled differently. So, follow me on Instagram to see the new garment I’ve chosen for 2021 restyle challenge and how I change up the look of the garment each day. But most importantly, I’ll be massively thankful if you can join me in supporting TSO and the women they help by making a donation through this link: https://wear-the-change.raisely.com/nina-gbor/ No amount is too small. Thanks in advance!

Outfit restyled for The Social Outfit’s Wear The Change fundraiser challenge during National Refugee Week 2020. One dress styled in five different ways. This is the super casual look.

Outfit restyled for The Social Outfit’s Wear The Change fundraiser challenge during National Refugee Week 2020. One dress styled in five different ways. This is the super casual look.

Outfit restyled for The Social Outfit’s Wear The Change fundraiser challenge during National Refugee Week 2020. One dress styled in five different ways. This is the golden chic, creative look.

Outfit restyled for The Social Outfit’s Wear The Change fundraiser challenge during National Refugee Week 2020. One dress styled in five different ways. This is the golden chic, creative look.

♥ Nina Gbor

Instagram: @eco.styles

 

Exposing fashion's Jedi mind trick by Nina Gbor

Eco Styles Nina Gbor get off the fashion trendmill 1

It's many years ago that I started working in ethical & sustainable fashion. I feel like I really hit my stride this year with defining my career.

Today I'm going back to basics. Back to my first and original eco styling messaging and ethos of getting off the fashion trendmill. It means personal style (individual preference, lifestyle) alone should be the premise for choosing our clothes and NOT TRENDS. The concept is psychological, environmental, spiritual and also rooted in social justice, self-awareness and confidence.

This ensures you're likely to love, keep and wear your clothes for much longer. As opposed to following the wear once-disposable throwaway culture that has resulted in Aussies sending 6000 kg of textile waste to landfill every 10 minutes!

Invest in timeless pieces that are ethical, sustainable and ones that you know you'll wear for a very long time to come. Pieces that give you joy when you wear them.

Throughout our lives, fashion has taught us that we're not enough. And that we need to stay current with the latest trends. This brainwashing is the JEDI MIND TRICK that has grown and kept their profits super high for years. That’s because it keeps us in a hamster wheel loop of buying consistently to fill that void of not feeling enough. To get out of this loop, we need to step out of the fashion trendmill.

Meanwhile, fashion trends are the root cause of many of fashion's evils. They do nothing good for the self-esteem, body image and psychology of the consumer. They fuel waste and overconsumption. The fast trend culture also influences the exploitation of garment workers. While many of us don't wear trends, the notion of constant consumption is a CULTURAL TREND we need to address.

This will require shifting our individual and collective psychology, relationship and behaviour around clothing consumption. It's not just about whether or not you have a lot of clothes. It’s about acquiring clothes with a specific plan of keeping and using them long term. And ultimately, how we will dispose of them at the end of their life cycle.

fashion overconsumption restyle sustainable fashion 2

STYLING

The flower on this preloved skirt inspires love feelings. Inspired by its beauty and elegance, I paired it with plain black tops so that the focus remains on the hypnotic beauty of the flower.

To restyle an elegant skirt like this one into something more casual, I’d wear it with a t-shirt and a pair of sneakers like the ones below. I’d also wear less blingy jewellery or no jewellery at all.

etiko red vegan sneakers nina eco fashion

Outfit sourced from:

Preloved black top - Salvos Op Shop (thrift store)

Preloved floral skirt - Marketplace

Red, vegan sneakers - Etiko


♥ Nina Gbor

Instagram: @eco.styles

The perks of secondhand fashion (from a lifelong fashionista) by Nina Gbor

Eco styles, nina gbor, secondhand september eco stylist 1

I’ve been wearing secondhand clothes since before I can remember. First, it was through hand-me-downs from my brothers during my childhood tomboy days. Later in my teenage years, it evolved to crafting my own personal style using the super eclectic range of clothes in thrift stores. It was a rare and unique opportunity to find my passion at an early age, playing dress-up by mixing vintage and trendy pieces. I loved secondhand shopping and styling so much that I built a career on it!

Even with all the style and excitement, I got from secondhand shopping, it took years for me to publicly come out as a secondhand fashionista. It was social taboo because of the stigma attached to it like the perception of dirty, mouldy clothing and the idea that it was only for poor people. Fortunately, this stigma has shifted, and secondhand fashion is becoming popular and even more fabulous.

Chessboard skirt monochrome fashion sustainable style 2

One of the most surprising things I discovered about secondhand fashion is that it teaches you to figure out who you are and helps you appreciate yourself. As opposed to following fashion trends, selecting pieces to form a cohesive wardrobe from a plethora of clothes from multiple fashion eras and diverse cultures naturally makes you dig a little deeper beyond the surface to figure out who you are and what you want to express in your style. Eventually, I discovered a few more perks to this wonderful world of secondhand.

1. Social sustainability – Majority of the people who make our clothes are women in poorer countries, mostly in Asia and Africa. They are exploited because they are not paid fair, liveable wages where they can afford the basic life essentials such as healthcare, education and adequate food for themselves and their families. This happens despite working 12 – 16 hours a day. Buying secondhand sends a message to brands that we will stop buying their clothes when they are exploiting garment workers. It’s important that we inform these brands and urge them to pay liveable wages so that the workers do not end up unemployed.

2. Environmental sustainability – Fashion is one of the most polluting industries in the world. About 80 - 150 billion new garments are produced worldwide each year, more than double what was made in the year 2000. Of the garments made each year, 85% ends up in landfill or incinerated. Most of this pollution happens during manufacture and disposal.  Secondhand shopping reduces reliance on raw materials, chemical procedures and fashion waste to landfill which all contribute to environmental damage. A circular economy with secondhand is a much better way to go.

3. It’s more affordable – Secondhand is such a great option for your savings and when you’re on a budget. However, considering the vast amount of environmental damage that fashion is responsible for, it’s essential to bear this in mind so that we prevent overconsumption of secondhand fashion. In a previous article, I explained in more detail why secondhand fashion is not about being cheap.  

4. Self-empowerment - I alluded to this earlier when I talked about knowing and expressing yourself in your style. Secondhand can be a relatively quicker and easier way to glide on the path of inner growth and self-discovery. If you choose not to follow fashion trends that have been dictated, you’ll realise your personality, goals, character or lifestyle will be the tools you use when you’re choosing your pieces. It can strengthen your self-image and instil a stronger sense of confidence.    

5. Unique personal style - Needless to say, shopping secondhand means your style is likely to be authentic and different from the usual. If you value individuality when it comes to your wardrobe and outside the box fashion styles then secondhand is your new (or existing) best friend.

This month, Oxfam UK is running a SecondHand September campaign where they’re inspiring people to say no to new clothes for 30 days #SecondHandSeptember. In the UK, 13 million items of clothing end up in landfill every week. In Australia, 6,000 kilos of textile waste ends up in landfill every ten minutes. Oxfam’s challenge is a fun opportunity to help reduce fashion waste by fully immersing yourself in secondhand fashion if you haven’t done so already. To find sources for secondhand clothing that are local to you, you can search online for clothes swaps, thrift stores, markets and wardrobe rental/hire platforms. Here are a few online platforms: Yordrobe, EkoluvDepopEtsyCarousellPoshmark, Marketplace and Beyond Retro.

red vintage clutch eco styles polka dot top gbor 3

STYLING

With this ensemble, I went for a mixed pattern, monochrome look using a staple tan waist belt to break the monotone pattern. Finished the look with leopard-print stilettos. I added the vintage, red clutch bag for a bright colour pop. The standout features of the outfit are the ruched sleeves on the polka dot top and the monochrome chessboard pattern on the skirt because it demands your attention. When you’re styling yourself, choose pieces and combinations that make sense to you and make you feel good.

Outfit sourced from:

Polka Dot Top - Savers Australia Op Shop

Monochrome Chessboard Skirt – Marketplace

Tan Belt – Noffs Op Shop

Red Vintage Purse - Marketplace

Leopard-print Stilettos – A wardrobe staple 

♥ Nina Gbor

Instagram: @eco.styles

 

A sustainable fashion lifestyle by Nina Gbor

Photo by Brunela Fenalte

Photo by Brunela Fenalte

For many of us, sustainability has been a lifelong way of being. It’s how we built and maintained our wardrobes from childhood, long before the word sustainability came into the mainstream consciousness.  Except we didn’t call it sustainable. It was just a natural part of life. And still is.

My outfit is an example. In this photo I’m wearing a preloved coat that was a hand-me-down from my beautiful friend Simone, a t-shirt I got from a clothes swap I hosted and a pair of boots I found brand new at an op shop (thrift store). The leggings and vest were new. These sources are always how I got my clothes since I was a child. We repaired things when they were damaged. I wore hand-me-downs from my older siblings and my mother would sometimes buy clothes from the Goodwill and Salvation Army thrift stores for us.

Playing dress up with preloved clothing from multiple fashion eras and multiple cultures has, in a way, helped shape who I’ve become. It helped me find myself and built my career. Being exposed to the plethora of eclectic styles of garments, I had to look within to figure out which style(s) truly represented me.  I’m sceptical as to whether a person can do this successfully if their lifestyle involves following trends.

The problem with our trend culture is that it has exacerbated oversupply and overconsumption to the point where we have created colossal amounts of waste. And fuelled climate change in the process. By design, trends are made to be followed so the uniformity leaves little or no room for personal growth. The other drawback of the trend culture is that it reduces opportunities for individual thinking, diversity and individual preference in some circumstances. And behind the fashion trends, lurks nothing other than greed for financial profits by those who exploit the vain and less cautious side of consumers.  

Photo by Brunela Fenalte.

Photo by Brunela Fenalte.

As I grew up, the hand-me-down culture evolved to running clothes swaps. I still op shop and it too has partially evolved to preloved online shopping. To curate a sustainable wardrobe, I’d suggest using the techniques above that I used: thrifting, swapping, repairing and buying new from ethical labels. However, to permanently establish your sense of style independence, foster lifelong habits for personal growth as well as to develop a mindset that naturally curates a sustainable wardrobe, here are some concepts:

Know thyself

If you don’t already, here’s a good way to start. Begin by listening to your inner voice. Avoid blind acceptance of what is trending for your age, community or amongst your peers. Instead, be intuitive about it. This is based on doing what’s appropriate for you. No two individuals are the same. And there is no beauty in imitation. Imitation can hamper your personal growth and minimise your potential. So, embrace and amplify who you really are.

Express yourself

Your inner self should be given expression and life when it comes to your wardrobe. Your style should correspond with your own nature i.e. reflect the person on the inside. Your values, preferences, personality, and soul should shine through. This will shatter stereotypes around you because your re-emerging individuality carries with it so much power.

Style your yourself to impress yourself

Let your personal taste alone be the deciding factor for what goes into your wardrobe, not trends. This way, you’ll experience a kind of magic where your style will adapt itself to your true nature. This can really make you feel whole and bring exhilaration to your environment. Not the other way round. What makes you happy? What pieces make you feel in alignment with your inner self? What makes you shine? Think about colours, patterns and styles that you feel drawn to. Think about things like fashion eras before your time. An example is a 26-year old man in the U.K. named Zack Pinsent who only wears clothes designed in the authentic style of the 1680s to 1920s clothing eras. This might be unrealistic for your everyday life if you’re into these styles, but you can always take pieces from theses eras and mix with more practical pieces to make it your own personal style.

Photo of Zack Pinsent. Photo courtesy Zack Pinsent

Photo of Zack Pinsent. Photo courtesy Zack Pinsent

True beauty

With these concepts, a true sense of beauty arises that can become a strong support in your personal development. It frees you and makes you independent! It can bring so much balance and clarity to your life. In addition, you begin to attract your tribe because you’re declaring and living who you are. And like-minded people are drawn to each other.

If you adopt these concepts, sustainable clothing can more easily become a way of life. By default, you might keep your beloved wardrobe pieces far longer, because you’re buying what is truly best for you. Therefore, making your wardrobe far more sustainable. And you might experience a deeper sense of alignment with self and your environment.

STYLING

Far too often, winter clothes are made of neutral and dark tones. So, I opt for bright colours to brighten up the cold winter days. My hack? Wear a colourful t-shirt over long sleeve thermal top, a pair of leggings, a long top to cover the top section of my leggings and a cool pair of knee-high boots. Topped off the look with this gorgeous red patterned coat!

Styling tip: You can keep feeling that summer vibe by using your summer clothes in winter. Hack the summer outfit by simply wearing thermals underneath: a long sleeve t-shirt or leggings.

♥ Nina Gbor