The toxic chemicals used to treat clothing remain on the fabric, even after washing. Chemicals such as formaldehyde, stain blockers, flame retardants, and more are endocrine disruptors.

These can penetrate the skin and lead to serious health conditions. Exposure to these chemicals, often used in fast fashion, is shown to cause multiple abnormalities in the reproductive system of women, even in minimal doses.(1)

Clothing is one of the most significant environmental problems, along with housing, transportation, and food. Not only that, but many manufacturers don't pay factory workers a living wage.

What's the answer? Learn to be ethically fashionable for your health, the sake of the environment, and for humanity.

The more you know, the less you need.Yvon Chouinard

What is Ethical Fashion?

Throughout the full life cycle of a garment, from manufacturing to disposal, making choices that are responsible towards the environment, people, and animals. Using textiles created in a responsible and conscious way. Materials, dyes, labor, and even buy back programs are part of sustainable and ethical fashion.

Are ethical, sustainable, and slow fashion all the same? Technically, most of us mean the same thing when we talk about these terms. However, each of us may hold different ethics. In the end, slow fashion is a movement meant to provide better quality products that consumers are able to hold onto longer, thus slowing the need for disposal. Slow fashion may include limited items as well as made to order clothing.

Sustainable fashion is entirely based on a more environmentally and socially conscious production. Overall, the combined goal is similar.

Fast fashion is sold in high volume with a pretty low profit margin, for example a popular example is Shein. Workers being underpaid and overworked along with dumping untreated waste into local waterways.

Many clothing manufacturers such as Shein and others may say they're working on sustainablity, but the proof is not forthcoming. Supply chain transparency, fabrics, and waste management are three big areas to look at when deciding if a company is ethical or sustainable.

Options for Being Ethically Fashionable

The fashion industry has a detrimental impact on the environment - in fact, according to EcoWatch, Fast Fashion is the Second Dirtiest Industry in the World. It is up to you, the consumer, to vote with your dollars.

To make it easier, suggestions are listed below to help you get started becoming ethically fashionable.

All of these recommendations may not suit your lifestyle. One or two of them will be enough to help you stay stylish and make ethical clothing purchases.

Purchase second-hand clothing

Undoubtedly, the most economical way to be ethically fashionable it to purchase clothing second hand. Second hand purchases reduce carbon emissions, save lots of resources, water, and energy.

When you buy clothing from a second-hand shop, you are making a sustainable purchase. Every time you buy used clothing you are keeping one more item out of the landfill. Your purchase also keeps local thrifts shop in business and your dollar going back into your local community. Win-win.

You can make your ethical purchases even more effective when you shop for sustainable clothing brands at a second-hand shop! Being budget-friendly and ethical are two of the main reasons why I buy more and more of our clothing from second-hand shops.

Speaking of buying locally

Local clothing shops and boutiques are another good way to make an ethical choice in clothing. When you shop at a local boutique, you can ask where they clothing came from, see the quality and support your local business owners.

If you still prefer to purchase your clothing brand-new, consider taking your items to a second-hand or consignment shop so that they will be reused and kept out of the landfill.

You can be ethically fashionable by donating your gently used quality clothi...