High-Fashion Sustainable Clothing
Photography by Andrew Soule. Styling by Sarah Jay. Creative direction by Brittany Eccles. Hair and makeup, Sabrina Rinaldi for P1M.ca/Burt’s Bees. Fashion assistant, Alex Petropoulakis. Photography assistants, Warren Hrycun and Sebastian Politowicz. Model, Sandrine Jodoin for Ciotti Models.

We Did an Editorial Photoshoot Featuring Only Sustainable Clothing

I began my career 15 years ago with an internship at FASHION Magazine, which was the best start I could have asked for. While I sought to become a stylist—to build otherworldly outfits and immerse myself in beauty at all times—my conscience weighed on me as my awareness of fashion’s true costs grew. Activism and environmentalism were indeed unexpected corollaries of my journey, now inextricable from my approach to the art of dressing.

I’m proud to return to FASHION Magazine for the November 2018 sustainability issue to showcase the revolution that’s well underway—the game changers and innovators who are shaping fashion’s respectful and regenerative future. Refreshingly, the sustainability movement signifies a return to quality and thoughtful design, to treating our clothes like the good friends they are and to luxuries that feed the soul as opposed to the fast-fashion machine. Sustainability simply won’t stick if it’s not fashion first.

The truth is we’ve been producing and consuming clothing at an alarming rate, maniacally making thneeds while staring into the sixth mass extinction. Each year, North Americans send over 10.5 million tonnes of textile waste to landfills, 95 per cent of which can be recycled or reused. Yes, landfills are full of laundry. For this special feature, Value Village opened its doors to showcase its efforts to recycle and restream our clothes, extending their lives and keeping them in the fashion system longer. Last year alone, VV helped divert over 300,000 tonnes of material. The most sustainable garments are the ones that already exist.

Ours is the era of biological annihilation, and as one of the world’s most polluting industries, fashion has got everything to do with it. While making new garments, we are decimating our precious water supply, contaminating our soil and committing a protracted sort of genocide with feigned ignorance, employing vulnerable people in developing nations to do fashion’s dirtiest and most dangerous work. We’ve ignored the golden rule and made exploitation the status quo—all in the name of style and staying on-trend. Let’s not wait until the last truffula tree is gone before wearing the change. We’re all in this together.

Get inspiration for your new sustainable wardrobe in the photoshoot below and find more resources for sustainable clothing options here.

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