If you can't be completely sustainable where do you go?

Sustainability is a really important focus within design. As a designer I tend to steer towards Longevity and cyclical models when looking into sustainability however, this does not mean that there are not other areas that need exploring to increase the sustainability in the fashion industry. Looking into sustainability raises many alternate areas where companies can be more sustainably focussed. As a textile designer I have explored fabric responsibility throughout my three years studying my undergraduate degree in Textile Design.

Through the last few years there has been great advancements in fabric sustainability. With the invention of pineapple leather, fish skin as a material and many other materials. The main common issues with fabric design is water consumption, microplastic pollution, green house gas emissions, soil degradation, rainforest destruction and lastly the worst of them all WASTE. It becomes necessary for consumers not only to know what brand they are buying from but where their material comes from. There is now an abundance of alternate recyclable/biodegradable/sustainable materials to choose from, it is up to companies to now adopt these materials and use them more consistently within their brands.

Natural Sustainable Clothing Fabrics (Vegan)

• Organic Cotton

• Recycled Cotton

• Hemp

• Linen

• Bamboo Linen

• Cork

Recycled Synthetic Sustainable Clothing Fabrics (Vegan)

• ECONYL®

• Recycled polyester

• Deadstock

Sustainable Semi-Synthetic Clothing Fabrics (Mostly Vegan)

• Lyocell

• Modal

• Bamboo Lyocell

• ECOVERO™

• Piñatex

• Bananatex®

• SCOBY Leather

• S.Cafe®

• Brewed Protein

• Apple Leather

• Woocoa

• Cupro

• QMilk

Potentially-Sustainable Natural Animal Fabrics (Non-Vegan)

• Sheep Wool

• Merino Wool

• Alpaca Wool

• Cashmere

• Camel

• Yak Wool

• Vegetable Tanned Leather

• Down

• Silk

There are so many alternate materials that are in production as well as the ones shows that are already on the market, they all ensure to making the planet more environmentally friendly. Looking into these materials can show pitfalls with them and where materials need to be developed and improved to make there way into high street fashion.