ETHICL FASHION

How to Layer Clothes the Sustainable Way

August 31, 2024 in FASHION, SUSTAINABLE

As autumn approaches, layering becomes an essential skill for coping with the changing temperatures and unpredictability of the season. By choosing eco-conscious and cruelty-free materials, you can stay warm and stylish while minimising your environmental impact. Here’s our guide on how to layer effectively using only vegan and sustainable materials.

Choose a base layer

Your base layer should be comfortable and breathable. Organic cotton is a great sustainable choice—it’s soft, breathable, and grown without harmful pesticides or synthetic fertilisers. Or try bamboo fabric, which is not only soft and moisture-wicking but also grows quickly with minimal environmental impact.

For warmth, Tencel (lyocell) is a fantastic option. Made from sustainably sourced wood pulp, it’s soft against the skin, breathable, and biodegradable.

For a stylish look, go for fitted long-sleeve tops or lightweight turtlenecks in these materials, to keep you warm while allowing your skin to breathe.

Add warmth with a cosy middle layer

The middle layer is where you add warmth, and there are plenty of vegan and sustainable options to choose from. Recycled polyester fleece is an excellent alternative to traditional wool or down. It provides great insulation, is lightweight, and often made from recycled plastic bottles, giving waste a new life.

Photo by mojtaba mosayebzadeh on Unsplash

For a more natural option, hemp is a sustainable fabric that’s perfect for autumn. It’s strong, breathable, and becomes softer with each wash. Hemp sweaters or cardigans offer warmth without the environmental toll of conventional materials. Another great choice is organic cotton flannel, which is cozy, durable, and pairs well with other layers for a classic autumn look.

Choose a versatile outer layer

Your outer layer should protect you from the elements while being kind to animals and the planet. Recycled polyester or nylon are great for outerwear, as they are durable, water-resistant, and can be made from post-consumer waste like discarded fishing nets or plastic bottles.

Look for brands that offer jackets made from these materials, especially those with removable linings, allowing you to adjust to varying temperatures.

Cork is another innovative material gaining popularity in sustainable fashion. It’s naturally water-resistant, lightweight, and renewable. Cork jackets or coats not only provide protection from wind and rain but also make a stylish, eco-friendly statement.

Piñatex, made from pineapple leaf fibers, is another vegan alternative to leather, offering durability and a unique texture for outerwear.

Accessorise ethically

Accessories are the final touch to your layered look, and they can also be sustainable and vegan. Choose scarves made from organic cotton, bamboo, or recycled polyester. These materials are soft, warm, and have a lower environmental impact than conventional options.

For hats and gloves, consider options made from recycled or organic materials. Beanies made from recycled acrylic or organic cotton will keep your head warm without harming the planet. Gloves made from recycled materials are also a great choice, providing warmth while reducing waste.

Choose the right Shoes

When it comes to footwear, opt for vegan leather or shoes made from recycled materials. Vegan leather alternatives like those made from apple peels, mushroom leather, or Piñatex are sustainable, durable, and stylish.

Many brands now offer boots and trainers made from recycled rubber, polyester, or other sustainable materials, ensuring that your feet stay warm and dry without compromising on ethics.

Pair shoes with organic cotton or bamboo socks, which are both warm and breathable. These materials are also more sustainable than conventional cotton, as they require less water and fewer pesticides to produce.

Layering doesn’t mean compromising on your values. By choosing vegan and sustainable materials, you can stay warm, stylish, and eco-conscious all season long. From organic cotton base layers to recycled polyester outerwear, there are plenty of options that allow you to enjoy the beauty of autumn while caring for the planet. So, as you prepare for the cooler months ahead, consider the impact of your wardrobe choices and embrace the art of sustainable layering.

Shopping Guide

As always, there’s treasure to be found in charity shops and peer-to-peer platforms like Depop and Vinted.

Here’s our pick of retailers of sustainable vegan clothing, shoes and accessories

Earth Wardrobe offer very affordable basics like base layers, cosy long-sleeved Tencel sweaters, fleeces, leggings and hoodies. https://earthwardrobe.com

Goose Studios specialise in affordable organic cotton tees, sweatshirts and hoodies https://goosestudios.co.uk/

Rapanui are a great brand for sustainable knitwear and outdoorsy jackets https://rapanuiclothing.com/

Mother of Pearl has a large range of beautiful and unusual coats and jackets https://motherofpearl.co.uk/collections/jackets-coats-sustainable-fashion

Will’s Vegan Shoes make and sell everything from Mary Janes to chunky boots. Check out their gorgeous bags and belts too https://wills-vegan-shoes.com/

BEEN London offer bags and wallets in recycled leather as well as vegan materials like Piñatex leather and AppleSkin™

https://been.london/

How to Support Circular Fashion

October 12, 2023 in SUSTAINABLE, FASHION, EDUCATIONAL

Fashion has always been synonymous with change, but the tide is turning. As the environmental and social costs of the fast fashion industry become increasingly apparent, many of us are seeking a more sustainable and responsible approach to dressing.

Enter circular fashion – a movement that promotes longevity, sustainability, and ethical production in the world of clothing. In this blog post, we'll explore what circular fashion is and how you can support it as a conscientious consumer.

Understanding Circular Fashion Circular fashion is a philosophy that aims to create a closed-loop system in the fashion industry. Unlike the traditional linear model (take, make, dispose), the circular fashion approach prioritises the following principles:

Design for Durability: Circular fashion starts with designing and producing garments that are made to last. Quality materials, craftsmanship, and timeless designs are key components of this principle.

Repair and Maintenance: Rather than throwing away clothes with minor flaws, circular fashion encourages repair and maintenance. This involves sewing, mending, and alterations to extend the life of your garments.

Reuse and Upcycling: Circular fashion promotes the reuse of clothing through thrift shopping, swapping with friends, or participating in clothing rental services. Upcycling, or transforming old pieces into something new, is also part of the equation.

Recycling and Responsible Disposal: When a garment is no longer wearable, circular fashion encourages responsible disposal through recycling and repurposing. This minimises the environmental impact of textile waste.

Educate Yourself: The first step in supporting circular fashion is to educate yourself about sustainable and ethical brands, materials, and practices. Look for certifications like Fair Trade, GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard), and OEKO-TEX to ensure the products you buy meet ethical and environmental standards.

Choose Quality Over Quantity: Invest in high-quality, timeless pieces that will last for years rather than trendy, disposable fashion. Quality garments often have a higher upfront cost, but they pay off in terms of longevity and reduced environmental impact.

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez 🇨🇦 on Unsplash

Second-Hand Shopping: Thrift stores, vintage shops, and online second-hand marketplaces offer a wide range of clothing options. Buying second-hand not only extends the life of garments but also reduces the demand for new production.

Rent or Swap: Consider clothing rental services or clothing swap events with friends and family. These options allow you to enjoy a variety of styles without the long-term commitment.

Support Sustainable Brands: Seek out and support fashion brands that prioritise sustainability, transparency, and ethical production practices. Research the brands you love to ensure they align with your values.

Learn Basic Repair Skills: Basic sewing skills can go a long way in extending the life of your clothing. Learn how to mend small tears, replace buttons, and alter garments to fit better.

Proper Care: Follow care instructions on clothing labels to ensure your garments stay in good condition. Washing clothes at lower temperatures and air-drying them can help prolong their lifespan.

Recycle Responsibly: When a garment reaches the end of its life, don't toss it in the trash. Look for textile recycling programs in your area or explore creative ways to repurpose old clothing.

Supporting circular fashion as a consumer is a powerful way to contribute to a more sustainable and responsible fashion industry. By choosing quality, embracing second-hand options, and supporting brands that prioritise ethical and environmental concerns, you can make a positive impact on the planet while still expressing your personal style. Remember that every small choice you make as a consumer has the potential to shape the future of fashion in a more sustainable direction.

ZARAMIA AVA VIDEO | SUSTAINABILITY IN OUR FASHION BUSINESS

March 18, 2022 in EDUCATIONAL

At ZARAMIA AVA, we are extremely proud of the sustainability of our business. You can now learn more about how we ensure that our business doesn’t damage the environment by watching our video.

In the first section, our Founder and Creative Director Zara-Mia provides an introduction to the business and the story behind, it revealing that ZARAMIA AVA had sustainability at its roots right from the beginning.

Watch on to discover:

• ZARAMIA AVA’s core value and why it is so important that all businesses connect with the rise of ethical consumerism.

• ZARAMIA AVA’s operationalisation of sustainability, how we put these into practice and the initiatives we are part of that help refine our targets.

• ZARAMIA AVA’s sustainability journey including our sustainable business model

• ZARAMIAAVA’s challenges in sourcing and where our business would like to be in the future.

• ZARAMIA AVA’s final reflections on the extent to which we see our sustainable business model going mainstream.

www.ZaraMiaAva.com

Info@ZaraMiaAva.com

@ZARAMIAAVA

Transcript

0.10 - VIDEO CONTENT

0.21 - A BRIEF INTRODUCTION OF ZARAMIA AVA’S BUSINESS & WHAT INSPIRED US

Hi, I’m Zara-Mia. I am the founder and Creative Director of ZARAMIA AVA. I am really pleased to be talking to you about sustainability in my business.

ZARAMIA AVA is an exclusive independent fashion label based in Leeds we create contemporary fashion by contrasting structured shapes together with draping to construct a unique style.

Sustainability is one of our core values and has been for about 7 years. There are a number of different things we do to ensure that our business is sustainable. I’ll talk more about some of these later. But first, I’ll tell you a bit about how I got started in business.

I set up the business in 2013 after I graduated from Leeds Arts University. From a young age I always loved Art and anything creative. As part of the course, we studied fashion and I knew from there that this is what I wanted to do. I went onto do a National Diploma in Fashion then a BA in Fashion design. Whilst I was at University, I was making a lot of my own clothes and altering clothes that I bought from shops.

I often wore my designs to events and found that people liked my clothes. They frequently enquired about buying them. This was something else that encouraged me to keep designing. I learned a lot about the fashion industry at University. My time there also helped me to decide, that I wanted to run my own business and do things differently.

I started ZARAMIA AVA and began to develop our distinctive style, which features structure and draping. Even back then, my roots were in sustainability. I was using dead stock fabrics and hand-making all the garments in my home studio.

Then after watching a fashion documentary called The True Cost, I became more aware of the damage that the fashion industry causes and decided that I didn’t want to contribute to it. I do believe that as designers we can make a difference.

I questioned everything from fabrics to printing and all the branding. I research everything in the sourcing process. I didn’t want to produce clothing that would harm animals, as I am vegan and cruelty free.

From 2015, we introduced sustainable fabrics that are ethically made. Using fabrics that are fairly traded and grown free from chemicals and pesticides, they benefit the farmers, workers, consumers and eco systems.

Around the same time, we also began using organic cotton and high performance bamboo fabrics, which have great properties such as being antibacterial, providing thermal control and UV protection.

The bamboo is a viscose, which is made in a closed loop system, and the yarn is Oeko-tex certified as being free from harmful substances.

SHOWING BAMBOO GARMENTS These garments from our collection are made out of bamboo fabric.

3.06 - ZARAMIA AVA’S core value and why it is so important that all

Our Core Value is producing sustainable luxury with zero waste, made for the fashion conscious with a conscience. We aspire to be a well-known pioneering brand in sustainable fashion, to motivate other brands to replicate our business model.

The rise of Ethical Consumerism is very encouraging and a definite step forward. Consumers have a huge amount of power to drive change. For it to be effective though, it is essential that brands make sure that accurate information about materials and production methods is easily accessible to customers.

It also relies on companies showing transparency in their supply chains. Green washing is not ok and unfortunately, that is something we know happens.

There are organisations that encourage companies to work towards greater sustainability by running opportunities such as the Common Objective Leadership Awards.

Common Objective is a platform for people to network with sustainable suppliers. ZARAMIA AVA has a profile on the Common Objective website which provides detailed information on our sustainability. We recently won a leadership award for our work on communicating sustainability through reports and policies.

This year, we are planning to increase the visibility of our sustainability credentials on Social Media. One of our goals for the year is to ensure that 80% of our social media posts have sustainability content. This ticks our boxes for promoting sustainable shopping as well as attracting more customers who are wanting to shop ethically.

4.51 - ZARAMIA AVA’s operationalisation of sustainability, how we put these into practice and the initiatives we are part of that help refine our targets

Now, I’ll talk some more about how we have embedded our values into the way we work. First, we developed a manifesto and ethos that is published on our website. Everything we do has to align with these, so we are true to our values. Our manifesto and ethos incorporate the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. More on them later.

We signed the 2020 Circular fashion pledge to help us stick to our circularity goals. We’ve responded to the aims of the Circularity Fashion Pledge in several ways. We use a manufacturer that runs a scheme to encourage people to recycle their products at the end of its life.

For instance, if you have bought one of our circular fashion t-shirts, and have worn it out or finished with it, you can scan the QR code on the label and access information about how to send it back to the manufacturer for free, for them to remake it into new fabric.

We use recycled fabrics, for instance this lace. SHOWING LACE FABRIC. And end of roll fabric to save them from landfill. We also upcycle off-cuts to make accessories.

All of our garments are designed for durability to encourage people to wear and keep them for longer. The majority of our garments are lined to provide extra strength and we use high quality materials.

- 6.24 - ZARAMIA AVA’s sustainability journey including our sustainable business model

Every year, we report against the UN Sustainable Development Goals and our environmental policy. Our Sustainability report sets out what we have currently achieved, what we are working on our main sustainability goals and targets.

Targets are really important as they help us to keep on track and measure what we have achieved. We make sure our objectives are SMART – specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and timed.

Reviewing the report gives us a chance to reflect update or modify any goals that are no longer relevant. We’ve been working on the report recently. SHOWING SUSTAINABILITY REPORT This is part of our sustainability report

There are a large number of UN goals that we have incorporated, so I’ll just talk about a couple of them in more detail. Sustainable Development Goal 12 is about having responsible business goals and production. The actions we’re committed to come under the categories of Design, Sourcing and Marketing.

So, for instance, one of our Design goals was to be zero waste by 2021. To achieve this, we committed to do three things:

We said we would design with zero waste pattern cutting, using the whole piece of fabric, minimising seams and waste

- We committed to upcycle our samples and remake them into new pieces.

- We planned to reuse and recycle all stationery, pattern paper and supplies

- We committed to compost all our natural, organic material remnants.

When we reviewed progress on these objectives this year, we were able to say that we achieved them. We are transparent on our supply chain and list where our fabrics and come from and where they are made.

When we source sustainable fabrics, we only work with companies and products that have certifications like GOTS standard. OEKO-TEX certified, organic cotton and fair trade.

We try to work with local freelancers and collaborate with the local community, so we can have a close working relationship with our partners and minimise our carbon footprint. We recently collaborated with a Leeds-based jeweller to produce a new range for us.

We plant a tree for every item sold through our partners at One Tree Planted to offset our carbon footprint.

Recently we have won awards for most Ethical Fashion a designer in the Global green Business awards, Best Vegan fashion brand in the global vegan awards for Lux Life magazine & the Leadership award for Common Objective

SHOWING GARMET These are garments form my Limited edition range.

9.07 - ZARAMIAAVA’s challenges in sourcing and where our business would like to be in the future

It hasn’t always been easy to make progress with sustainability. At the beginning the challenges were that ethical fabrics and trimmings were more costly.

We researched every single supply we purchased to make sure it was all suitable and carried the appropriate certifications. We found that all sorts of supplies used animal bi-products or were bad for the environment.

It is still difficult to find fabrics that work from a design point of view as well as being sustainable. We still do all this now but we know where to look and what to look out for. There are more sustainable suppliers now and it’s easier to get hold of ethical fabrics as the demand for them has increased.

In terms of where I’d like the business to be in the future, we would like to be known as an sustainable vegan brand leading the way in fashion, raising awareness about sustainability and helping others to do the same.

From a business point of view, we have feedback and understanding that our customers want a wide range of sustainable options such: as natural fabrics, zero waste, circular fashion, vegan or cruelty free. We have identified from market research that people are keen on at least one of these sustainable options. Rather then having just one it is best to have a variety to cater for more people.

We stay up to date with developments in fashion technology and sustainable manufacturing by connecting with the sustainable networks via expos, webinars, sustainability platforms, groups and newsletters.

- 10.49 - ZARAMIA AVA’s final reflections on the extent to which we see our sustainable business model going mainstream

To sum up, I definitely think the sustainability business model will become more mainstream. We are seeing it now with companies adding organic ranges. I hope it will become a law for all companies to have transparency in their supply chain, so everyone knows where the garments have come from, how and where the fabrics where made and whether the workers were paid a fair wage.

Big businesses will always be looking to increase or protect their profit margins and compete in the marketplace on price, but, hopefully as more consumers choose to shop ethically and sustainably, they will respond to the pressure and up their sustainability game.

We do this to make a difference. I hope this has given you an insight in to how I have developed a sustainable fashion label and why it is so important to me.

You can keep up with our latest news and developments by visiting our website: www.ZaraMiaAva.com and by following us on Social Media @ZARAMIAAVA