Eco-trend fashion haul

 Hey guys! So today we are doing sustainability! As complex as it sounds, sustainability is simply a word used to describe getting the most use out of a product as possible. Shopping for recycled or reused products is very important because in today’s society there is a quick end life to the products, instead of a continuing circle.

Who knew that shopping for sustainable products could be so trendy!

Check out the super cute things that I found!

So this first product is this Marisa Haskell jewelry piece.

This super edgy accessory was hand crafted with recycled metal scraps that have been melted together and then reprocessed into this beautiful “Zion” necklace. Creating this piece form old, unusable or worthless metals is beneficial to the environment because it prevents the waste of materials that are sill useful. (Nickel does not qualify for this process because for health purposes the AAFA restricts the use of this metal in items where there is direct contact with the skin.) As mentioned in Cradle-to-Cradle this type of recycling is referred to as “upcycling” because this new product was made from old metals scraps and is worth as much or more than the old metals. With this concept already in her company, Marissa Haskell could start an “upcyclying” program like that of Patagonia. This could be a step forward into benefiting the environment because this necklace is a technical nutrient that could be kept in a closed loop, and has the benefit of being able to be continually recycled within the industry (Thorpe, 2007). Through this program the company could still use toxic chemicals needed to melt the metals because they are contained in a completely closed loop cycle that does not contaminate the biological cycle. This program is an advantage to the environment because it is keeping unnecessary materials from the landfill.

My second find is a sweater skirt.

Does the pattern on this skirt look familiar? Yes, it looks like an old Bill Cosby sweater! That is because this vintage sweater skirt was made from an old sweater. The L.A. based designer reused a vintage sweater by cutting it and then sewing it back together into an amazing skirt! How clever! And the best part, the brand is highly inspired by nature elements. Hence, the designer stresses the use of fabrics that have been made without toxics because he wants to make sure that his products are future biological nutrients. The designer looks for all natural, biodegradable materials so that at the end of their life they can go back into their biological environment to support new life (McDonough and Braungart, 2002). This trendy product is also the product of “upcycyling” because the designer is preventing waste by giving an old sweater a new life as skirt. Wouldn’t you love to wear this vintage skirt knowing that you saved a sweaters life!

As unlikely as it sounds, this next find I was able to score at Buffalo Exchange.

This super casual Loomstate 321 organic t was hanging at the second hand store waiting for me to go in there and rescue it! By purchasing second hand items you will be doing your part of saving the world from waste because reusing items saves them from sitting in a landfill without a purpose. Also, and most importantly, this super comfy piece is USDA organic certified because it was made with 100% organic cotton and was not made with the use of any toxic chemicals. As a benefit, at the end of its life cycle this t-shirt could be safely used as a biological nutrient.

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When correlating this haul to businesses and how the fashion industry run, so much today is wasted, which is why we must recycle and reuse more often! The current crisis we are in consists of the growing demands of greedy consumers who want material possessions at an exponential rate with no concern to deforestation, emitting toxic emissions into the air, or polluting our fresh water with harmful chemicals. Written in Cradle to Cradle, “The design intention behind the current industrial infrastructure is to make an attractive product that is affordable, meets regulations, preforms well enough, and lasts long enough to meet market expectations”.

As of today, daily life in America, for the most part, goes on without a hitch, but that is only because the determinants done daily are difficult to measure. If we only knew the amount of damage, we would then be quick to make a change in not only daily tasks, but industries would also change the structure of product life cycles. 

I personally think that sustainability has no quick fix, but yet, it is an ongoing process. Businesses need to imitate nature in the ways that products must follow a never-ending life cycle instead of a life and death.

Products must create no waste.