Over the last decade, in particular, we have become increasingly aware of how deep-rooted our environmental impact is in our daily lives and interests. What we eat, what we wear, how we get around – most aspects of modern life are racking up our carbon emissions. With an increased awareness of this, many of us are seeking out ways to lessen our impact, though are unsure where to start and faced with what seems like an impossible feat of finding sustainable habits and options in such a consumption heavy modern world.
The fashion industry is a particularly good example of this. Worldwide, we consume over 150 billion articles of clothing annually – four times the amount we consumed 20 years ago. Fast fashion is ingrained in our everyday life, with constantly changing trends being plastered on the exterior of buses or flashing on the side of our screens as we browse the internet. ‘You need this today, but you’ll want something else entirely next week’ is the ethos of modern style trends. Shopping sustainably, when marketing is solely aimed at making us want to have it all, seems unfeasible.
However, there are a number of online influencers who are using their social platforms to offer tips and tricks to make the transition to environmentally conscious clothing and straying away from engaging in planet-destroying cycles of overconsumption a little smoother. To make it even easier, I’ve rounded up four accounts that will fill your feed with eco-conscious motivation to make those changes in your clothing consumption habits.
Michelle For Good @michelleforgood
Michelle uses her platform on Instagram to advocate for all- round more ethical patterns of consumption of clothing. As well as encouraging her audience to participate in slow fashion, she also ensures that she shares brands that support different communities in other ways. Her account will direct you towards black-owned, ethical bands, as well as ones that have giveback models that aid other causes. Seeing a gap in the ethical fashion industry, Michelle started @thetoteproject which not only uses sustainable materials but seeks to empower survivors of sex trafficking and help end human trafficking.
Nayna Florence @naynaflorence
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n both her YouTube channel and Instagram account, Nayna has shared her journey of giving up fast fashion. As a university student, she provides relatable and user-friendly insights into more budget friendly ways to consume sustainably and acknowledges some of the ways in which sustainable fashion can be difficult for those with lower economic capital. On her accounts, she shares some of her favourite small sustainable brands that fit the style interests of her young adult demographic. Beyond delving into the world of sustainable clothing, she also creates content around living a wholly more sustainable life (such as having a vegan diet) which makes her account particularly useful for anyone looking to reduce their climate impact in multiple aspects of their life.
The Sustainable Fashion Forum @thesustainablefashionforum
Run by Brittany Sierra, the Sustainable Fashion Forum is a great account to follow to add some educational content to your daily scroll through Instagram on your commute to work or sitting in a waiting room. This page shares concise, yet invaluably informative insights to issues within the fashion industry, regarding sustainability, as well as figures and statistics that highlight the extent of the issue. Alongside other accounts that show you better alternatives to your current purchasing patterns of fashion, this particular page will aid you in better understanding why it is so important to move away from our current patterns.
Grace Beverley @gracebeverley
As a founder and CEO of her own sustainable activewear brand ‘Tala’, Grace Beverley understands sustainable fashion from both a business and consumer perspective. Her account is genuine and non-judgemental – encouraging people to try more sustainable avenues for updating their wardrobe. Her posts and story often explore new and interesting ways to keep it interesting, without costing the planet. Just this week she showed her audience a bag rental service that allows you to keep mixing it up, without breaking the bank or leaving handbags collecting dust in the back of your wardrobe once they’ve been featured on your Instagram 'too many' times.