Sustain your Style

-Milantha Chandiok

Brands and their impact

Fashion is omnipresent. From the interiors of your house to the art on your nails. For a lot of people, fashion is like their daily dose of confidence. And in the world of fast fashion, the consumers don’t want to be left behind. This is where Brands bring in their contributions. They become the trend providers, keeping their consumers up to date with the fashion industry. Brands can signify quality and inspire confidence. People prefer and trust different brands because of their uniqueness, the quality of their products, their price ranges, their services, etc.

A brand not only creates yearning but also validates self-esteem and gives the consumer a sense of belonging. A recent study from Havas Worldwide also takes a look at how youth aged 16-34 from 29 countries around the world view brands.

Brands and Sustainability

Brands have become an essential part of consumers’ lives. They are responsible for the kind of effect they have on consumer behavior, but are they being responsible enough? The answer to this question would be YES! A lot of brands are coming forward and taking the path towards sustainability. For them, this means creating in a way that is most considerate of humanity and the environment.

The goal is to have a system that works without leaving a negative footprint. Brands like Levi’s, Pact, Everlane, Adidas, and Reebok have switched to more ethical ways and sustainable fabrics to produce their products.

Levi’s

From growing the cotton to dyeing and finishing, it takes over 2,000 gallons of water just to make one pair of jeans. Levi’s focuses on the finishing processes to remove water wherever possible with its Water<Less

collection.

Starting small has allowed Levi’s to expand both its “Water<Less” technology, which cuts the amount of water used in its denim manufacturing by up to 95 percent, and its “cottoned hemp”, a proprietary fabric with a smaller carbon footprint than traditional cotton.

Adidas x Parley

More than 23 billion pairs of sneakers are made every year. On an average, it takes 30-40 years for a pair to fully decompose. When it comes to mainstream sportswear brands, Adidas is easily the most vocal about its sustainability efforts — and environmental organization Parley for the Oceans has been its biggest collaborator. The two brands teamed up for the first time in 2015 with a sneaker using yarn made from recycled ocean plastic and illegal deep-sea gill nets.

Reebok NPC UK Cotton + Corn

When Reebok has first launched the Cotton + Corn NPC UK sneaker, it featured leather accents on the heel tab but after receiving a kickback from Peta, the brand took the initiative to make the shoe vegan. The updated sneakers feature 100% cotton upper, a sole derived from corn, and even the packaging is 100% recycled.

Pact

All of the cotton garments from this brand are certified organic by GOTS, so you know the entire manufacturing process follows organic guidelines. They’re also Fair Trade Certified, which looks at ethical factors like wages and working conditions. The clothes themselves are mostly soft and comfy staples that you can wear every day, but there are also pajamas and underwear so you can opt for organic 24/7.

More than 23 billion pairs of sneakers are made every year. On average, it takes 30-40 years for a pair to fully decompose. When it comes to mainstream sportswear brands, Adidas is easily the most vocal about its sustainability efforts — and environmental organization Parley for the Oceans has been its biggest collaborator. The two brands teamed up for the first time in 2015 with a sneaker using yarn made from recycled ocean plastic and illegal deep-sea gill nets.