On Wednesday evening, a dear and talented friend of mine, Carmen Artigas moderated a wonderful event on the Future of Sustainable Fashion hosted by Be Social Change.


The event took place at Coco-Mat, a new SoHo retailer who specializes in natural sleep products (another passion of mine!). Feng Shui wise, the space was beautiful, spacious and airy, perfect for a serious conversation that was no holds barred. The panel and moderator are passionate experts in sustainable fashion and judging from the size of the audience, awareness is rapidly growing. I absolutely love fashion and am very aware of making conscious decisions in my purchases but unfortuantely as a society, it’s hard to deny that we are going down a dismal path of consumer binging. As conscious as I think I am, I had never even heard of terms such as Fast Fashion. I left the event feeling more eco-fashion savvy and pumped to share my greater knowledge with others and be a promoter of social change.


Some thought provoking ideas that I took away from the event:
- Americans alone purchase over 20 billion garments a year. Whoa. Feng Shui discusses alot about clutter and this is definitely an important factor relating back to that.
- Fast fashion is like Fast Food. It’s cheap, easy and looks good but what is the profound effect on you, your community and your world in the end?
- Local and sustainable fashion may be more expensive than in places like H&M but how much longer will it last you? The price per wear over the years may be comparable if not better than the Fast Fashion competitor.
- Just as with organic, non-GMO foods and the food industry, we have the power and voice to effect the fashion industry in the purchases we make and the information we share with family, friends and colleagues.

So what can you do to make a change? Start with simple steps.
- The next time you clean out your closet, consider organizing a clothing swap. Recruit all your girlfriends, break out the wine (fair trade organic is preferred) and have a blast. I do this quite often and not only do I have fun with my pals, it makes me think of them and give thanks each time I don one of their outfits. Oh and I would suggest playing David Bowie’s whimsical hit “Fashion” to put you in the mood!
- Take better care of the clothes that are already hanging in your closet. If you do this, they last longer and that also qualifies as sustainable fashion. Great eh?
- When looking for a next new outfit, think about supporting a local designer. As they mentioned at the event, it is great to help developing countries but we also have unemployed Americans here who could benefit from our purchases.
- Stop before you shop and be grateful for what you already have. The next time you open your closet and exclaim, “I don’t have anything to wear!!” Ask yourself, “Is this really true?” If so, time for a clothing swap!
