Challenges Of Sustainable Fashion

As the world becomes more aware of the environmental impact of the fashion industry, the challenges of sustainable fashion have come to the forefront. While sustainable fashion is good for the environment and there are lots of advantages to using and buying sustainable fashion, there are also a few downsides to this as well.

Sustainable fashion has been growing over a couple of years with so many people switching from fast fashion to brands that are more sustainable and eco-friendly. Here are some of the downsides to sustainable fashion It states Textile Learner that “The durability of a fashion can be long or can be lost before any style becomes fashionable.”

The first challenge of sustainable fashion is the cost of obtaining raw materials for clothing. The fabrics that are needed to make clothing for sustainable fashion are at least two times more expensive than fast fashion. There are several reasons why this happens but the main reason is that it is more expensive for the manufacturers to produce them. When the production cost goes up, then the cost of buying the materials will be higher. According to Entrepreneur, it states that “The cost to not only grow but also transform and treat the raw materials needed for making new fabrics and design lines.” The cost of production prices for sustainable fashion will keep getting higher.

The next challenge is the labor/workers that are needed. A lot of fast fashion companies overwork their workers, have way too many workers, and sometimes even underpay which is exactly what sustainable fashion brands are trying to stop. This is an issue with several fashion brands and is becoming harder to steer against which can slow down the sustainable fashion industry. Another challenge that ties into this is not only respecting the values of the industry and/or company but also reposting all cultures and races.

This is something that is more prevalent now because of social media and how companies are wanting to spread the news so quickly. As reported by Entrepreneur, “The sentiments of everyone and all religions across the globe has to be kept in while working on a new label, line, and product.” This can be either a good or bad thing depending on the campaign but overall it is a challenge that lots of fashion brands are facing now, especially sustainable fashion brands because their whole value is slow fashion and respecting everyone.

Another big challenge to sustainable fashion is to prove the origin and demonstrate the real traceability of the product itself. Ultimately, people buy from sustainable fashion brands because of their authenticity, the fabrics used, and the brands' environmental standpoint. There are several ways that brands can do this but one very effective is to prove the origin and traceability of the fabrics that are used.

Lots of sustainable brands, use 100% organic materials that are locally sourced if they can. Per Futurescape, it states that “People need to make a connection with the origin of the material, how it stays through its lifecycle.” This is why brands need to be totally transparent with their branding, values, and materials that are used everywhere.