People around the world are becoming more and more aware that the fashion industry has a long way to go to become fully sustainable. However, when one up-and-coming fashion designer approached us to be a part of her runway show at New York's famous Fashion Week, we jumped at the chance to bring attention to recycling and sustainability in the fashion industry as well as the problem of ocean plastic pollution.
In 2008, multidimensional designer Hillary Taymour launched the Collina Strada fashion line believing that "inspiration is best found off the beaten path." With sustainability in mind and true a passion for fashion, it is her belief that these two are not mutually exclusive of each other. And by using this platform, she is proving that it is possible to blend the two.
"I think it is more about taking away that you can make things that are beautiful and relevant out of things that were not beautiful and relevant," says Taymour.
Each piece is hand made in New York with eco-conscious materials and for her Fashion Week show this year, she asked if we could provide her with some of the recycled glass beads we use in our 4ocean Bracelets to create her signature piece of the evening. Check out the video of this piece being made.
Even some of our 4ocean Reusable Bottles got sweet fashion make-overs, runway-style. How cool...
As consumers, it is up to us to seek out fashion brands that are on the right path to sustainability. And, it is also important to think about our personal purchasing habits when it comes to our clothes. It is hard to do sometimes, living in the age of "fast fashion," but here are a few tips that may help your wardrobe be more sustainable for the planet and our ocean:
- Buying less clothing will obviously make a difference
- Donate used clothes to thrift and second-hand stores instead of throwing them in the garbage where they will end up in landfills
- Buy used clothes from those same thrift stores and second-hand stores
- Buy classic styles that never go out of fashion
- Buy directly from small artisans who make their clothes in small batches to help avoid wasteful manufacturing processes
Now that you have some alternative options to think about when purchasing clothes, head on over to our Discover 4ocean Facebook Group and join the conversation about ocean conservation and single-use plastics as well. Also, make sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to stay up to date on all things 4ocean!
