Some books take you on epic emotional journeys, while others provide you with knowledge and insights on a new subject. To Dye For, an account of the toxic evolution of fast fashion by Alden Wicker — from its mauvine- and arsenic-tinted beginnings to the takeover of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) — does both. It […]
By Bridget Shirvell When Katie Lopes set out to create a women’s underwear brand, she wanted her products to be comfortable and hip — and eventually disappear into a pile of coffee grounds, eggshells and potato peels in her garden. “I was beginning to become more aware of the damage the fashion industry was doing to […]
The EU is taking steps to crack down on fast fashion. The European Commission, the bloc’s executive branch, proposed new rules Wednesday that would set mandatory minimums for recycled textiles by 2030 and other changes geared towards replacing throwaway culture with a circular economy. “We want sustainable products to become the norm,” commission Vice President […]
Over centuries, civilizations developed methods of dyeing with natural materials for colorful expressions of culture, clothing, and art. Archeologists have found evidence of dyes as far back as the Neolithic period, and Native Americans are known to have used mountain alder, bloodroot, black walnut, and other natural sources to imbibe color. Yet, with the rise […]
A new bill in the state of New York could require fashion brands to disclose social and climate impacts as well as order these global companies to work toward reducing their environmental impact. The bill, if passed, requires major fashion retailers that make over $100 million in revenue globally and operate in New York “to […]
Could mushrooms create a vegan leather that doesn’t harm animals or contribute to the climate crisis? In the past year, high fashion has turned to a material called mycelium, which can be grown from fungi in weeks but has the look and feel of calfskin. Experts think that working with mushrooms could give designers a […]
Some of your favorite fashion brands may be putting the Amazon rainforest at risk. A new report released by Stand.earth Monday says that major clothing companies are sourcing their leather from manufacturers and tanneries that have links to Amazon deforestation. “If you’re wearing leather shoes, a leather belt or carrying a leather handbag, it’s highly […]
Deep in the Atacama Desert of Chile, new dunes are forming — not of sand, but of last year’s unsold clothing from around the world. Piled high atop the previous year’s fast fashion casualties and unpurchased lines of clothes, the garments are usually filled with toxins and dyes and do not biodegrade. The result: a […]