If you've ever taken a moment to consider who actually made your clothes, thought about how your shopping choices affect the environment or whether you really need another pair of jeans, then it sounds like you care enough to take some more time out to entirely rethink your wardrobe. The boom of fast fashion has meant that millions of us have bought things we don't wear, have cheap clothes hanging in our wardrobe that were most likely made by people (or worse, children) working in sub-standard conditions, and have discarded clothes which have ended up in landfill. Fast fashion and our insatiable consumption of cheap, throwaway clothing has to stop – and we can all do our bit to slow things down.
At the dawn of a new year when we're all making (and breaking) resolutions, why not commit to one that really matters? The lazy excuse that sustainable fashion just isn't cool is no longer a valid justification for not exploring ethical brands. From high fashion, like Stella McCartney and Vivienne Westwood, via mid-market brands such as Reformation, right down to high street giants like H&M, the industry is finally addressing sustainability.
But if you're still stumped on how to start shopping more responsibly, Rêve En Vert is the perfect place to start. Rêve En Vert was founded in 2013 by Cora Hilts and Natasha Tucker, two young women on a mission to encourage change, committed to supporting designers who are improving the standards of the fashion industry. "We've known each other for ages, since an initial meeting in Paris and remained friends throughout," the duo explains to Refinery29. "Sharing a similar vision for the future, we came together to set up Rêve En Vert with the intention of providing an easy to shop, well-curated online retailer that would stock only sustainable designers that made beautiful pieces. We both felt strongly that REV customers should never have to sacrifice style for ethics."
"We find brands in really organic ways actually (pardon the pun). Word of mouth from other designers, exploring fashion weeks (Copenhagen has been a very fruitful one for us), and also designers are now reaching out to us. Mara Hoffman and Maiyet are the most recent examples of designers coming onto the site who wanted to be stocked on reve-en-vert.com in order to disseminate their ethical policies, which is very exciting for us."
Ahead, Rêve En Vert founders Cora and Natasha share six tips for making more informed clothing choices and advice on how to build a sustainable wardrobe.
Buy more organic
"The use of organic and natural materials is essential to us in all of our lines, ranging from fashion to beauty. Our designers are committed to sourcing the most ethical materials possible, with an emphasis on low environmental impact and longevity for minimal discard. Organic fibres or garments are made avoiding harsh chemicals and pesticides."
Photo: Courtesy of Rêve En Vert/Roo Lewis.
Think re-made
"Our designers are as committed to the idea of minimal waste as we are, which means they aim to recycle and upcycle materials as often as possible while maintaining the integrity of their products."
Photo: Courtesy of Rêve En Vert/Roo Lewis.
Find local
"Our designers have an appreciation for their local communities and economies. They produce as close to their studio base as possible in most cases. They pay attention to their local communities and strive to give business back to them. They respect local traditions and ways of doing business. Many support local causes and initiatives, with charity give-back being an important aspect of operations."
Photo: Courtesy of Rêve En Vert/Roo Lewis.
Think fair
"Respect for the people making the products we choose to feature is key to Rêve En Vert. Our designers reflect this respect and we check for fair factory certification and pay living wages and conduct business in responsible workplaces. Our designers pay the utmost attention to the details of their production lines and business practices."
Photo: Courtesy of Rêve En Vert/Roo Lewis.
Mantra
"Less is more; We encourage our customers to shop for investment pieces, those items that you will reach for time and time again. We centre our buying strategy around this, choosing items that will never go out of style and which transcend trends. It’s surprising once you start shopping more strategically, how little you find you actually need."
Photo: Courtesy of Rêve En Vert/Roo Lewis.
Watch what goes on your skin
"We have started stocking organic and natural beauty lines as we realised how important this was to us personally and wanted to share with our customers. We stock lines such as Grown Alchemist and Bamford Organic, which use local, ethical and natural ingredients in all of their products. We also pay attention to the dyes that go into our clothing items – we encourage the use of vegetable dyes and clean water processing."
Follow Rêve En Vert on Instagram @revenvert
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