What to Wear and Why: Your Guilt-Free Guide to Sustainable Fashion

by Tiffanie Darke

Overview

It's time to rethink what clothes we buy, wear, and toss out, knowing that we can have a positive environmental impact while still looking good and dressing well.

Reportedly, the clothing industry produces 80 billion garments a year, employs 15 percent of the world's population, exploits labor, and seriously pollutes the environment. However, we as consumers have the power to make a difference with the clothing choices we make. In What to Wear and Why, top fashion writer turned sustainability activist Tiffanie Darke sheds light on the unsustainable practices and immense environmental impact of the fashion industry and presents a compelling argument for why transformative change is urgently needed.

Drawing on her extensive fashion experience and expertise, Darke offers practical guidance on how we as consumers can make a difference in the industry's environmental impact. What to Wear and Why also celebrates those who are already doing so, from environmental activists to sustainable fashion pioneers, giving us examples of how fashion sustainability can work in the real world.

Whether you're a fashionista who cares passionately about sustainability, an environmental advocate seeking to learn more about the impact of fashion, or simply someone who wants to be a part of the change, What to Wear and Why is your go-to guide to a more sustainable future.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781506497006
Publisher:	Augsburg Fortress, Publishers
Publication date:	09/03/2024
Pages:	262
Sales rank:	480,209
Product dimensions:	5.75(w) x 8.75(h) x (d)

About the Author

Tiffanie Darke has spent her career in fashion as an editor, journalist, author, creative director, brand strategist, campaigner, and, most recently, shopkeeper. She has worked for the Daily Telegraph, the Express, and Sunday Times Style and was editor in chief of Harrods. She is an alumna of the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership and a member of the Oxford University Climate Action Network. She works with more than seventy fashion brands on sustainability and is based in London.

Table of Contents

What to Wear and Why—Your Guilt-Free Guide to Sustainable Fashion

Contents

Why Your Closet Matters

Can Fashion Be That Bad?

How We Got Here

What Happens to Clothes We No Longer Want

Fashion: Why We (Justifiably) Love It

Why Fashion Matters to the Wider World

Reduce

Over Stuffed Wardrobe - But 'I haven't got a thing to wear!'

The Sufficiency Wardrobe

Wardrobe Audit to Protect the Planet

Rent

Regenerate

Replenish Mother Earth

Natural Materials

Synthetic Materials

MMCFs

Future Facing Fabrics

Regenerative Agriculture

Natural Materials

Cotton

Denim

Wool

Cashmere

Silk

Hemp, Linen, Nettle and Jute

MMCFs

The New Future Facing Materials C/S Patagonia

Vegan Leather: Ethical, Not Sustainable

Recycle

Upcycling

Reconstituting

Recycling Post Consumer Materials

Textile to Textile Recycling

A Note on Shoes

Restore

Tailoring and Repairs

Social Sustainability

Resell

Clothes Have Stories.

The Business of Thrift

The Big Fixes Needed

Greenwashing, Greenwishing, Greenhushing

Fashion's Employment Problem

Fast Fashion:Where it all went wrong

Easy Hacks to Shop your Wardrobe

Glossary

Editorial Reviews

06/17/2024

Journalist Darke (Now We Are 40) contends in this incisive study that fast fashion is “the second-most polluting industry on the planet after the oil and gas industries.” Noting that 100 billion items of clothing are manufactured per year, Darke outlines how the fast fashion industry relies on convoluted supply chains that criss-cross the globe (wool farmed on one continent, for example, might be spun in a second and made into a garment on a third, before being shipped to its final destination); contaminates bodies of water with toxic chemicals; and fosters “unsafe working conditions in factories with zero labor laws” and obscenely low wages (in 2022, workers at a Shein factory in Guangzhou, China, were paid a salary of about $18 a day). Instead of giving up shopping altogether, readers are advised to adopt such sustainable practices as thrifting vintage pieces. In the process, they can escape “the grip of brands and fashion editorials... telling you what to wear” and develop a truly individual style. A former fashion editor at Sunday Times Style, the author buttresses her savvy insider’s perspective with extensive research, resulting in an account that identifies fast fashion’s harms while celebrating clothes as a source of “confidence and self-identity, imagination and fantasy.” Fashionistas would do well to check this out. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

"An engaging and well-argued exposé of the fashion system. There is no scolding to put readers on the defensive; instead, the approachable tone gives a 'we're in this together' feeling. There is plenty of factual background, along with practical and actionable tips to make an immediate change to the way readers relate to their wardrobes." —Library Journal

"[Darke's] savvy insider's perspective with extensive research results in an account that identifies fast fashion's harms while celebrating clothes...Fashionistas would do well to check this out." —Publishers Weekly

"Many fashion and sustainability experts have chimed in to sound the alarm on how much clothing the world consumes, but none have done it as deftly as Darke in this clear, concise, and compelling guide." —Booklist

"I absolutely fell in love with Tiffanie's writing and her way of inspiring consumers to be in charge of their own responsible fashion journey. She inspires us to participate in responsible fashion by shining a light on the stories that our clothes and our choices of clothes are telling." —Annette Felder, designer, Felder + Felder

"Thank you, Tiffanie Darke. It's the book all us guilty normals have been waiting for. An informed fashion sustainability primer that reads with the accessible sass and charge of a magazine article. It will give you x-ray specs on your wardrobe without leaving you feeling weighed down by shame." —Kate Spicer, journalist, Financial Times and The Times

"Tiffanie cuts through all the green-washing hype and lets you know the real cost of your wardrobe. You'll never look at your closet's contents in the same way ever again!" —Patrick Cox, designer

"Tiffanie's writing on sustainability in fashion is clear-eyed and rigorous, but she also captures vividly the life-enhancing joy of fashion in everyday life—and how we can achieve that joy mindfully." —Lindsay Baker, BBC Culture

"Tiffanie's writing brings a fresh, sexy, and informative look into the current fashion climate and how sustainability needs to be at the forefront of every conversation. Every word Tiffanie writes is captivating, and her work couldn't be more important for educating consumers, challenging brands, and celebrating those who are already leading us down a path of sustainability." —Emily Fenver, aka The Landerline

"Fashion is such a powerful, creative, and entertaining force. I love how Tiffanie champions it and also has a clear vision about how we can all build a more sustainable future for our wardrobes and cherish the things we have for the long haul." —Anne-Marie Curtis, editor in chief, The Calendar Magazine

"Tiffanie is a brilliant chronicler of all things fashion and brings her deep experience as a top-flight editor to explaining how the industry works and how our buying habits can create the change we need to save the planet. Her writing sparkles with insight, intelligence, and a deep commitment to enjoying and preserving the way clothes can make us feel better about ourselves and express our identity. But also an understanding of how the industry has to shift for that to go on being possible. An important voice." —Eleanor Mills, journalist and founder of Noon

"Tiffanie's writing is remarkable. She has an innate ability to tell a story in her writing that feels like a movie instead of a book." —Alexa Curtis, Be Fearless blog

"Tiffanie's writing on sustainability goes beyond the standard rhetoric, as she dives deeper into discussions to examine concrete and measurable ways in which companies—and consumers—can control and manage their environmental impact. With the perspective of a fashion lover, it is always inspiring to discover alternative ways to enjoy fashion without sacrificing environmental ethics." —Alison Hoetzel, Officina del Pioggio

From the Publisher

07/01/2024

Style editor and fashion writer Darke (Now We Are 40) turns her attention to sustainability in this title. Her background supports this thorough guide to greening a closet. It begins with a brief overview of fast fashion, pointing out the joys and flaws of the fashion system. Then Darke proposes a sustainability plan following the Five R's: Reduce, Regenerate, Recycle, Restore, Resell. The chapters examine each of these R's, covering relevant issues and providing ideas on how to improve in each area. There is a lot of research and detail, but Darke's writing style is flowing and accessible. She finishes with a section on Big Fixes—systemic changes that must happen to really make a difference; Darke acknowledges that this isn't merely an individual effort. This is an engaging and well-argued exposé of the fashion system. There is no scolding to put readers on the defensive; instead, the approachable tone gives a "we're in this together" feeling. There is plenty of factual background, along with practical and actionable tips to make an immediate change to the way readers relate to their wardrobes. VERDICT Highly readable and recommended to anyone who is interested in sustainable living and fashion.—Melanie Kindrachuk

Library Journal