Seven Forms of Sustainable Fashion

Similar to the seven deadly sins, the key number for sustainable fashion is also seven, apparently. Dr. Anna Brismar, who also happens to be the coiner of the term “circular fashion” back in 2014, listed seven ways for a garment to be truly sustainable.

People in the circles of sustainable fashion already know sustainable fashion can be many things, but for those who are new to it, these different ways can be very useful to become a part of the movement, or at least, to be more educated about it. These seven forms of sustainable fashion are:

1. On demand & custom made
2. Green & clean
3. High quality & timeless design
4. Fair & Ethical
5. Repair, redesign & upcycle
6. Rent, lease & swap
7. Secondhand & vintage

In her own words: “… each garment should first be manufactured on demand or custom-made (No. 1), in high quality and timeless design (No. 2), in an environmentally friendly manner (No. 3) and with consideration to various ethical aspects (No. 4). Thereafter, it should be used long and well through good care, repair and perhaps redesign (No. 5). When the product is no longer desired, it should be handed in to a secondhand shop, donated to charity or handed over to friends, relatives or perhaps a swap-shop, to prolong its active life (No. 6 and 7)”.

We, at Wearebasics, incorporate 6 out these 7 forms. Can you guess which one we are missing? Can you also guess which piece in our collection is upcycled from in-house organic cutting waste coming from our black t-shirts? That helps us nail the 5th form! And yes, you might already be looking at it.