In an era where environmental concerns and the impact of fast fashion are gaining more attention, upcycled fashion is emerging as a powerful, creative, and sustainable alternative.
Upcycling, the process of transforming old or discarded garments into something new, is not just a way to refresh your wardrobe—it's a movement that benefits both you and the planet. Whether you're a fashion enthusiast looking for unique pieces or someone wanting to make more sustainable choices, upcycled clothing offers a range of benefits that go far beyond style.
In this blog series, we'll explore the benefits of Upcycled Fashion and how you can get involved.
Upcycled Fashion Reduces Environmental Impact
One of the most significant benefits of upcycled clothing is its positive effect on the environment. The fashion industry is one of the biggest polluters in the world, responsible for enormous amounts of waste, water usage, carbon emissions and labor exploitation.
By choosing upcycled fashion, you're contributing to a reduction in textile waste. Instead of discarding old clothing, you're giving it new life, thereby reducing the demand for new materials, lowering carbon footprints, and decreasing landfill waste. Upcycling also helps to conserve water and energy, both of which are required in large amounts for the production of new textiles.
Processing raw materials into new textiles is the sector of the fashion supply chain that has the highest emissions and is the most labor intensive. In fact, approximately 65% of emissions from the fashion industry come from the processing of raw materials (plants, animals and mined materials) into textiles that will later be made into garments (shown as the blue areas in the graph below, not including Cut, Make, Trim).
McKinsey's "Fashion on Climate Report" graph found on page 9.
By reworking existing garments, refurbished clothing keeps these valuable textile resources in circulation and out of landfill, helping to minimize the need for virgin raw materials and further environmental harm.
We, at Circular Fashion LA, help you keep loving your clothes through Repair, Upcycling and Discovering new-to-you styles so that you can directly participate in keeping these textiles in use and out of landfill. Supporting our brand, or others like us, is truly the only way to reduce and dare we strive to eliminate that problems of pollution from the over-production of raw materials into new textiles.
Start your Upcycled Fashion Journey today by shopping all of our Circular Closet Services and At-Home Kits! Check back for more in our blog series exploring the Benefits of Upcycled Fashion.
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