Sustainability meets Accessibility

This may just be us, but does it not seem like there is a gap between sustainably designed and accessibly designed apparel items? When looking at sustainability practices and accessibility practices, there is a lack of overlap, the closest merge we can see would be inclusive design 2.0. This design theory looks at a broad spectrum of inclusion while also thinking about environmental impacts.

Not only is this surely important for the many clients of clothing companies, especially those with more advanced mobility issues have less to choose from since many companies still view accessibility as a "niche" market in the fashion industry. This creates an unfairness and inequality to those with differing mobility and sensory needs. Alternatively, a few brands are taking these considerations to heart and have been making strides in this area. However, there seems to be a concerted lack of crossover between garments being made for differently abled bodies that are also made of sustainable/recycled materials.

This is something to think about for sure, this is a topic we will journal about often as we continue on our explorations within these fields. Thanks for reading and check back soon!

Here are some links to further reading about this:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/accessible-fashions-1.3549011

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/designing-accessible-fashion-for-people-with-disabilities

#emskejournals #sustainability #accessibility #inclusivity

From store to closet to thrift store to where?

Many people are under the impression that donating their old clothing to second hand shops is a charitable act that will provide those in need with affordable apparel.

Although this is partly true... the impact of over consumption and continued fast fashion trends often bombard second hand stores with more donations than they can sell. Due to this overload of donations, second hand stores need to seek out buyers to purchase in bulk based on weight or unfortunately, donations essentially become garbage. Many thrift store owners/managers work hard to divert waste and find buyers for specific categories like e-waste and metal recycling, but this takes time and resources that not all businesses have.

"...unfortunately, donations essentially become garbage."

Image Descriptions (left to right): retro ochre yellow and white shaggy checkerboard patterned carpet, vintage black and white octagonal tile flooring. Image copyright: emske, design studio

All this being said, we understand that weightless/freeing feeling of "spring cleaning", but imagine if you never even had to worry about going through your stuff to declutter your life because everything you owned had a use or was special to you. Bodies change and things can lose their purpose in your life, this we are aware of, so sometimes it is important to let things go and hit refresh. All we are saying, is maybe not so often?

- BUY LESS

We understand that this is always being said, and that it truly can be hard to combat since capitalism and marketing reign supreme in our world. What we recommend is educating yourself about the brands you are buying from, vote with your dollar, save up and buy something special that will last the test of time and will make you feel amazing when you wear it.

- Ask yourself "WILL I WANT THIS IN 5 YEARS? 10 YEARS?"

This only seems like a crazy question in this day and age. Years ago when purchasing new clothing wasn't as common as purchasing groceries, people had to wait for a new catalogue to come out to order their clothing from and then wait weeks for it to arrive. There was less instant gratification, so more time was put into clothing purchases since people thought ahead, making sure they would still like it in the weeks, months, years to come.

- SET LIMITS

Are you addicted to shopping fast fashion even though you know it's something you don't ethically stand by? Do you buy on trend items thinking you will love them forever only to find them stuffed into the back of your closet after a few weeks? Try setting limits for yourself, by this we mean limiting the amount of exposure you have to online/in person shops that trigger your impulse to buy. How about checking in with who you are following on social media, many times we don't even realize we are being "sold" to when we are.

These are just a few thoughts, we welcome constructive conversation always and hope this provides a bit of insight.

- emske

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Supporting articles and further reading

https://scienceline.org/2018/06/the-troubled-second-life-of-donated-clothes/

https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2014/11/20/fast-fashion-thrift-stores_n_5798612.html

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/donated-clothing-where-it-ends-up-1.4662023

#overconsumption #secondhand #emskejournals

Some ethical, inclusive and transparent fashion recommendations - part 1

Shop ethically, know where your garments are made, support inclusive companies they say... but where? Below are some companies we like.

Image description: digital illustration of a street style pic of a female presenting person with long red hair, a pink track suit, large tan puffer jacket worn off the shoulders, holding a green quilted handbag and wearing blue sneakers and sunglasses.

Illustration copyright: emske, design studio.

Online consignment/second hand shops

thredUP has a massive amount of online second hand apparel items, from recycled fast fashion to higher end pieces.

The RealReal is a great place to start if you are on the look out for a luxury item you had your eye on several seasons ago and wonder if it's available anywhere online.

Transparent/ethical/inclusive companies

IZ Adaptive is an apparel company that creates garments truly representative of the diversity of the human body and caters to the mobility needs we all uniquely have.

KowTow makes organic and ethically made apparel that can take you from day to night effortlessly.

Hoi Bo is based out of Toronto and uses natural materials for their products. A personal fave are their "exhale supernova" bags that are made with zero waste in mind.

Everlane has become a trailblazer of sorts for transparent fashion, they have rapidly expanded and offer well made classic apparel options for everyday wear.

Package Free Shop is your one stop shop for all things zero waste for your home and beyond.

Online blogs/resources

The Good Trade has a plethora of information about ethical fashion, beauty and more. They also have a newsletter you can sign up for to get all that goodness sent straight to your email.

The Eco Edit boasts tons of articles about eco fashion and living.

This list is ever growing, which makes us happy! Let us know what your recommendations are by sending us a note via our contacts page.

#buysmart #ethicalshopping #inclusiveshopping #transparentshopping #emskejournals