Shop sustainably or ethically, or should we not be buying at all?

​Rhyana McNab constantly hunts through op-shops in hopes of a stand-out piece, only ever buying secondhand and sustainably made clothing.

But they were becoming fewer and farther between, she said. “More often than not they’re highly polluted with fast-fashion brands.”

Online secondhand shopping on platforms such as TradeMe, Facebook Marketplace and Designer Wardrobe had increasingly become her go to as they kept garments out of landfill.

When she was unable to find something secondhand or had been “lusting after the piece for some time”, she would turn to smaller local New Zealand brands which focused on limiting their environmental impacts.

READ MORE:
* ‘Vegan,’ ‘sustainable’: How to spot misleading fashion claims
* New year, new you, same clothes: How to make your existing wardrobe work
* Covid-19: Anti-vax group drops leaflets in Auckland, despite lockdown

A recent Stuff investigation has raised questions about the design practices of acclaimed fashion designer Adrian Hailwood. The Stuff investigation found of the 40 items from Hailwood’s Summer 2023 collection on its website, 29 were identical matches to clothing sold through garment manufacturers trading on Alibaba.

McNab was saddened by Hailwood’s actions.

“[He] hasn’t been transparent about the way he sources and designs clothing and is muddy with his manufacturing – yet charges a premium for something that could’ve been made with bad labour practices.”

As a designer and graduate from Massey University, majoring in fashion, with a masters in creative enterprise, McNab said the longevity of the clothes she designed was always on her mind when creating her pieces, which were made to order.

Ultimately she hoped for her garment to be kept and cherished, or last long enough to be given a renewed life at the hands of a new owner – and when it did reach its lifespan, to be able to break down back into the environment.

Rhyana’s brand’s philosophy was to make clothing only as desired, helping curb overproduction and consumption and encouraged people to make well-researched purchases.

“Naturally, smaller brands are perceived to be more sustainable based on scale alone in comparison to ultra fast-fashion behemoths such as Shein and Pretty Little Thing; who produce thousands of new styles a week,” McNab said.

The fast-fashion brands trying to “peddle a sustainable narrative” undermined genuine attempts to foster sustainable practices, and allowed the bare minimum effort on the industry’s impact on the environment, she said.

“To be frank, it’s impossible for any brand promoting newness to be considered wholly sustainable.”

Ethical and sustainable practices were things Hannah Sullivan was conscious of when she opened her clothing store Sully’s on Ghuznee St, Wellington last year.

The small multi-brand clothing store boasted an array of colourful designs and patterns from labels across the globe withbut had one common thread; they were all produced using ethical and sustainable practices.

“It’s important … I feel like people would feel good about wearing stuff that’s been made a certain way … It makes it feel more special and meaningful when you wear it,” Sullivan said.

Her drive was to bring individual small brands to Aotearoa, but sustainable and ethical practices came without question.

Sullivan said greenwashing in the fashion industry was a “huge thing”.

She considered where and how clothes were made; whether it’s a local or an overseas manufacturer; a big or small-scale company; what fabrics were used and where they were produced.

It meant Sullivan would put in orders about six months in advance, selecting products and having them made to order so nothing was wasted.

Most clothing also used natural dyes and organic or recycled fabrics.

Sullivan encouraged people to not be sucked into the cheapness of a price tag or ever-changing trends. It was better to save up for something meaningful that would last.

“If it’s your vibe, it’s your vibe … It would be really cool to see people spend a little bit more thoughtfully and less consumer-y,” she said.

Rose Hope, owner of Auckland secondhand and upcycled clothing boutique Crushes, echoed Sullivan’s views and both shared the view that having a choice also came with privilege.

It was why Hope encouraged people to have their own focus when it came to ethical and sustainable clothing.

“If everyone focused on what is most valuable to them, then maybe together we can all make a better world,” she said.

All brands sold at Crushes shared at least one of its values, which included being made in Aotearoa; by female or Māori and Pasifika-owned businesses; with recycled materials; or by a small business.

Hope valued the level of creativity that came with upcycling clothing.

“There’s something to be said about when people upcycle, the amazing amount of creativity that you need to have to really pull it all together”, while she pointed at Hailwood, for his “absolute lack of creativity”.

But Hope believed to be truly sustainable, clothing production needed to stop altogether.

“I just don’t think we need any more clothes in general, let alone from brands that are bluffing their whole way.”

Textiles sent to Wellington’s Southern Landfill alone doubled between 2009 and 2019, with a quarter estimated to be clothes that could have been recycled, reused or diverted.

Meanwhile, globally on average people bought 60% more garments in 2014 than they did in 2000, and 85% of all textiles went to the dump each year.

Fashion production makes up 10% of carbon emissions, pollutes rivers and streams, and sends microplastics into the ocean.