Episode 33: Sustainable Fashion with Brooke Bowlin

Wild For Change

Today we are speaking with Brooke Bowlin, a sustainable fashion advocate who got her start in the industry in 2018 from owning a second-hand clothing store. After dealing with people’s excess of clothing, Brooke’s eyes were opened to the harm and overconsumption of fashion. She has made it her mission to educate about better personal as well as industry practices. Beyond her passion for helping to make sustainable fashion more accessible to the collective, Brooke is also an artist, lifelong learner, and creativity enthusiast.

Right now, fast fashion is the trend and it comes with a cost to the planet, factory workers, and the global community at large. Fast fashion is mass produced clothing created by mass retailers in response to the latest trends. Fast fashion relies on cheap manufacturing and short-lived garment wear. Because of the mass textile production, it takes a huge toll on the environment where approximately over 92 million tons of waste are produced every year, it contributes to 20% of global waste water and as Brooke states in her “Nuance Required” Newsletter, fashion accounts for 4% - 10% of greenhouse gas emissions. Which at the higher end of 10% is more emissions than aviation and shipping sectors combined thus the fashion industry is now a major contributor in climate change.

Speaking of the people making the clothing, 90% of the clothing produced is made in low to middle income countries. Due to a lack of governmental infrastructure in these countries, the occupational and safety standards needed for the workers are often not enforced.

With all of this devastating impact from the fashion industry, we will learn from Brooke about what sustainable fashion means.

In this podcast, we will learn;

• What sustainable fashion means.
• Understanding and looking at the entire life cycle of an article of clothing.
• How our approach to shopping and consuming clothing can contribute to the unsustainability of fast fashion.
• How second-hand clothing fits into the sustainable model.
• How we can make our closets more sustainable.
• How shopping with intention helps us to make more sustainable fashion choices.
• Key questions to ask yourself before investing in an article of clothing.
• Brooke’s newsletter “Nuance Required” and the meaning behind the name.
• What the fashion industry can do to reduce its impact on the environment.
• How some fashion brands greenwash the public about sustainable practices.
• The role individuals play in addressing the climate crisis.

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