Sustainable clothing-where to find it

Hey guys! Carla Catastrophe here, this is my first ever blog... as you can probably tell by now, and I feel as if the perfect way to start my blogs would be through fashion. In my profile I say I'm and EVERYTHING girl, this revolves around emo, goth, and whatever else, and as we all know, most alternative subcultures are rooted in ✨The punk movement✨ and that means that sustainability is key; and yes, that means no more Shein, and no other online/high street fashion brands.... even if we're all guilty of buying from one at least once (I'm looking at you 2020 society). Curating your alternative wardrobe is like a treasure hunt when you want clothing and accessories which are friendly to you, other humans, and the earth; however I'm here today to give you the map to the treasure chest. COMMENCE THE LIST!!!

Tunnel vision- A small, sweatshop free business based in LA. Tunnel vision uses original designs, pays workers a liveable wage, and funds monthly donations to LGBT and BLM charities, they use carbon neutral shipping and vegan friendly materials. https://shoptunnelvision.com/

Vicious Punx- Vicious Punx is a business based in the  UK. Their products are hand made in-house with minimal plastic waste and recycled material, the products are created in small batches which are ready to order. (Please avoid acrylic jewellery as it is carcinogenic). https://viciouspunx.com/

Jawbreaker clothing- A Vegan and inclusive, London based business. Jawbreaker focuses on animal welfare, repurposing materials, and ensuring nothing is wasted, all products are made in-house ensuring that the earth, and the workers are cared for. https://www.jawbreakerclothing.com/

Minga London-  This independent business limits production, creating less waste, and more refined pieces. Minga London has fair partnerships with a select group of suppliers, this supports fair pricing, and responsible working conditions. Packaging is recyclable and minimal, and the in-house team behind the scenes are valued, given a professional environment to work in, and are paid a liveable wage. https://www.mingalondon.com/ 

HMV- HMV is super well known, and have a wide range of products. HMV have a pretty extensive human slavery statement, so I'll simplify it. Sunrise records (HMV's owner) is dedicated to their zero tolerance approach to human slavery, and are committed to ensuring their business deals are carried out in a way that follows the law; they highlight any concerns they have to their legal department and participate in trade with businesses which also comply with human slavery laws. In short, there's no slavery going on in sunrise records, they uphold their expectations with businesses they partner with, and if there is any suspicions, it is investigated. https://hmv.com/

SKYDANCE- Skydance is a Poland based brand, The business manufactures their products locally, and in small batches to reduce fabric, water, and energy waste, and if items cant be sold, they're donated to charity. All products are shipped in biodegradable/cardboard packaging, and use a delivery service which reduces CO2 emissions; on top of this, the brand is dedicated to not using any fur, and promoting inclusivity. Overall, Skydance is a female owned brand, and is totally dedicated to protecting the environment, animals, and their workers. https://en.skydance.pl/

Disturbia- Disturbia is also a business that has a big statement on human slavery, so leave it up to me to simplify it. Most employees are directly hired by disturbia on permanent contracts, but they also work with freelance contractors across digital and creative spaces, and therefore they believe human slavery is unlikely in their company, Disturbia has a team of culture and people managers who review risks within the operations, and a buying director who coordinates supply chain efforts. Disturbia has these policies within their business: "code of ethics policy", " Disciplinary and capability policy", "Anti-harassment and bullying policy", "Equal opportunities, diversity, and inclusion policy", "Flexible working policy", "Health and safety policy", "Grievance policy", "Modern slavery policy", "Whistleblowing policy".  Disturbia has different risk assessment techniques, depending on where each supply chain is based, which is tailor made to relevant issues. And to round of the simplified version of their statement on human slavery, Disturbia says that they are constantly evolving their approach, and have not seen any indicators of slavery in their business. 

Now we can get to the easier stuff, Disturbia is a vegan friendly business who is dedicated to phasing out plastic, and reducing carbon emissions, as well as recycling materials. Disturbia has strong policies on gender and inclusion, and the welfare of their workers, and they donate to Charites such as BLM, amnesty international, and the British heart foundation. https://www.disturbia.co.uk/

Lowlife- Lowlife is a belt and accessory business based in London, they function with a small team, and have both vegan and real animal products for sale (I could not find any more information on lowlife, so feel free to correct me/ provide further information). https://lowlife.com/

My fingers are starting to hurt..... anyway, I can now move onto the super easy 'probably common sense' part of this list. Here's a cookie for sticking around 🍪

Vinted- Vinted is a second hand site, the only issue is resellers and people selling cheap stuff at extortionate prices, however you can find key words which find cheap and good clothes after a while of using the app/website.

Depop- Depop is pretty much the same as vinted, however many people also sell their own home-made accessories and clothing on Depop.

DIY- The good ol' do it yourself, you can use stuff from your siblings, friends, or parents' closet, use your old clothes and accessories, or buy stuff from craft/DIY stores, then make whatever you want with no limits. This method is a staple for all alternative people.

Charity/thrift stores- This one is pretty self-explanatory, buying from charity and thrift stores requires being able to see a vision of what you want, or the skill of digging through old clothes until you find some awesome 00's pieces. I suggest you mix your DIY skills with any products you find in these stores, just to give them a little something.

This concludes my first every blog, if you're still here and I'm not just throwing all of this information into a void, then thank you 🩷 I hope you find your dream pieces using these sites/brands, and I wish you many successful shopping experiences. Information used in this blog is based off of other peoples and my own research, as well as directly from the businesses websites which I have linked at the end of each section. If there is any incorrect information here (which I'm fairly sure there isn't) then please feel free to correct me/provide extra information I can add. P.S If you find any SPaG mistakes on here it's because I am currently finishing this at 01:30 AM.

XoXo Carla.