From the debris of disused fabrics emanate fresh designs that are showing that designers must think of the environment while cutting out new styles, writes HALIMAH OLAMIDE
Sustainable fashion, according to Wikipedia, is (also known as eco-fashion) and it is a term describing products, processes, activities, and actors (policymakers, brands, consumers) aiming to achieve a carbon-neutral fashion industry, built on equality, social justice, animal welfare, and ecological integrity.
The sustainable movement seeks to combat the large carbon footprint that fast fashion has created by reducing the environmental impact of fashion such as air pollution, water pollution and overall climate change.
Noticeably, sustainable fashion is on the rise and young Nigerian fashion designer, Uche Aladimma, a graduate of Mechanical Engineering, is on a mission to take fashion to the next level as he upcycles second-hand denim materials found in popular clothes markets into unique modern wears and trendy outfits.
Aladimma narrated the birth of his eco-friendly brand, “Azach”, to the NPO Reports, which he launched officially in February 2022. Although, he used to run it on the side while he was still a student, but on quitting his job, fashion was what he had to venture into.
As a young designer, Aladimma has not had it easy in terms of opening his brand to get to his target audience, although he is determined to achieve his goal of being one of the biggest eco-fashion brands with the aim of reducing waste and preventing environmental pollution.
He revealed that his interest in fashion came all the way from a young age when he used to give out clothes he had outgrown and was not too pleased with how they were often treated or discarded.
According to Industrie Africa, the 2011 UN Comtrade data, OECD countries’ global showed that used clothing exports stood at $1.9 billion in 2009. Recent figures from the UN show that an estimated 80% of Africans wear secondhand clothing. Nigeria’s growing resale market can be traced back to the 1950s and 1960s.
READ ALSO:
- Army Recruitment Not Employment Opportunity; COAS Tells Nigerians
- Obi Holds Rally in Osun, Asks Electorates To Vote Out APC, PDP
- Prince Harry Says He Cried Once After Diana Death
A BBC article reveals, that around 85% of all textiles thrown away in the US – roughly 13 million tonnes in 2017 – are either dumped into landfill or burned. The average American has been estimated to throw away around 37kg of clothes every year. And globally, an estimated 92 million tonnes of textiles waste is created each year and the equivalent to a rubbish truck full of clothes ends up on landfill sites every second. By 2030, we are expected as a whole to be discarding more than 134 million tonnes of textiles a year.
TEXTILE WASTE AND THE ENVIRONMENT
Further study shows that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that in 2017, of the 16.9 million tons of textile waste generated in the United States, only 15.2% was recycled, which resulted in 11.2 million tons of textile waste ending up in landfills.
Since the 1990s, consumer behavior has shifted towards shopping for new clothes frequently, but as consumers purchase more clothing, more frequently, that means textile waste ends up in landfills faster. To put it into perspective, in less than 20 years, the volume of clothing Americans threw away each year doubled and is likely to triple if no changes are made. The reason for such a drastic increase? Fast fashion.
BBC reports that, the global fashion industry contributes ten percent of global carbon emissions and twenty per cent of water waste. The World Economic Forum (WEF) reported the fashion industry as the second largest water consumer. Thirty-five percent of oceanic microplastic pollution came from the fashion industry according to International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Toxic chemical dyes are used in colouring clothes. Wastewater from dyes is discharged into local drainages and linked to the ocean. These toxic chemicals have a direct impact on aquatic lives and even human lives, during the production of these clothes and consumption of dietary fish.
Secret Reporters published, that Nigeria is estimated to have over 200 million people with Lagos being the largest city that has over 17 million people. Although there is no exact figure spent on imported second-hand clothes, following the high demand for second-hand clothes, importers might be spending more than $1 million yearly, importing clothes from Europe, while the Nigerian government will be on the losing side as taxes will be avoided.
Due to the deteriorated and low quality of bale clothes, the majority of the imported second-hand clothes, rejected by buyers end up on the dumpsite, sometimes burnt by market cleaners, consequently causing environmental pollution.
Sustainable fashion seems to be trendy at the moment especially with many young designers like Aladimma and the eco-fashion movement will no doubt be beneficial to the environment. Not only does it reduce the harms of textile waste on the environment, it prevents wastage.
According to Aladimma, he creates pieces to enable consumers eco-conscious and to also play his part in protecting the eco-system.
Goodwear stated that the clothing industry’s negative impact has led to the birth of the slow fashion movement, sprouting many clothing brands like Goodwear that are making clothes with eco-friendly fabrics and are doing all that they can to keep their environmental footprint as minimal as possible.
Fashion brands are being advised to adopt innovative and eco-safe means of manufacturing products and be more eco-conscious by taking waste into consideration.