A Trend Worth Staying

By Mackinley Hill

In the fashion world, trends are always on the move. Trends used to be in a cycle of twenty years. They would become popular, stay for a while, and then come back twenty years later. Today’s cycle has changed dramatically. Through the numerous social media platforms, it’s become easier than ever for clothes to become viral. These viral pieces or viral styles are known as micro-trends. They happen fast and never reach their full market saturation. This is because of how fast they appear, as soon as a style becomes popular, another one takes its place. From TikTok alone there have been several micro-trends born. Think cottage core, dark academia, E-girl, even fairy core. Surely these styles have been around long before TikTok, but with the help of the platform it has reached millions of people. While these styles are adventurous and fun, most of the trends wont last. Before, the trend cycle would last 6 months to a year or even more. But now with the introduction of micro-trends, their lifetime is short lived. A piece you purchased could now only stay in style for a month or less.

That’s why many companies are making the switch to become more sustainable. With Micro-trends comes fast fashion. Brands like Shein or Amazon are pumping out as many pieces as possible before they go out of style. All that production becomes harmful to the environment. Most brands recognize their ecological footprint and have been trying for years to lower it. What makes sustainable brands so important is that you can partake in trends in an ethical way.

Below are some sustainable brands worth mentioning and what they are doing:

• House of Sunny
◦ slows production by only releasing two drops a year
◦ Sources sustainable fabrics and manufacturing methods
◦ Plastic free product bags
◦ Reduces air pollution by choosing sea freight for transportation instead of air freight

• Reformation
◦ Factories located in USA
◦ Products made from low-impact materials such as rescued deadstock, fabrics, and repurposed vintage clothing
◦ Only produces products that sell based on feedback
◦ 100% carbon neutral

• Paper London’s Swimwear
◦ Swimwear made from econyl which is regenerated nylon fiber made from recycled fish nets
◦ Prioritizes finding sustainable and high-quality fabrics
◦ Uses repreve yarn, from plastic bottles.

• Mary Benson London
◦ Uses deadstock to help fabrics from not going to landfills
◦ Reduces waste by made-to-order, production in small batches and upcycling
◦ Supports local factories, seamstresses, and local suppliers
◦ Hired a small team, each worker is paid fairly with suitable working conditions
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