Where to Buy Sustainable Fashion in Australia According to Little May
The Sydney outfit want to stock your wardrobe with eco-friendly... uh... outfits.
If you're one to buy a whole new wardrobe every season, we can't change you. But what if you bought sustainably, invested in eco-friendly fabrics, or bought second-hand? What if... you repaired your jean crotch hole instead of buying a new exxy pair? Sustainable fashion is something Sydney folk trio Little May feel pretty damn passionate about, and seeing as though they're about to kick off a national tour at Sydney's Metro Theatre, we thought we'd hand over the reins to multi-instrumentalist and eco-boss Annie Hamilton and let her school you on their favourite places to buy sustainable fashion. Handing over to Annie.
Hello! I've just finished a year of buying-no-new-clothes in an effort to be more sustainable and to force myself to put more thought into the things that I buy and what impact they have on other humans, the environment and my own body. I studied textile design at uni and have always been interested in sustainable and ethical fashion, so I put together a list of a few Australian/NZ brands that are doing pretty awesome things in the world of sustainable fashion.
In the wake of Fashion Revolution Week, it seems that more and more people are starting to question where and how their clothes were made, which can only be a good thing in the world of mass-produced, trend-driven fast fashion. Everyone has their own personal values and you should think about what yours are and try to reflect those in your purchases. But for a start, you can look for organic natural fibres, buy either locally-made or fair-trade, and look for traceability throughout the supply chain. And of course, buy clothing that is made to last, that won't fall apart or go out of fashion after a couple of wears.
NUDIE JEANS CO
In terms of sustainable clothing brands, Nudie ticks a lot of boxes. Nudie clothing is organic, traceable and made to last. Check out their website and you can find out exactly where the organic cotton for their jeans was grown in Turkey, or where the organic, fair trade cotton used in their shirts was grown in India. Information regarding their entire supply chain is available to the public, all the way down to the origins of their buttons, zippers and care labels. My favourite thing about Nudie is that they offer free lifetime repairs of their garments from their Paddington store, so if your much-loved jeans start to come apart at the seams, they will patch them right up for you.
VEGE THREADS
You can't make a list of sustainable designers without including Vege Threads. Every piece in the Vege Threads range is organic and locally made, utilising organic vegetable-based dyes. They have also collaborated with BB Shoes to create hand-made vegetable-tanned kangaroo leather sandals. They're based in Adelaide, mainly stocked online, but also available in Sydney at Newtown's You, The Earth and Me.
HER SWIM
It seems weird to be talking about swimwear when it is technically almost winter, but considering the fact that we're enjoying sunny, 26-degree days in Sydney, it seems evident that this summer may never actually end. This Sydney-based swimwear label uses 100 percent recycled post-consumer polyester and nylon to create simple, clean and minimal swimwear designs.
NICO
Nico is a Brisbane-based basics and underwear label with a huge focus on ethical and sustainable production and materials. With a minimal aesthetic, their pieces are all made of organic cotton, bamboo or modal, because who wants to be wearing chemicals-laden synthetics near your hoo-ha? Not me.
KOWTOW
Kowtow is a NZ based label that is truly committed to traceability and sustainability in their production. They use 100 percent fair trade organic cotton grown in India, with the entire production chain explored in the 'Seed To Garment' documentary on their website. Kowtow has several Sydney stockists (including the Somedays store in Surry Hills, which also stocks organic and ethical BaseRange underwear/basics).
YOUR LOCAL VINNIES
After all, nothing is more sustainable than buying second-hand (especially when that money is going back into charity). Go find yourself a bargain.
Celeste Tesoriero, Winter 2016 for Fashion Revolution Week.
WELLMADECLOTHES.COM
A pretty awesome resource for buying ethically and sustainably. Full stop.
SWEDISH STOCKINGS
They're not Australian, but they make stockings out of 100 percent recycled plastics, and will offer you a discount if you send them your old/ripped stockings to recycle.
GOOD ON YOU
An Australian app that rates the sustainability of different brands to help shoppers make informed choices.
Now you're all dolled up in eco-friendly threads thanks to Annie, go see Little May. Here's where:
LITTLE MAY 2016 AUSTRALIA TOUR DATES
Thursday, May 5 — Wollongong Uni Bar, Wollongong
Friday, May 6 — Metro Theatre, Sydney
Saturday, May 7 — Small Ballroom, Newcastle
Thursday, May 12 — ANU Bar, Canberra
Friday, May 13 — Max Watts, Melbourne
Saturday, May 14 — Waratah Hotel, Hobart
Friday, May 20 — Adelaide Uni Bar, Adelaide
Saturday, May 21 — Amplifier Bar, Perth
Friday, May 27 — Solbar, Sunshine Coast
Saturday, May 28 — The Zoo, Brisbane
Sunday, May 29 — Studio 56 @ Miami Marketta, Gold Coast
Tickets on sale now from littlemaymusic.com/tour.
