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Style With Purpose: Making Sustainable Fashion Choices

Our clothing choices serve as a direct reflection of our collective priorities. Every acquisition, donation, or disposal represents a discrete decision with implications linked to significant global environmental challenges. According to the United Nations, clothing and textiles account for anywhere from 2 to 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions. 


Fast fashion, which offers a wide range of choices at relatively low costs, has led to a significant growth in consumption levels and waste, driving a throwaway culture that places unprecedented strain on our planet's resources. Often made using synthetic fabrics (like acrylic, nylon, and polyester), these clothes shed microplastics, an environmental pollutant at different stages—manufacturing stage, while being worn, and when machine washed.


The industry acknowledges the urgency to address the challenges - Ryan Gellert, CEO of the apparel brand Patagonia, emphasized in the company's impact report that pro-business does not have to mean anti-planet. Real climate action requires doing the uncomfortable work of examining our practices and impact.

So what does that work actually look like? At its core, sustainable fashion encompasses the entire lifecycle of clothing — from production to distribution and disposal — to a higher environmental and social standard. 

Core Principles of Sustainable Fashion

  • Circularity, recycling, and upcycling — reduce waste and promote recycling

  • Ethical labor practices — fair labor hours, working conditions, and wages

  • Supply chain transparency — transparency and accountability - knowing where, how, and by whom clothes are sourced

  • Collaborative consumption — demand for eco-friendly and ethical fashion

Low-impact production methods — sustainable materials and production methods with a smaller carbon footprint

In the DMV area, sustainable fashion is at the core of several retail stores. To understand what it’s like in practice, I connected with three store owners who shared their perspective on sustainability strategies, motivations, and business challenges.

Viewpoints from Fashion Experts

New to You My discussion with Christina Novac, New to You DMV staple consignment store owner, taught me that personal style and environmental health should be a "win-win". She says "I want people to look and feel good in what they wear — and if the way we go about achieving this is also helping the planet, then it's a win-win." I learned the value of being selective; Christina prioritizes natural fibers over synthetics and performs meticulous inspections because she knows exactly where wear and tear hides. She emphasized that maintaining a garment's life can be as simple as choosing gentle hand-washing over costly dry cleaning. Perhaps my most striking lesson was the need for breaking psychological barriers: consumers’ tendency to hold on to items for too long instead of letting them give someone else joy.

Alicia Valencia Erb, VIDA STYLE consignment store owner, pointed to the role consignment stores play in achieving sustainability through circular fashion. “By curating high-quality preowned clothing, shoes, and accessories, we extend the life of well-made pieces and reduce the need for buying new”, she said. Her work is an important example of how buying and consigning secondhand luxury is a simple but powerful way to reduce waste while keeping exceptional style in circulation. But the business is not without its set of challenges – ensuring a consistent supply of high-quality preowned pieces and shifting consumer perceptions around secondhand fashion continue to be a work in progress.

Lia Totty, Impact Luxury owner, highlighted the need for community involvement. She says

"Sustainable fashion correlates with local and bioregional development. Responsible development should be done with the local community directly involved." It was insightful to learn how stores can help drive consumer behavior change and create a more sustainable, community-centered fashion ecosystem. Impact Luxury provides mindfulness education to support creative expression and circular fashion in the community alongside closet clean-out services. Lia designs modular and plant-based clothing items which can be paired with curated secondhand and upcycled pieces. I found this design philosophy a useful way to reduce fashion waste and challenge overproduction in the future. Currently, Lia sews every piece herself — and is crowdfunding a laser-cutting machine to expand her capacity to bring hand-printed, made-to-order garments to more people.

Key Lessons for the Conscious Consumer


Based on my research and discussions with local store owners, here are my key reflections on sustainable fashion choices:


1. Prioritize Natural Over Synthetic Fibers Invest in clothing made with high-quality natural fibers to ensure garments last longer and have a lower environmental impact compared to synthetics.

2. Redefine Luxury as Longevity Purchase preowned items as a practical and powerful method of waste reduction that maintains exceptional style in circulation.

3. Endorse a Mindset Shift on Ownership Avoid hoarding items that no longer serve a purpose, as psychological barriers often prevent quality goods from finding a second life with someone else.

4. Consider Consigning or Donating Your Clothes Become a consigner by bringing your high-quality pieces to local stores while they are still in excellent condition, ensuring they stay in circulation instead of being thrown away.

5. Support Community-Centered Fashion Ecosystems Support local makers that prioritize ethical, transparent, and plant-based production within your own community.

 

Stores like New to You, VIDA STYLE, and Impact Luxury share a conviction that the way we consume clothing matters for the environment, and that change begins at the local level. The solution to fast fashion starts with us. Our choices on what to buy, how long we keep it, and where we take it when we're done — are all part of the solution. 


The DMV has no shortage of places to start. Check out these articles for thrifting and consignment options in the area.

 

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