Read Fashion, Read Future | Best Books On Sustainability in Fashion To Read This Summer

During COVID pandemic, we have become much closer to books, and spending a lot of time reading them. Here is a question: After a whole year of social reconnection, are you still a good friend with your books on your bookshelf? Or are they already covered by dust? It is a time to feed our thoughts and minds again, but with some different subjects. In this article, Luxiders introduces six best books on fashion sustainability and its future. They show you how being conscious in fashion, and having ethic garments in your wardrobe make an impact on the planet and the future of the fashion industry, including some examples such as eco-friendly fabrics and ethical production practices.

CONSUMED: ON COLONIALISM, CLIMATE CHANGE, CONSUMERISM, AND THE NEED FOR COLLECTIVE CHANGE
By Aja Barber

The book is divided into two different parts: Learning and Unlearning. In the learning part, Aja Barber explores the endemic injustices in consumer industries and shameful secrets behind the textile industry. She will reveal all the details such as labor exploitation, wealth inequality, racism, and lack of diversity that is happening behind the scene, and how it affects the whole fashion industry. In the Unlearning part of the book, you will understand the way you consume. You will confront the fact that you never feel enough, and try to fill the aching void with consumption. Through the book, you will learn how to consume healthier and eventually how to be a citizen, not a consumer. “The less you buy into the consumer culture the more power you have” – she says.

LOVED CLOTHES LAST: HOW THE JOY OF REWEARING AND REPAIRING YOUR CLOTHES CAN BE A REVOLUTIONARY ACT
by Orsola de Castro

Open your closet right now and look how many clothes you have there. Are there too many unloved clothes that you never wear anymore? Then this is the book for you. The author Orsola de Castro, co-founder of Fashion Revolution, suggests a new way of sustainable lifestyle and how we can breathe a new life into your wardrobe. She will teach you how to shop sustainably, and change your shopping habits so your clothes you buy last longer. She will also give you tips to give more care and attention on the clothes you have, and are unloved for years.

HOW TO BREAK UP WITH FAST FASHION: A GUILT-FREE GUIDE TO CHANGING THE WAY YOU SHOP – FOR GOOD.
By Lauren Bravo

Yes, it is true that fast fashion gives us the opportunity to have the newest trends in fashion at affordable prices. It sounds pretty good. But what else? Is it really worth it? Lauren Bravo, the author of How To Break Up With Fast Fashion, calls fast fashion “a toxic relationship”. It doesn’t only ruin the planet, but also our brains, shopping habits, bank balances. This book helps you to change your whole fashion life with full of inspirations and realistic advice towards more sustainable fashion. She will also teach you how to recycle, reuse, and reform the unloved garments to give them new life without killing your styles. Or you can even create your own new style!

THE DAY THE WORLD STOPS SHOPPING: HOW ENDING CONSUMERISM SAVES THE ENVIRONMENT AND OURSELVES
By J.B. MacKinnon

We all know that we have to reduce our consumption, and buy less. But is that really possible? Do you think we can really just “stop” buying and it will change everything? It is a consumer dilemma we have nowadays. We must reduce our consumption to save the planet, but it will cause massive unemployment, bankruptcy, and economic failure of the whole nation. And despite efforts to sustainability, such as recycling, increasing energy efficiency, we still see massive amounts of carbon emission and it has never decreased because of our increasing consumption and the waste generated. The writer MacKinnon has traveled around the world to find a sweet spot where we can also reduce consumption without economic collapse. Did he find the answer?

A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO SUSTAINABLE FASHION (BASICS FASHION DESIGN)
By Dr. Alison Gwilt

Do you want to learn about the design philosophies of sustainable luxury brands? This book will be your choice. In A Practical Guide to Sustainable Fashion, the author Alison Gwilt explores the current models of fashion design and production of groundbreaking designers such as Vivienne Westwood, Stella McCartney, Edun and People Tree. She explains the main challenges regarding sustainability during production, use and disposal process of garments, and gives guidance on how to overcome those issues with zero-waste techniques and sustainable fabrics for responsible design.

UNRAVELED: THE LIFE AND DEATH OF A GARMENT
By Maxine Bedat 

Do you know how jeans are actually made? Do you know how many thousands of miles they cross to get into your wardrobe? What about the number of hands who picked, spun, wove, dyed, packaged, shipped, and sold them to get to you? Unraveled: The Life and Death of a Garment, the author unveils all of the secrets behind denim production, including environmental and social costs such as massive amounts of water usage, waste and chemicals generated, and the labor exploitation in the production. This book also suggests ways to thrive all together and fix our environmental issues as individuals in society, and as lovers of denim.

LA MODA ES REVOLUCIÓN
By Laura Opazo

This book proves that fashion is synonymous with revolution, with the stories of brilliant and brave women who broke barriers and opened the way to freedom with a message that vindicates diversity and inclusion. From Katharine Hepburn to Frida Kahlo, passing through Coco Chanel, Madonna, Billie Eilish or Rosalía, in these pages you will find a manifesto in favour of female empowerment. 

We have read them and learned a lot, so we can recommend it. We mainly consider it a good read for young women in search of inspiring and empowering stories. Unfortunately, it is only available in Spanish.

Highlight Image: © Annie Sprat via Unsplash

Words:
Yoochan Si
Luxiders Magazine