Avoid "fast fashion" brands

The first thing to do if you want to wear more eco-responsible clothes is to avoid fast fashion. These are not good quality. The textiles used and the production methods mean that fast fashion clothes often cannot be kept for many years.

> See also: Why choose an eco-responsible brand?

Better fashion consumption

When it comes to building a more eco-friendly wardrobe, adopting new habits is essential.

Choose labelled clothes

Some brands offering eco-responsible clothing collections feature one or more labels and/or standards. These allow consumers to see the efforts made by brands to improve the quality of their products and make their production more ethical.

At Elora, for example, we are working to implement the Reach standards. These allow better control of the quality of chemical products and their use.

> Read also: What are the eco-responsible labels?

Choose good quality, sturdy clothes

Choosing greener fashion means choosing better quality products. Quality can be appreciated through :

• the fabrics used (transparency, thickness) ;
• the quality of the finishing (seams, hems, buttons) ;
• the shape of the garment
• respect for size.

Choose renewable materials

What are the main materials to choose for eco-responsible clothing?

Organic cotton

Growing organic cotton requires less water and fewer chemicals than traditional cotton. Only natural fertiliser is used to grow organic cotton.

Other advantages of this type of farming include improved quality of life for farmers (their health is better protected) and reduced environmental impact.

> See also: Why choose organic cotton?

Flax

Linen is a natural fibre of which France is the world's leading producer. Linen is recyclable, biodegradable, hard-wearing, hypoallergenic, absorbent and comfortable. So don't hesitate to choose pieces in this material to improve the quality and durability of your wardrobe.

Vegetable leather

Having an eco-responsible wardrobe also means reducing your purchases of clothes and accessories made from animal raw materials. Plant-based leather allows you to keep rocking your look without involving animal suffering.

Depending on the brand, vegetable (or even vegan) leather can be made from pineapple fibre, grape marc, eucalyptus, rubber or cork, or synthetic materials.

Good to know: the expression "vegetable leather" is a bit of a misnomer. Basically, vegetable leather refers to leather that has undergone vegetable tanning.

H3: Recycled fibres
A little-known fact: polyester is one of the materials that can be recycled. This reuse reduces the pollution associated with this material. Another advantage of recycled polyester is that it can be washed at low temperatures, reducing maintenance costs.

Choosing an eco-responsible brand

There are an increasing number of brands offering some or all of their clothing collections in eco-responsible materials, like Elora. The best thing to do is to explore what's available and then select the brands that appeal to you most. The way the clothes are made, whether they are fair trade, the materials used and the style are all factors to be taken into consideration.

> See also: Why choose an eco-responsible brand?