What is Conscious Fashion? 

In recent times, conversations around sustainable or conscious fashion have started to buzz, with customers growing more aware about the impact of fashion on the environment and its implication in social inequality. Shoppers are starting to reject fast-fashion paradigms and looking for alternative options to keep up with trends without sacrificing their ethical standards. In the first quarter of 2020 on Stylight we have seen a +24% increase in clicks globally on conscious fashion brands. 
Navigating conscious fashion can feel confusing, as it requires to dig deep into a brand’s effort to be more sustainable. A brand may commit itself to a specific cause, or even undertake different activities at the same time. Here are some explanations of different definitions within conscious fashion.

Green Fashion or Sustainable Fashion
According to recent studies, the fashion industry is one of the most polluting industries worldwide, producing over 8% of all greenhouse gases. This is due to many factors, including pollution caused by the production of clothing, the creation of synthetic fibers and the agriculture of fashion crops. Labels that produce sustainable fashion or green fashion are therefore attempting to lower their carbon footprint and minimize their environmental impact. This could be through a more efficient utilization of energy or renewable sources, or by utilizing recycled textiles, or eco-friendly textiles, whose production is less harmful to the environment. 

Fair Trade Fashion or Ethical Fashion
The clothing industry is unfortunately a harbour for modern-day slavery, and is linked to the mistreatment of factory workers in developing countries, that are often paid low wages and made to work in unsafe conditions to drive down production costs. Fair-trade or ethical fashion labels are committed to maximize transparency about worker conditions, and ensure that workers are paid and treated fairly, and guaranteed safe working conditions.

Slow Fashion
Slow fashion is seen as the juxtaposing alternative to fast-fashion: rather than selling low-quality, mass-produced garments that will only last a season, slow fashion labels offer season-less clothing made to last a lifetime. Also, they try to integrate traditional production techniques or design concepts into their collections. 

Conscious Brands That Are Affordable, and Stylish
Conscious fashion doesn’t need to be boring, or expensive. There are plenty of brands that create stunning, stylish clothes that are sustainable or ethical, and are so at an affordable price. Take US-based brand Reformation, which has the instant appeal of a fast-fashion brand, with sustainability as its heart: it offers contemporary styles, made of plant-based or recycled materials, and it invests in green infrastructure. Another great example of conscious fashion is Everlane, a clothing label that produces high quality, timeless garments, by partnering with ethically-run factories and ensuring maximum transparency to its customers. Discover below some of the best conscious fashion brands you can shop on Stylight.