Meet The Brands Bringing Us Guilt-Free Fashion Made From Excess Waste

The term 'flygskam' (flight-shaming) has taken off in the last few years as people become more aware of air travel’s damaging eco-effects. We should all be cutting back and thinking about the future, but flying accounts for 2.5% of the world’s carbon emissions; the global fashion industry contributes four times as much. Should 2020 be the year we start to talk about 'fabricskam' instead?

It’s undeniable: We’re a nation of fast fashion lovers. We buy more clothes than anywhere else in Europe, over twice Sweden’s annual average. In the process of clothes being made, bought and binned, the UK fashion industry sends 300,000 tonnes to landfill every year, according to WRAP, the waste reduction charity.

Certain brands – luxury and high street – have come under fire for burning millions of pounds worth of stock to protect its exclusivity and value, but a slew of labels are trying to combat the problem by using leftover 'deadstock' fabric and offcuts that would otherwise be destined for landfill – or worse.

I used to feel the same way about checking a fabric label as I do about swilling a glass of wine before taking that first judgmental sip – I knew it was something you were meant to do but my attempts were purely performative. Historically my wardrobe has crackled with unnatural fibres but an ever-growing range of stunning and sustainable clothes are combating the industry’s severe waste problem. We should be more aware of fabricskam.

Meet the brands bringing us guilt-free fashion made from excess waste. Here's to clothes that don't take their toll on the planet; as they say, one man's trash is another man's treasure.