Sustainable fashion an upward sector

The Sustainable Fashion Association of Spain (AMSE) was born in 2015 with only five affiliated companies;Now are more than 120.Its president, Marina López, explains that last year is when the greatest increase was observed: “It was bestial, and so far this year the progression has been similar.Expectations are good because there is more and more environmental awareness ”.Although it clarifies that not all affiliates belong to sustainable fashion brands, which there are also companies dedicated to offering marketing services or legal assistance.

"The truth is that we cannot consider us a sector still.Most signatures are SMEs.Some only have an autonomous designer, who does everything in his workshop.They usually have four or five workers, but there is everything.Many include people at risk of social exclusion.Embry at a sustainable fashion company is an adventure, because fabrics and production are more expensive than synthetic.Many entrepreneurs stay along the way, but that's normal when you get a business, ”says López.

Idiosyncrasy of the sector

"The vast majority are self -employed," López says, ".What differentiates us from big brands is the sustainability model.Conventional garments use a lot.In addition, a lot of clothes are bought and textile waste is bestial ”.The president of the AMSE argues that most prêt-à-porter clothes of the big brands that are usually found in a conventional shopping center are deform to the six or seven washes.80% of the garbage that reaches the sea are plastic waste, many of which from the large amount of clothing we discard.

López reveals that the consumption model must be changed because soon we will not have a planet.“The basis of sustainable fashion is not to sell for selling, the key is in the production process.People should get used to buying more quality clothes that last longer.In ancient times it was like this.I'm not proposing anything new, ”he says.

Origin of the raw material

Sustainable fashion does not only include the world of adult clothing.Footwear, jewelry, accessories, child outfit ... the fan is increasingly wide.Also, the raw material is also very varied.The first thing that tends to be thought about is sustainable tissues: hemp, organic cotton, certified wax ... but there are other ways to obtain the material.The Catalan Back To Eco company, for example, collects used jeans and makes them erase to get thread and make fabrics.And other firms acquire discarded clothes to create bags or skirts.

But there are other ways to obtain gender.The Ecoalf company collects plastic tons from the bottom of the sea and transforms them into a thread to make garments."The idea is to stop consuming the natural resources of this planet in an indiscriminate way," explains Mónica Oliart, head of communication of the brand.The model, which enjoys great success among the public, is criticized by some sectors linked to sustainable fashion because, they say, in the end they produce synthetic clothing that gives off the same microplastics as the conventional.In any case, they recognize that their way of doing is positive as it contributes to clean the sea of waste.

Being sustainable is fashionable

“Now there are many small brands that sign up for the sustainability car, but sometimes I don't see it anywhere.They do it just because it is fashionable, ”says Clara González designer of Green Forest, a brand that gives a tree with each garment you sell."We manufacture in India and boat transport implies many CO2 emissions, and also with clothing washing 70% of the environmental impact occurs, so it is also essential to involve the client".These types of companies also emphasize the product packaging, which should not contain any polluting material.

This Madrid company, like many others in the sector, certifies that the entire production process is sustainable: from the decent conditions of workers to organic cotton or the ecological tint they use.They are two partners, along with three self -employed workers.They started in 2017 and grow."Our editions are limited.We do not produce new designs until the stock is over.That is also changing the model, ”says Clara.“There are huge companies such as Inditex or Adidas that now also have their sustainable line.I think they do it to improve their image.In any case, these little steps that take, God want them to be true, are something good ”.

Client's profile

"We are going to a small audience," explains Ana Gallego, responsible for the Female Accessory Brand South/SAC, located in Barcelona."The profile of our client is that of a woman, of very variable age, lover of minimalist and timeless design, who values the product not only for her aesthetics, but also for what is behind," he adds.

But the truth is that the target audience depends a lot on the firm.PAPP UV, a German company dedicated to producing frames of recycled wood grocer, Maraca sales commercial in Spain.

Transition designers

The designer Susana Álvarez argues that until a year ago she had always worked with standard fabrics because she felt that the sophisticated fashion line she carried could not produce it with an ecological genre."I really like the neoprene, which is the most pollutant,".

“In Euskadi I met a Portuguese sponsor who only worked with organic materials.He gave me a Jean fabric that I loved.I was casual and I had a color and versatility that they fell in love with me, ”argues Álvarez.This discovery was a turning point in his career.He assures that, although he will continue working with neoprene, his goal is to increase the use of organic tissue.

Online sale'

Álvarez believes that in Spain people in general are still little willing to pay sustainable design.“In northern Europe or Japan, for example, they have been with this model for many years, and people pay for it.I'm going to make my website in Spanish and English, because I can't afford to limit myself to Spain.Any brand that wants sustainable fashion has to open, ”he concludes.

Green Forest benefits, on the other hand, come above all from the sale online, although, González states: "Stores increasingly request the product".