The Titian Thread
The month in fashion, condensed.
Hi Hey there!,
Let's talk about sizing. If you've ever bought clothes online, you've probably had to deal with the seemingly random way that brands size their clothing. Personally, I can be anything from a size 10 to 14, depending on the company. The issue is a lack of industry-wide sizing standards, and the implications for not only our self-esteem but the environment, are massive.
In one of my top story recommendations for the month, journalist Sophie Benson dives into how brands go about sizing (often fitting the garment to a sample size fit model then scaling it mathematically) and the myriad of issues this causes.
"Because we may attribute worth to certain numbers and deem others unattractive through society’s gaze...many will buy the size they know themselves to be rather than the size that fits, waiting until they can fit into it, adding to the £10 billion worth of unworn clothes already sitting in UK wardrobes," explains Benson.
A huge misconception I often come across is that when you return an online purchase, you expect that it'll be resold – that's not always the case. For big brands, it's an expensive logistical nightmare, so they take the much easier option of sending perfectly sellable clothing to landfills. It's a shocking waste of resources and a perfect example of how little certain brands think of the environment or the people who made those clothes.
So what can we do about it? Online, some companies are launching virtual fitting rooms and AR tools that show you a garment's fit, but I prefer to take the analogue approach of shopping IRL as much as possible. Buy from smaller brick and mortar businesses that will let you return an ill-fitting garment so it can be resold, or find your closest alterations shop to tailor your clothes for an even better fit. When in doubt, DM or email the brand to ask what they do with returns. Read Sophie's piece for Dazed to take a deeper dive into fashion's ill-fitting approach to sizing.
Until next time, hit the reply button to share your thoughts or feedback!
Meg X
Stories I Wrote
20 Sustainable and Ethical Australian Fashion Brands You Should Know for EcoCult
Australian fashion may be synonymous with swimwear brands—and with some of the best beaches in the world, that stereotype is true—but there’s so much more to the antipodean fashion industry than what’s seen by the rest of the world. It was such a pleasure getting to write this piece, finding amazing independent brands that are changing the perceptions of Australian fashion while keeping ethics and sustainability at the core of their businesses.
Watch: Old, New, Renewed – Sustainable Material Solutions for Graduate Fashion Week 2021
I've spent the better part of June as part of the tiny team that makes Graduate Fashion Week happen – it's a charity I've worked for on and off for three years and an event I love being involved in. As part of the GFW Live! Talks this year, I hosted a chat about sustainable materials - the good, the bad and the downright depressing. Joining me was Charlotte Turner, a sustainable textile expert, and Keith O'Brien of leading sustainable denim supplier ISKO. You can watch our conversation at the link above!
Stories I didn’t write
How Fashion’s Erratic Sizing is Fuelling a Clothing Waste Crisis by Sophie Benson for Dazed. What do you think happens to your ill-fitting returns? It's a common misconception that they end up back on the shop floor or online inventory, but the reality is much more grim.
Why You Should Care About Greenwashing - and How to Recognize It by Megan Falk for Shape. Greenwashing is pervasive and actually pretty hard to spot – this piece has some great advice for what to look for.
Secondhand Clothing Market Set to be Twice the Size of Fast Fashion by 2030 - the ThredUp 2021 Resale Report. Second-hand clothing is becoming more and more mainstream, but this report estimates that in the US, 36 billion items of clothing are still thrown away each year. A whopping 95% of that could be recycled or reused.
What is Your Fashion Utopia? by Faith Robinson for Fashion Revolution. I really enjoyed this thoughtful piece on spirituality and sustainability, and the power of manifesting change on a practical level.
Why the Next Part of the Sustainable Fashion Conversation Will Be About Racial Justice by Kayla Holliday for Vanity Fair. A truly sustainable fashion industry can only happen when the social impact on Black and Brown communities is taken as seriously as the environmental impact of fashion. This story is a must-read.
Sustainable Materials are a Vision of Fashion’s Future by Lauren Indvik for the Financial Times. There's a lot of money being poured into the development of exciting, innovative materials these days. Indvik explores the future of textiles in this FT piece.
9 Ways to Care for Your Clothes and Make Them Last for a Lifetime by Alex Sims for Stylist. Love a good practical listicle full of solid advice? Read this Stylist story about making your clothes last, because the most sustainable clothing is what's already in your wardrobe.
It’s Time That Love Island Broke Up With Fast Fashion – Before It's Too Late by Fedora Abu for Grazia. "No one expects Love Island to be a beacon of righteousness, but its recent commitment to contestants’ mental health suggests producers are willing to make changes when pressure is applied," says Abu.
A New Approach to Fashion Sustainability: Fixing Past Mistakes by Rachel Cernansky for Vogue Business. In the world of sustainability, we rarely talk about dirt. Model and activist Arizona Muse has launched a charity to foster conversations around soil degradation, biodiversity loss and regenerative agriculture.
The To-Do List
Fancy a fashion detox? If you missed Remake's No New Clothes Challenge, which started in June, the Slow Fashion Movement is launching its own 3-month challenge starting tomorrow! The goal is to rethink our relationship with clothing and consumption and fall back in love with what we own.
Earlier this month, sustainable fashion journalist Clare Press launched the newest addition to her Wardrobe Crisis offering (which already includes a book, podcast, and online platform) with a 6-week sustainable fashion 101 course! It's an affordable way to get up to speed on the industry, led by experts in the field.
Resale platform StyleSwap launches its beta version today! If your wardrobe is full of under-worn gems, you can become a seller, or follow and shop trend-setter's pre-loved pieces too. From what I've seen, StyleSwap has a really sleek user experience that makes shopping second-hand a breeze.
How can fashion designers be changemakers? I really enjoyed this fascinating panel talk hosted for the Sustainable Angle's Future Fabrics Expo. Listen to Orsola de Castro (Fashion Revolution), stylist Francesca Burns, and Nina Marenzi from the Sustainable Angle discuss the role of designers in pushing the sustainability message forward.