Luxury ≠ Sustainable

It is a common misconception that because something is luxury, it is more sustainable. This is only partly true. Though it may seem the opposite of fast fashion because of the slow production luxury brands offer, this is not the case at all when it comes to fabric choices and labor rights.

Often, a higher price tag means better materials, though brands such as Louis Vuitton, Gucci, and Prada are selling clothes around $2,000 that are made of cotton that is not organic. As explained in my Harmful Fabrics post, cotton is not sustainable nor ethical because of the harmful chemicals that are being used to grow and produce the fabric. For a handful of luxury brands, you are paying for the brand name, not the material.

Other fabrics that Luxury brands use are such as viscose, silk, and cashmere. These fabrics aren’t all that sustainable when you look at the processes.

Viscose

Viscose is a type of rayon fabric that is made from wood pulp. The fabric acts much like silk and is just as soft. Viscose is derieved from cellulose which is a wood pulp from plants such as eucalyptus, beech, pine, bamboo, soy, or sugar cane. The cellulose is dissolved in a chemical solution so that the end product is a thick, pulpy substance. This is spun in fibers which then lead to threads. Throughout this process, 3,000 cubic meters of water are used per tonne of yarn and toxic chemicals are being sprayed on the plants itself. The chemicals are released into our air and our waterways. Though viscose itself is plant derived and 100% biodegradable over a year, the process in making the fabric is very harmful.

Silk

Silk is a more sustainable fabric so choose because it is biodegradable and a renewable source, though the process is lengthy. First, silkworms are boiled in water and killed to harvest their silk fibers. These fibers are produces by silkworms when they spin themselves into a cocoon in-order to become a silkmoth. The silkworms are stirred in the boiling water until the cocoons unravel. Around 3,000 silkworms are killed to make one pound of silk. Chemicals and pesticides are sometimes used in the process to grow the mulberry trees that the silkworms come from. Though silk is sustainable in the sense that it is biodegradable, it is not ethical.

Cashmere

Cashmere is a very well known fabric because it is long lasting and said to be three times as warm as wool. The fabric itself is the hair from many different breeds of goats. To harvest it, goats have to be sheared. Goats have very little fat so shearing them in early winter can be very harmful. These sheared goats can freeze to death and with climate change getting worse and worse, theirs is a growing issue. Changes in temperature is also leading to poor quality cashmere. These goats are not treated with care in this industry because they are just used for their hair. As they get older, their hair brittles and cannot be used anymore. This leads to them being slaughtered. It is estimated that four goats are used per one sweater and 109.5 liters of water is needed to make one dyed cashmere shirt. Though the fabric is very comfortable and long lasting, the harm being used on the goats is very unethical.