Brooke Bowlin

Sustainable Fashion

 

 Sustainable Fashion

Sustainable fashion should be accessible. As it is rising in popularity and seen as a necessary path forward, its definition is getting more muddled. With my current work and past business, I’ve worked to educate and de-mystify what sustainability really is. Here you’ll find the aggregation of my work around sustainable fashion and resources I’ve created to help make sustainable fashion easier.

Nuance Required

It’s impossible to separate nuance from a pursuit of a sustainability. When it comes to us, as individuals, we are all so different. We all have very personal experiences, needs, accessibility— there’s not going to be one right way forward as individuals. Then you take a global issue like the climate crisis & a global industry like fashion and you’re dealing with different approaches and geographies and demographics and socioeconomic positions. There’s no way you can have one right way forward or one perfect path to sustainability. All of these issues are complex and require us to approach them with nuance because there’s no other way to talk about them that actually addresses the full scope of the issues and the solutions. That’s why I’ve started a new website Nuance Required devoted to the exploration of sustainability. It is complemented by my bi-weekly newsletter of the same name that digs more in-depth into some of the more complex topics in the industry.

Content Creation

See my sustainable fashion Instagram account @secondhand.sustainability for highlights on industry happenings, education on the need for sustainability, and practical tips on a daily basis.

As individuals, we don’t have to try to move mountains, but there’s always something within our power to do. To end exploitation in fashion: - We can use our shopping habits - We can hold brands accountable via public pressure, contacti
The accessibility of thrifting 👡 (Full article in bio) ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Shopping secondhand has long been touted as an affordable way to shop sustainably. And I do agree with that. But, there are still things to keep in perspective— it’s not a
There is power in consumer demand. Businesses are tracking exactly what their customers are shopping. And they take note when there are shifts in behavior, and they seek to understand why there is a shift. And then they act accordingly and change to

My Sustainability Background

I’ve been working in sustainable fashion since 2018 when I first opened my secondhand clothing store. In confronting the excess of fashion consumption firsthand through my store, I realized the importance of education in creating a cultural shift in fashion and in addressing the climate crisis. As I learned more about sustainability, it became clear to me that these conversations weren’t possible without a nuanced perspective. We have to be able to hold multiple truths and accept the complexities of the issues we are trying to solve. Since starting my first business, it has been my goal to make sustainability more accessible and one of those avenues is through thoughtful conversation and education.

My first sustainable fashion business, Thrift 251, started as a way to make it easier to get rid of your clothes. As I learned more about the industry, it evolved into a mechanism to creatively reduce waste, divert clothing from landfill, and explore responsible clothing disposal. After 3 years in business, I decided to close the business due to moving states, life transition, and making room for growth in a second business.