We live in a world of abundance! In a world where we can get anything we want at the click of a button, why would you want to choose anything else, right? We are also constantly receiving messages that make us feel like we are missing out, need to fit in with a group, or feel like this “new” thing will fill our cup. And yes, I am guilty of falling for all of these messages. When I started to connect the dots and found out that all of these messages had something in common, my mind was blown! I couldn’t believe it was happening to me. Let me take you through my walk to discovering fashion sustainability.

As I shared in the Voyage San Antonio article, I was the eldest child and typically the first born child can tend to be a “perfectionist”. That can show up as always wanting things to be perfect. For me, that looked like striving to be my best and looking my best. No pressure right? Over time, that led to a shopping habit. It became my hobby, like “Shopping is my Cardio.” But post Covid, a physical move, and other challenging times, I found myself staring at racks of clothes, wondering, "Why do I have so much stuff?"

That’s when I started to rethink my relationship with fashion. My curiosity led me towards the key words “sustainable” and “circular” fashion. These are some statistics I discovered: 

• More than 100 billion garments are produced annually, exceeding the world’s population.  

• Approximately 85% of clothing ends up in landfills, burned, or dumped.

• The Fashion Industry emits ~2% to 8% of all carbon emissions, globally.

• Women are the majority of the labor working in factories making less than a living wage.

• Over 80% of our clothes are made of polyester and some “forever chemicals”.

Yikes, that was enough for me to dig in and want to know more. Through my research, I finally found a place where I could find out more. It was a conference called The Sustainable Fashion Forum. I took PTO from work and journeyed to Portland on my own to pursue a calling, although I did not know it at the time. Let me tell you that it was an eye opener! I finally had found a group of people who were knowledge and seeking to share /learn from each other about sustainable fashion. Meeting designers, manufacturers, retailers and so many others that were talking about Sustainable Fashion was inspiring. I instantly felt drawn to the subject and wanted to find out how I could be a part of this. It took some mental processing, looking at financials and lots of support, but I made the decision to pursue my own way. I was going to use my love of fashion as a force for good. 

But where to start? I had to figure out the who, what, where, when and why of my idea for starting a business and some basic definitions. If you look up the definition for sustainability, you may find many different definitions as there is no standard. A simple definition of Sustainability is: efforts to design, produce and sell fashion in a way that is friendly toward the environment, the workers, and being mindful of what you buy. Bottom line is that this affects your — wallet, habits, politics, climate change, politics, behavior, psychology and the list goes on. Take a deep breath, it is a lot to digest at one time, that’s why we call it a “walk” or journey.

Remember, all those messages that I mentioned at the beginning, the ones that started to make me curious about what they all had in common? My course from the University of Arts London, UAL, in Fashion Psychology revealed that how we behave, socialize, and relate in the world can be messaged in a way that drives us to shop. Brands and retailers know this and can target their audience like with catchy Superbowl ads to drive your actions. And it works! Here is an example, do you notice how after a pizza commercial, you suddenly want pizza?

The wheels started turning in my head about what I wanted to offer and why. I love fashion and style AND I believe we can do better. If I can learn how to be more sustainable in my wardrobe through color and style, then I can offer this valuable service to others to improve their confidence, style image and sustainability. I believe that if we know the colors and styles that suit us best, then we can be mindful of the choices we make and love our unique style. 

Now, I offer color analysis and styling services for busy women who are going through transitions in life, want to level up their style, and simplify their life. My purpose to share knowledge that helps people look good, feel good and do good.  

What I am doing now:

• Offer color analysis, styling services and closet edit to promote understanding of personal style and make mindful choices

• Volunteer with Dress for Success San Antonio, that allows me to provide styling services to those seeking economic independence.

• Participate and host local sustainable events. Joined Remake, a non-profit fighting for fair pay and climate justice within the clothing industry. 

This is just the beginning of my journey towards sustainable and circular fashion. If we each tell one person, then we can start a worldwide conversation about sustainable and circular fashion!

I invite you to get curious about fashion sustainability. Follow me @circularfashionconnection as we learn new tools and build new habits that promote sustainable fashion.

Borrowed from a friend, “I am cookie dough; I am not done yet.” Remember, we're not done yet. We're constantly growing, learning, and evolving on this journey towards a more sustainable future.