sustained is here to help you develop the habit of checking your sustainability
we'll explore sustainability in online shopping without the guilt-tripping!
online shop as you normally would! we’ll pop in when you go to your cart.
answer our questions about what you’re buying. together, we can explore your store's sustainability policies and truly ask ourselves why we want to buy this piece.
at the end of our quick quiz, it’s up to you to decide whether to continue your purchase!
we are committed to helping the everyday consumer make more sustainable and conscientious decisions, all without sacrificing the fun in fashion.
sustained. this name reflects our dedication to constantly increasing our levels of sustainability when it comes to fashion. the first part (“sustain”) refers to our overarching goal of sustainability. the second part (“ed”) represents the educational aspect of our product, and the use of past tense quite literally indicates the growth we’re aiming for. joining the two parts, we hope to create a sustained (aka continuous) process of reflection and improvement.
the winged seed in our logo illustrates our vision in helping sustainable action take flight. seeds symbolize potential; each one holds so much capability for growth -- just like us. after planting the seeds of conscientious shopping, our product hopes to act as wings for your sustainability journey, providing encouragement and insight to lift you up!
ethical fashion
fashion that takes account for the working/living conditions of the people and animals in the entire production process of the piece. markers of ethical fashion are labor laws and anti-animal abuse laws
sustainable fashion
fashion that takes account of the environmental and socio-economic aspects of the products made. ideally, the process of making the clothes can be done again and again without causing extensive harm to the environment and/or the people affected by the manufacturing
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"ethical" fashion refers to the actions of the living beings and how they are treated.
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sustainable" fashion refers to the materials and how they are gathered.
fast fashion
clothing, accessories, and other styling products made in order to fit with quick and fleeting trends; products are usually made with low quality materials in order to ensure a low prices and keep up with the fast-changing markets
slow fashion
can take a holistic approach to ethical and sustainable fashion (in which buying less helps workers' or animals' rights be maintained or decreases the environmental impact of product production
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quantity over quality
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quality over quantity
linear system
refers to the usual life cycle of a product from materials to product to landfill
circular system
refers to a potential life cycle of a product that still has some use for a product beyond its commercial use; products designed not to be immediately thrown away; this can include recycling the products themselves or donating them to a person/organization that you know will use the product
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products are made to be thrown away
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products are made to be reused or recycled
greenwashing
when a company uses environmentalist concerns to advertise their products in order to give a false or misleading impression of caring for the environment; usually done "as a cover for products, policies, or activities" of the company
upcycling
when a consumer takes an old object that they own and repair them to make them reusable
check out the upcycling pinterest board that the sustained team made!
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companies lie about the ethics / sustainability of their product(s)
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consumers take what they own and make it more sustainable / long-lasting
click on the bolded titles to access the resource!
the "classic" definition of resources! there are videos to watch, articles to read, and organizations to learn about
all of the action is meant to cause change for yourself and hopefully lead you to the other type of resource below
youtube: shelbizlee
youtube: kristen leo
fashion revolution: fashion transparency index (2020)
these resources serve to give you a guide on how to take everything you have learned about ethical and / or sustainable and put it into action by changing your shopping habits on a consumer level or advocate for the cause on a government / legal level
letter or email draft to...
the renewal workshop partners with brands and retailers to renew their "unsellable" returns and excess inventory.
the mit undergraduate association committee of sustainability is in charge of various projects related to sustainbility including the following:
the mit infinite is a student-run magazine seeking to reframe art, politics, culture, and aesthetics through the lens of fashion.
sustained is made up of five college students who wanted to make sustainable shopping habits easy for other college students to develop. living near boston made us realize how prevalent fast fashion is on our campus.
the mit design for america (dfa) sustainable fashion team is a student-led organization dedicated to helping shoppers make conscientious purchases. we aim to empower individuals by facilitating awareness and fostering mindsets that promote sustainable shopping!
dfa-sustainable-fashion@mit.edu
made with ❥ by mit students
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