“How are we supposed to even wear all of that? It turns out, we don’t. Charity shops, textile warehouses and third-world marketplaces are overflowing with cheap, low-quality castoffs. The sad irony to this mess is that we’re not trashing the planet for beautiful pieces that make a meaningful contribution to our lives, we’re doing it for disposable crap that shouldn’t have been made in the first place. The pandemic has put a stop to all of that, at least for the time being. Hopefully, in the coming weeks and months we’ll take more notice of the new ideas that have been blossoming underground, perspectives that could help us to finally address fashion’s sustainability problem. Curated vintage shops that make old pieces feel new again; natural dyers drawing on ancient knowledge to create truly organic clothing; upcyclers turning castoffs into unique curiosities; resell apps connecting unwanted pieces with new buyers; and the rental services doing away with ownership altogether. These new perspectives challenge the idea that newer is always better. They’re about making more from less. That’s a message that burned-out creatives and exhausted shoppers need to hear.”