The first time I went to a geek convention, my eyes were filled with admiration before all the cosplays (people dressing in their favorite characters, and who usually make their own costume). I was so amazed, I decided to do the same. My first project was a very poorly-made circle skirt which took me ages to make, but I was so proud!
But the more I sew, the more I learnt about fast fashion and its dreadful consequences on so many levels. Quickly, my hobby became some kind of craftivism, and since then I've tried to make more and more garments for my everyday wear.
But there are those who take it to the next level.
When she is not travelling, Margaux sew her clothes herself. ALL of them, from skirts, underwear and even bags.
Want to discover other ways of being a sustainable fashionista? Click on the links below!
"One can't change the world with a piece of fabric, but it’s better to try than doing nothing."
- Margaux
When she is not hitting the roads of Asia or biking throughout Europe, Margaux is a french blogger, youtuber, and owns a patterns company. Between her nomad way of life and her busy professional life, she still finds the time to sew her own garments. Apart from the joy of sewing and the pride of wearing her creations, this practice helps her meet her environment values.
"I could sew and I loved it, and I wanted to go further in my environmental values. In July 2016, I decided to sew all my wardrobe, to better know the origins of what I wear and place myself against this industry of over consumption and workers abuse."
And she knows what she is talking about, for she has witnessed these behaviours during several professional experiences.
"One would tell me to buy Indian leather because it's cheaper. The companies didn’t care if it would destroy a people and be toxic for the clients because of how cheap it is to make. I was also told things like : "Let’s brand this product “Made in France", and actually produce it locally for a year, and then secretly change the location of the production. People will still think it’s produced here and we will make a better profit.” After this, I decided to act for myself. Nobody is perfect but I’d rather do small things than nothing."
And she tries to be even more conscious about her craft, by trying to find the most sustainable materials she can.
"If I can, I buy organic fabrics but even the organic labels needs to be improved. A lot of my stock comes from countries that do not respect quality production or human rights. I try, at my level, to change this."
If organic labels were once something you could blindly trust, it is not the case anymore. Indeed, it is hard to tell what a label truly means, because some have stricter conditions than others. Some even hide a hard lie. This is the case of the clothes labelled with BCI (Better Cotton Initiative). They are supposed to be made out of a textile which has less pesticides, but Cash Investigation (the french leading investigation program) found that the ouzbek cotton was still as full of pesticides as any other. And in any case, organic textile production represents less that 1% of the production.
But some brands do have very good initiatives, such as Thread International, which recycles plastic and transform it into clothes or fabric, which you can buy for your creations.
However, sewing your whole wardrobe can be a real challenge: Margaux admits there are still some items she has to buy:
"The only things I buy are very technical to make like travel bags or sportswear. And since I'm a huge traveler and I bike, I need these things."
To share her experience, spread awareness and incite other people to join her, tow years ago she created a Facebook group called "Défi No Shopping 1 an" (Challenge No Shopping 1 year), which challenges people to not buy any new clothes for a year, and instead sew everything. I happily joined it back then (it was a fail, but baby steps!). People share their projects and talk about sustainability. Some people even sew the clothes of their whole family!
This little incentive is part of a bigger trend called the Maker Movement, defined as "the umbrella term for independent inventors, designers and tinkerers. [...] The creations, born in cluttered local workshops and bedroom offices, stir the imaginations of consumers numbed by generic, mass-produced, made-in–China merchandise." (Atmel, TIME) This movement is not just a gathering of DIYers of different horizons, as it have a tangible economical impact: the Maker Movement generates $29 billions in the US economy each year. Very important in the USA (135 millions people are considered makers), it even has its own magazine.
Besides a challenge that sometimes can be hard to fulfil, Margaux doesn't regret her choice.
"It's sometimes frustrating because I’m very busy with my professional life so I don’t sew as much as I wish. But I like the feeling of deserving what I am wearing because I made it. I love wearing my creations: for my trip in Vietnam, I was very happy to wear an original swimsuit compared to the massed-produced ones that look like one another on the beach."
And if you think a needles and threads are definitely not your friends, Margaux has a last advice for you:
"Give it a try! We all have failed projects, but it's fine! Everybody does what they can and it has to be fun."
Time to come back to the sewing machine.
Sustainable Fashion is a vast subject about which there are much more to say. I only talked about four solutions among the dozens that exist: 3D printing, activism...
Since this subject is very important to me, I would like to continue this investigation to introduce even more solutions.
So if you wish to participate, don't hesitate to contact me on Twitter!
Find all the video interviews on Youtube!
Want to discover other ways of being a sustainable fashionista? Click on the links below!
