best health AUGUST | SEPTEMBER 2019 75
BUILD A SUSTAINABLE WARDROBE
It’s easy to weave eco-minded values into your look | by INGRIE WILLIAMS
AT THE 2019 CANADIAN ARTS
& Fashion Awards gala, Sarah Jay
wore a pink polyester quilted bed-
spread and matching lace-trimmed
curtains – and she looked amazing!
“It was important to feel authentic,
equipped and empowered on that
night, when I was being recognized
for my work, and to wear reused
textiles,” says Jay, a Toronto-based
fashion director, sustainability
consultant and filmmaker who
was nominated for the Fashion
Impact Award.
A trip to Value Village delivered
the goods, and help from her local
seamstress, Michelle Turpin at
Tailoress, transformed them into a
strapless cocktail dress and f low-
ing pants. “A good tailor can tweak
things to get that perfect fit, and fit
is what elevates your style,” she
says. Intent on designing separates
to be worn in multiple ways rather
than a single garment, Jay prac-
tises mindfulness in her pursuit of
sustainable fashion. “A lot of people
don’t realize – or stop to thinkabout – where fashion really comes
from and all the people who are
involved in the supply chain,” she
says. “We’ve lost touch with the
fact that there’s a large agricultural
component – the fibres are often
grown on a farm. And one of the
biggest issues is the water it takes
to turn out textiles.” For Jay, sec-
ond-hand shopping ranks high as a
significant way to reduce your
fashion footprint.
In the traditional retail realm,
your consumer power can support
sustainability. “We started making
f leece jackets and pants out of
recycled polyester in 1994,” says
Wendy Youds, senior director of
product design and production at
MEC. “We’ve been challenging
ourselves to do better for a long
time.” Today, growing collections
of Fair Trade Certified and Blue-
sign garments affirm an ongoing
commitment.
At the fast-fashion level, H&M is
stepping up. “To use our inf luence
to bring systemic change to theentire fashion industry is one of
our greatest missions, from
improving the livelihoods of people
working in our suppliers’ factories
to encouraging our customers to
recycle their clothes to becoming
climate positive by 2040 through-
out the entire chain,” says Karen
Richter, press communications
manager for H&M Canada. In
2018, 667,000 pounds of donated
clothing were collected in Cana-
dian stores. Globally, more than 50
percent of all materials
used to make the
brand’s products are
now recycled or sus-
tainably sourced.
The goal is to reach
100 percent by- bh
Sustainably crafted
inside and out, these
streamlined flats fea-
ture breathable knit
eucalyptus fibres
and sugarcane-
based foam soles.
ALLBIRDS FLAT SHOES, $135Bluesign approved
- that is, created
with a reduced en-
vironmental impact
on raw materials,
energy, water and
air emissions.
MEC DRESS, $65
An environmental
and ethical leader,
this Aussie-based
label supports
vulnerable women
in the Cambodian
garment industry.
OUTLAND DENIM JEANS,
$245VALUE VILLAGE, BUT
MAKE IT FASHION!
JAY’S CAFA GALA
DESIGN WAS INSPIRED
BY THE COLOUR
AND TEXTURE OF
HER SECONDHAND
FINDS.A pretty print and
keyhole neckline –
who knew recycled
polyester could
look so chic?
H&M BLOUSE, $35Flyknit technology
reduces waste: This
garment is made
from two pieces of
material, while a more
traditional style can
use up to 41 pieces.
NIKE SPORTS BRA, $10 0STYLE HOW-TO
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