Madeira, Portugal (by James Dimas)

The Handmaiden + Romantic Lines

Bonus:

Slow Fashion and Greenwashing: Navigating the Ethical Mase of Sustainability

The fashion industry is shifting toward sustainability, driven by consumer demand for more ethical and environmentally friendly practices. At the forefront of this movement is slow fashion, a counter to the fast fashion frenzy that emphasizes quality, ethical production, and environmental responsibility. However, as more brands claim to be “green" or “sustainable,” greenwashing, the practice of making misleading or exaggerated claims about a product's eco-friendliness has also emerged. Understanding the difference between authentic sustainability efforts and greenwashing is essential for conscious consumers. 

What is Slow Fashion? 

Slow Fashion is all about buying less and buying better. Instead of constantly purchasing cheap, trendy clothes that wear out quickly, slow fashion asks us to invest in pieces that are: 

Made to last: High-quality materials and timeless designs that can be worn for years. 

Ethically produced: Workers are paid fair wages and work in safe conditions.

Environmentally friendly: Brands use sustainable materials like organic cotton or recycled fabrics and minimize waste in production. 

In short, slow fashion is not just about clothes - it is about changing how we think about consumption. It is a movement that promotes mindful shopping, encouraging us to connect more with the items we buy and their impact on the world. 

What is Greenwashing? 

Unfortunately, not all brands are honest about their sustainability efforts. Greenwashing happens when companies mislead customers by promoting their products as “eco-friendly” without actually making significant changes to how they produce them. This can look like: 

Vague claims: Words like “natural” or “eco-friendly” without any proof or specific details. 

Small gestures: A company might use organic cotton in one product line but continue using harmful practices in the rest of its operations.

Focusing on packaging, not production: They might offer biodegradable packaging but ignore the environmental damage caused by making the actual clothes. 

It is like a fresh coat of paint over a house that is falling apart - it looks good on the surface, but underneath, nothing has changed. 

An example of greenwashing is the H&M Conscious Collection. The collection launched in 2019, aiming to offer more sustainable fashion options. The brand claimed to use materials such as organic cotton, recycled polyester, and circulose. However, investigations and lawsuits have raised questions about the authenticity of H&M's sustainability claims (Ponte 2023). 

Misleading Environmental Scores: A Quartz investigation revealed that H&M's self-reported environmental scores were often inaccurate or inflated. The company used the Higg Index, a sustainability certification system, but the scores were sometimes misleading or incorrect (Ponte 2023). 

Class-Action Lawsuit: H&M faced a class-action lawsuit in the USA, alleging that its marketing of the Conscious Collection was misleading (Shendruk 2022). The lawsuit claimed that H&M's advertising falsely represented the sustainability of its products, leading consumers to believe they were purchasing environmentally friendly clothing. 

Recycled Polyester Controversy: The lawsuit also pointed out that the recycling used in the Conscious Collection was not as sustainable as claimed. Once plastic bottles are converted into clothing, they often end up in landfills or incineration, which is not environmentally friendly (Wright 2023). 

In conclusion, the H&M Conscious Collection shows how tricky it is to be sustainable in fast fashion. While the company is making efforts, accusations of greenwashing highlight the need for honesty and real action, not just marketing claims. 

How to Spot Authentic Slow Fashion Brands? 

Here are a few tips to help you identify genuine slow fashion brands from those just greenwashing: 

Look for Transparency: Honest brands will tell you where their clothes are made, who made them, and what materials they used. They will also share details about their supply chain and environmental impact. 

Check for Certifications: Look for third-party certifications like Fair Trade, Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), or OEKO-TEX, which verify that the brand meets a high standard of environmental and ethical practices. 

Buy Fewer, Better Items: True slow fashion brands encourage mindful consumption. They will focus on creating high-quality, long-lasting pieces rather than pushing constant new collections or sales.

How can We Do? 

As consumers, we have more power than we realize. Here is how we can help move the fashion industry in the right direction: 

Buy Less: Focus on buying pieces that you love and will wear for years. Avoid fast trends and impulse buys. 

Choose Secondhand: Thrift shopping or buying from secondhand platforms extends the life of clothes and reduces waste. 

Support Ethical Brands: When you do buy new, choose brands that are transparent and truly committed to slow fashion values. 

Educate yourself: The more you know about sustainable fashion, the better choice you can make. Stay informed about brands' sustainability practices, and do not be afraid to ask questions.

Conclusion: Your Choices Matter

Slow Fashion is not just a trend. It is a movement that can help save our planet. By choosing to support ethical, sustainable brands and avoiding those who greenwash, we can all make a difference. It is about buying smarter, wearing longer, and caring more. 

In the end, fashion is a reflection of who we are, and by making conscious choices, we can show that we care about the environment, the people who make our clothes, and the world we live in. 

Let's wear our values ​​​​proudly !!!!!!!

Reference list

Ponte, C 2023, ‘The H&M Greenwashing Scandal: Has Business Learned the Lesson?’, Impakter, viewed <https://impakter.com/hm-greenwashing-scandal-has-business-learned-the-lesson/>.

Shendruk, A 2022, ‘USA: H&M faces “greenwashing” class-action lawsuit over alleged misleading & false marketing of “sustainable” clothing line’, Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, viewed <https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/usa-hm-faces-greenwashing-class-action-lawsuit-over-alleged-misleading-false-marketing-of-sustainable-clothing-line/>.

Wright, M 2023, 'Greenwashing, or Conscious Shopping?: H&M's Controversial Sustainable Efforts - JOULE', JOULE , viewed <https://sites.law.duq.edu/joule/greenwashing-or-conscious-shopping-hms-controversial -sustainable-efforts/>.

Papaaa phantom and rain are flirting on stage again 😪

compilation of this type of post

People saying, “I’m starting to see where Luke is coming from.”

That’s the point. That has always been the point. That Luke’s emotions were valid, and he would have never done what he had done if the gods had just not been dicks.

He was actually right in the sense that a system had to change, but the things he did and the people he entrusted with changing the system were bad.

MOREEEE 👹👹

The cats playground

Sorry, it's my headcanon, they're like cats... demon-cats, nothing more to say, bye

aeon doesn't know what a nightmare/night terror is until he witnesses someone in his pack waking up screaming crying from one, and it freaked him out so badly that every night that they're all sleeping together he'll just be sitting in their heads, watching out for the bad dreams so he can push them away, the quintessence travelling in a steady flow through everyones minds - but everyone can smell him doing it and tell him he doesn't have to because it wears him out so much but he's too upset by the idea of bad memories coming for people in their sleep that he refuses to stop so when they have sleepovers the den will stink of aeons magic until someone else uses their element