One of the summer’s biggest trends is the dropwaist dress. Here are tips choose a sustainable dress and 8 of TWF picks.
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Fashion loves to switch it up with trends, hem lengths, and “it” items of the season. Summer 2024 is no different. Last year may have been the summer of mini dresses and thigh-grazing hemlines. This year, waists are dropping low, and midi hemlines are in. This new silhouette of is a nod to the by-gone era of 1920s glamour, when similar styles were trending. Yet, this time around, the classic dropwaist dress emerging as this year’s summer silhouette, is less Great Gatsby and more minimal and modern.
From shoes to dresses, The Wellness Feed aims to research and share sustainably and ethically made items. This ethos holds in our recommendations for a dropwaist dress. Polyester, a man-made fabric, is one of the most commonly used materials in the world. It’s also a plastic-based material that uses an estimated 342 barrels of oil yearly in production and is a leading contributor to microplastics polluting our water resources. To move away from plastic fabrics, the dresses recommended in this article are made from cotton or plastic fabrics like tencel. The exceptions are the two dresses from Rent the Runway. Since these dresses are being rented they fit into a reduce and reuse model, which is also one solution to the overconsumption model of fast fashion.
Everyday Ways To Prevent & Reduce Microplastics & Ocean Pollution
Free People has partnered with the Better Cotton Farming Initiative to improve cotton farms, in particular those that are small-scale worldwide. They’ve developed partnerships with other organizations and foundations to host ocean cleanups, reduce their use of plastic materials, and invest in upcycling. You can read more about their initiatives in their parent company- Urban Outfitters, Impact Report.
J.Crew has also published its Impact Report highlighting its initiatives to reduce using plastic-based materials like polyester, invest in regenerative agriculture, engage in responsible sourcing under the California Transparency Act, and limit waterproof chemicals in their clothing.
The brands featured on this list were chosen for their sustainable and ethical commitments and initiatives. Although considered mainstream brands, each is altering its sourcing and production models to reduce carbon emissions, chemical use, and contributions to microplastics. At the end of the day, if we’re going to slip into one of fashion’s latest trends, we’d rather do it making the best choice possible supporting sustainable initiatives.
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