 sustainable fashion, and on my do's and don'ts of fabric content. This video will give you all the lowdown on which fabrics are better for the planet, affordable, and on top of all of that, where you can shop these looks on the high street. It can get really confusing trying to work out which fabrics are ethical and sustainable, and equally, which fabrics we should try and avoid. So I thought you might find this video helpful, just really breaking it down to those key facts, and of course, sharing the sustainable fashion that I found out there recently that I would happily add to basket. Organic cotton. Now, while I realize organic cotton can be slightly more expensive than ordinary cotton, it's so much more sustainable. It's really worth the pennies. While researching for this video, I've actually learned so much more along the way. Like the fact that cotton requires the equivalent of 900 days worth of water that one person needs just to make one T-shirt. And that's before we even start talking about insecticides. So it goes without saying, if it's within budget, try and go for the organic alternative wherever possible. And I found so many beautiful pieces made from organic cotton that are available to purchase now. As always, I shall link all of my favorites in the description box below. As one would hope, I do already have a couple of organic cotton pieces in my own wardrobe already. And in all honesty, I just love the feel of it against my skin. I think for those that have got particularly sensitive skin, I've got eczema, it is a great option because it's going to irritate you while at the same time, of course being better for the planet. And by showing our support with our purses, we will hopefully encourage more brands to go organic with their collections. Tensil, Lysel. So thinking about those everyday items we all like to have in our wardrobe. On sustainable fabric that we've all probably heard of is Tensil. Now I've noticed that 18M Premium and Conscious Collection already use this fabric a lot. And with good reason, not only does it fall beautifully in trousers or dresses, but it's so much better for the planet as well. Sometimes referred to as Lysel, I actually seek out Tensil items. And not just because it's much more environmentally friendly, but because I just love the feel of it. Now I've read a few articles about the price being a downside of Tensil or Lysel. But in all honesty, that's not something I've experienced personally. I bought a couple of pieces and I thought they were very affordable and really nice quality to match. It's all relative of course to what one considers affordable. But in my humble opinion, even if it was very marginally more expensive, it's absolutely worth saving your pennies to buy the more sustainable and higher quality options than anything to throw away. Ecovera. Ecovera is made using sustainable wood pulp from controlled sources. Compared to the traditional viscose, Ecovera causes 50% less emissions and takes up half as much energy to produce. It's fully traceable and certified by the FSC. It also has one of the most transparent supply chains out there from the farming of raw materials to production and distribution. Now in terms of the actual fabric, Ecovera is often compared to silk because it's got a very soft and floaty drape. It's also great at wicking away moisture, so really nice and breathable. And you can wash it just the same as any other viscose. Now Tensil, which you might have already heard of is actually been made from the same company making Ecovera. And although the latter is not as widely used as Tensil, I'm imagining over the next couple of years because of its sustainability and lovely feel as a fabric, it will actually overtake it in popularity. I forgot to mention actually one really important factor. You should try and get yourself into the habit if you're not already of checking every single fabric content label. Either if you shop online, it will 99% of the time say what that fabric has been made from. Or in store, of course, you can find the actual label on the garment. But beware, sometimes brands can be crafty and there's definitely a lot of greenwashing going on. Big labels everywhere, screaming 50% of this item has been made from organic cotton. But make sure you question, okay, that's great, but what's the other 50% been made from? Have they sneaked anything awful in there? Always worth checking. I do just want to quickly mention something that really plays on my mind every time I talk about sustainable fashion or ethical brands. If we all play a part and do our best to become a little bit more sustainable, keep chipping away at it, it will absolutely help. But try not to beat yourself up if you can't go the full hog and be 100% sustainable in everything you do. Fashion brands are bringing out sustainable ranges all the time, which is wonderful to see. But they do tend to be very slightly more expensive than say their normal range. And that's not always feasible for people every single time they shop. And I totally get that 100%. So my best advice is that we all try our best when we can. Thinking of another sector, I would like to only buy organic food for my family. However, there are five of us and that can get really, really expensive. So I integrate those options as often as I can and it's exactly the same with fashion. I'm mindful of the best fabrics to look out for every time I shop. I sort of have this mental list of fabric content going around my head, which I'm sharing with you all today. And when it's within budget, I will always opt for the most environmentally friendly option, but I'm not perfect, far from it. And sometimes there just isn't an alternative. So every bit helps. And I'm really confident as well that the prices will become more and more reasonable. The more that we push up that demand, which is absolutely something we can do together. Hemp. I sort of break quite the other day, that really made me laugh. That hemp is the straight and narrow sibling to its slightly trippy sister. And you know, when it comes to ethical and sustainable fashion, I think we could do with a bit more straight and narrow. It's the world's only naturally UV resistant fabric. It gives you warm when it's cold and cool when it's hot. And it has amazing antibacterial properties. In terms of the actual fabric, hemp feels a lot like cotton, or maybe more of a cotton linen blend. Being a really durable fabric, it does have that slight canvas feel to it, but it will get softer with every single wash. The downside of hemp is that the fibers can shed just a little bit the first few times that you wear it. Synthetic fibers shed microfiber pollution every single time you wash them, which is actually part of the problem. However, the shedding from hemp is not harmful to the environment, which is one of the major bonuses of it. The shedding is really a minor inconvenience that's totally fixable if you just wash that item a couple of times before you wear it. Econil. Now, one fabric I am very excited to see lots more of both in swimwear and the gym clothes would be Econil. It's already been used by the likes of Adidas and Stella McCartney as a sustainable alternative to other synthetics. Made from synthetic waste fabric, industrial plastic and even fishing nets from the ocean. The process of turning these items into a new fabric only requires high temperatures and steam, so no chemicals. It's a closed loop method which uses less water and creates less waste. And for every 10,000 tons of raw materials recycled into Econil, 70,000 barrels of crude oil are saved. One downside of course is that it isn't biodegradable. However, on the flip side, it can be recycled time and time again without losing any of the quality. And it feels exactly the same as regular nylon but without taking any more raw materials from the planet. Along with the likes of Stella McCartney, you can find everyday items made in Econil from the likes of Everlane, Arquette, H&M, Jade Swim and Mara Hoffman to name but a few. Peanut ex. When it comes to leather, we have a very exciting alternative just starting to reach the masses made from pineapple leaves. How amazing is that? First developed by Dr. Carmen Hijosa and presented at the Royal College of Art after seven years of research. Peanut ex. is created by filtering long fibers from pineapple leaves together. The pineapple industry alone produces 40,000 tons of waste each year. So firstly, it's making great use of that and the process requires no additional land, water, pesticides or fertilizers. Now in terms of the actual fabric, it has quite a distinctive looking crinkled effect. Although I've noticed that they've just released a smoother version as well. Now talking about all those amazing benefits, there isn't an awful lot of it just yet on the high street. However, I did find this limited edition handbag from the house of Marichi. The likes of Paul Smith have also been using this fabric for some of their men's shoes. A brand called Ne have a wonderful selection of vegan shoes and more specifically, they're using peanut ex for sandals like this, which I love. Deserto, thinking about shoes and handbags, another new commit to leather alternatives would be deserto. Making its way to our designers and high street all the way from Mexico. Deserto is made using the humble cactus plant. It's grown via rainwater and once mature, they're cut and dried in the natural sun on top of which the maker's farm is fully organic too. So there's no nasty herbicides or pesticides. They've worked with the likes of Karl Lagerfeld and H&M already. So you can expect great things from this fabric in the coming year or so, linen. We probably all know by now that linen is a very sustainable fabric, but it's definitely worth another mention because there are so many beautiful pieces around at the moment. And it's not just with the high end brands and independent designers. The high street have fully been embracing a lot of linen, particularly over the last six months or so. Gone are the days when we'd all worry about a bit of cruising with linen. I think we've all gotten over that now. And we're embracing this natural fiber for all the positives it offers. It drapes beautifully. It's hypoallergenic. It wears incredibly well, far better than cotton as it happens. And it's so breathable. It's one of my favorite fabrics to wear, particularly in the heat. Now in terms of sustainability, the fiber stems from the flax plant and these plants are very tough. They can grow in poor soil and they don't need a lot of water. And on top of that, linen is also recyclable, biodegradable and it doesn't require any pesticides. The don'ts. That was a long list of do's to get you started with your sustainable fabric list. I think the more I researched the more beautiful fabrics I found and that isn't even a complete list. There's definitely more to discover. But with the fear of making this video into a full on documentary, I will stop there and move on to a few fabrics that I would avoid. So topping my don'ts list would definitely be 100% polyester. It is essentially plastic made from a chemical reaction derived from fossil fuels, folded into filaments that are then made into a fabric. It's not biodegradable and can shed toxic microfibers every time you wash the item like we mentioned earlier. And on top of that, it's pretty awful to wear. The static is just ridiculous. And if you've ever had the pleasure of wearing 100% polyester blouse and going skateboarding, which I did, it will make you sweat a lot, which isn't pleasant for anybody. If your budget won't stretch further than polyester, then try and keep an eye out for recycled polyester alternatives instead. They require far less energy to produce and it reduces the use of those raw materials. Avoid plastic vegan leather. Now I've seen this far too often across the high street recently and they've got these big labels everywhere screaming vegan leather. But essentially what you're buying is a plastic handbag which is just naff and it's equally terrible for the planet. If you're looking for a leather alternative, I would keep your eyes peeled for those options I mentioned earlier. With the pineapple leaves and the cactus plants, they're a much more environmentally friendly option. I also tend to run a mile when I see acrylic on a washcare label. Like polyester, it derives from petroleum-based plastics and it can often be found in cheap jumpers and knitwear. And sometimes not even cheap knitwear. Expensive knitwear, but they're just being crafty. It's scratchy and itchy to wear. It will take hundreds of years to decompose. It's highly flammable and it will look rubbish in a couple of years at the latest. Other points to note would be to opt for the recycled option wherever possible. Specifically when thinking about wool, cashmere, and merino, et cetera. I love these types of knitwear, but of course you want to make sure they come from a kind and humane source. Wow, that was a lot of information squeezed into one YouTube video. But I really hope you found this video helpful and most of all that it's given you a really good rundown of all the do's and don'ts when it comes to fabric content for being a little bit more sustainable and ethical with your choices. The more I've educated myself about ethical fashion and fabrics, the more I become conscious about what I buy and who I buy it from. And you've no doubt worked really hard for those pennies you're taking out shopping. So it makes sense to spend them wisely. If you enjoyed this video, I would be very grateful if you could show your appreciation with a thumbs up. And if you're not already subscribed, I would really appreciate that too. Don't forget all the items I featured in today's video are linked in the description box below. Thank you so much for watching. Have a great week and hopefully you'll join me back here next Sunday with a very exciting styling video. See you then.