How to be a more considerate shopper without breaking the bank
Buying fewer clothes that will last longer can make you an eco-angel
Alyson Walsh, the considerate shopper
Credit: Claire Pepper
One question I am asked repeatedly is “why is sustainable fashion so expensive?” I’m sure that’s an issue on many readers’ lips as they study this photograph of me wearing a designer coat costing more than £700.
“When you consider the skills in play and stages involved – from the growing and collecting of the raw materials, to the dyers and weavers, to the designers, production teams and shippers – you understand just what it takes to create a garment,” says Alice Early, who designed the 100 per cent lambswool coat that’s woven in Yorkshire and made in London. “You also get an appreciation that to achieve the prices that we have become accustomed to expect, someone down the chain is usually getting exploited.”