La Jolie MLN supports the move to sustainable fashion

Jun 3

Fashion & Sustainability

Remember those low-rise jeans you used to love? Replaced by the skinny, high-rise version; just a sexier update on Mom jeans if you ask me. Were you a lover of all things leopard print? Gone. How about all those bridesmaid dresses you were forced to wear to your friends’ weddings? Tossed I’m guessing. In 2020 alone, fashion trends that bit the dust included: mesh leggings, neon activewear, all-black outerwear, tiny wire sunglasses, one-piece swimsuits with cutouts, large logos on purses, miniature handbags, biker shorts and collarless jackets.

Ok, you get the point. The list of fashion items that go out of style is staggering. And this only adds to the impact fashion is having on the environment. Here are some interesting facts you need to know:

The volume of clothes Americans throw away has doubled in the last 20 years from 7-million to 14-million tons every year
In 2018 alone, 17 million tons of textile waste found its way to landfills
Textiles can take up to 200+ years to decompose
84% of clothing ends up in landfills or incinerators
In New York City alone, each year 400 million pounds of clothes are wasted

You can help us make a difference.

The fashion industry is stepping up with “Take-Back” programs where customers can bring back unwanted items in return for a gift card. A recent issue of Vogue reported this, “For a decade, the New York-based Eileen Fisher brand collected 220,000 items of used clothing, as of 2018. Clothing in pristine condition — about 60% of collections — is cleaned and resold under the Renew brand, while lightly damaged pieces are up-cycled into new items.”

Other leading brands are following suit, such as Patagonia, Levi’s, Madewell, Theory and The North Face. La Jolie MLN supports this movement. Our goal for 2021, our first year, is to donate 100 dresses to Dress for Success by the end of December. This global organization empowers women to achieve economic independence by providing a network of support, access to professional attire and educational tools to help women succeed in work and in life.

We will begin by dropping our first 25 dresses this June. We invite you to join us in this endeavor by donating used clothes or accessories that are in good shape.