I’m currently starting up the brand Circle of Sweden that creates ethical and sustainable minimalist fashion for today’s conscious women. Our goal? To make clothes produced under good working conditions and sourced from environmentally friendly materials the obvious choice by showing that it doesn’t have to come at the cost of style.

Fashion might seem like something superficial. It’s only about looks anyway, right? Something the absolute majority of us have in common is that we wear clothes. Even though we don’t always think about it, making our clothes requires labor and resources.

In fact, the textile world is estimated to be the second most polluting industry after oil. Oftentimes we have no idea about the origin of the garments we wear since supply chains are long and difficult to oversee. Full transparency of production processes is rare. This is something that needs to change.

What is sustainable fashion? Currently, it’s an unclear term – often used for advertising and greenwashing. To me, it means clothes made with respect for the environment, for consumers and the for people who make them. I realize that’s still a fuzzy definition which could mean different things to different people, but it’s very difficult to define an exact standard.

Trends within looks and clothing have always come and gone, but today clothes are discarded at a pace that’s absolutely ridiculous. As the fashion industry looks right now, it’s something I don’t want to be a part of, and deciding to work within that field was a difficult choice. Maybe that’s the best way to actually make a difference though, and I’m still passionate about style, creativity and aesthetics. To me, fast fashion embodies the overconsumption society of today very distinctly.

Have you seen the movie Fight Club? I love Tyler Durden’s famous quote: “Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate to buy shit we don’t need.” Obviously, this portrayal is extremely black and white and doesn’t apply to everyone. I realize that some people lead fulfilling lives with jobs they enjoy even though they consume more than they actually need. I’m not suggesting that we should all move out into the woods, live off home-grown potatoes and isolate ourselves from society, but I think we need to find a balance.

Clothes should be a form of art, self-expressionism and creativity. It still is in some cases, but we are so over-fed with an image of how to look that I think it’s difficult to say when the way we dress is an act of creativity, and when it’s about trying to live up to a template that society and us as individuals have formed together. I’m not interested in pointing fingers and blaming people or companies for this. There’s no point in trying to figure out who is responsible because it will only lead to a never-ending chicken and egg paradox. We’re all responsible for this negative cycle that we’re caught up in, and we can all help in changing it.

To me, a general mindset is the core issue here. Realizing that a constant pursuit of happiness through consumption is meaningless would probably be a good start for most of us. So how do we get there? I think the first step is taking responsibility for our own actions and our own way of living. Sometimes it’s easy and comfortable to blame politicians, big companies, your mother-in-law, God or just anyone except yourself. However, that’s not a very productive approach. Try to be the change you want to see, and stop focusing so much on everyone around you. It might be difficult, but I think it’s the only way to go.

Author

Fanny Von Hofsten has spent her life on boats. Now she’s diving into the world of fashion to create her own sustainable and transparent brand of clothing.

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