Discover sustainable fashion at Camberwell Sunday Market

Australians are in the grip of a toxic relationship with fast fashion. Fashion is a great way to express our personalities to the world – and fast fashion is a cheap and easy way to update our looks. Yet fast fashion also comes at a huge cost to the environment.

It has resulted in what’s known as the sustainable fashion movement; a movement that’s being embraced by Camberwell Junction.

Every piece of clothing manufactured has a huge environmental impact. Fast fashion is often produced overseas, in countries that have low environmental standards. A large amount of energy and water goes into its production, and additional carbon is emitted transporting it into Australia and to stores.

Fast fashion is not made to last, which means we buy more of it, more often, exacerbating the problem. Then, the items are sent to landfill, creating another environmental issue.

It’s estimated that every year every Australian acquires and throws out 23 kilograms of clothing and textiles. Ninety per cent of this ends up in landfill.

So bad is fast fashion to the environment that recently clothing textile waste was added to the National Priority Waste List alongside electronics, and plastic oil containers.

The good news is, at Camberwell’s Rotary Sunday Market and the Camberwell Junction shopping precinct, you can still indulge your love of fashion and also be part of the sustainable solution. Here’s how.

Find sustainable fashion at Camberwell Sunday Market

The Camberwell Sunday Market is where fashion lovers go to indulge their passion, knowing it’s not doing a scrap of damage to the environment.

Pre-loved fashion purchased from the Camberwell Sunday Market has practically no carbon footprint, because no new manufacturing has occurred.

Even better, every time an item is resold, its original carbon footprint is halved. Yet, that’s not the only reason people love sustainable fashion at Camberwell Sunday Market.

Savvy fashion lovers with an eye for sustainable fashion know that Camberwell Sunday Market is a great place to pick up a unique or vintage piece, whether it’s a cocktail dress from the 1970s for your next event, a sassy ‘80s jumpsuit as an alternative to fast fashion activewear, or a stunning scarf that draws out your inner Audrey Hepburn.

Find sustainable fashion in Camberwell Junction shopping precinct

Op shops, like the Salvos, are another great place to pick up one-of-a-kind sustainable fashion pieces and pre-loved garments while having fun searching for hidden fashion treasures.

Of course, it could be that the great pre-loved fashion item you find isn’t a perfect fit – and that’s why a key asset to choosing sustainable fashion is having a great tailor on speed dial.

Alter It is Camberwell Junction’s specialist clothing tailor that turns your great fashion find to a great fashion fit. Altering clothes is also a great way to extend the life of existing items in your wardrobe, eliminating the need to purchase more.

Fashion trends are often about the new, so when you do shop for new items, make sure the store you purchase from has a strong sustainability commitment.

Witchery, for example, enforces on manufacturers a strict Environmental Code of Practice for the dyeing, printing and finishing of clothing, and Decjuba has committed to sourcing 100 per cent sustainable cotton and reducing their water use in manufacturing denim.

Camberwell Junction shopping precinct offers everything you need to shop sustainable fashion, but if you really want to up your sustainability game, consider your choices when shopping. Refusing plastic bags, and walking, cycling or catching public transport to Camberwell Junction can make a significant difference to the health of the planet.