By Environment Team members Anne van Oorschot, AWC The Hague; Alexandra Vo, AWG Paris & FAUSA; Valerie Garforth, FAUSA; Jocelyn Fitzgerald, AILO of Florence; Ayuska Motha, AIWC Cologne; Meenakshi Advani, AIWC Mumbai; Sheila Doucet, AAWE Paris; Amanda Drollinger, AWC Central Scotland
The fashion industry has a disastrous impact on the environment. In fact, it is the second largest polluter in the world, just after the 
oil industry. In most of the countries where garments are produced, untreated toxic wastewater from textile factories is often dumped directly into the rivers. Another major source of water contamination is the use of fertilizers for cotton production which heavily pollutes runoff waters and evaporation waters. The fashion industry is also a major water consumer for the growing of natural fibers plus the dyeing and finishing process for all of our clothes. Manmade fabrics come with their own set of problems: every time you wash a synthetic fabric, microparticles are released into the water, eventually making their way to our oceans. The fashion industry spends a lot of energy telling all of us what the latest styles and colors are – the “must haves” for this year and the new trends.
Then there is “fast fashion” – chains like Forever 21, H&M, Old Navy and Zara that sell clothes so cheaply that people can afford to buy in quantities hard to fit in their closets. “Fast fashion” clothes are often manufactured in low-wage countries like China and usually use cheap, synthetic materials and rudimentary manufacturing processes. The simple fact is that much fast fashion doesn’t survive more than a few washings.
What to do? Going around naked isn’t a real option, and while there are things you can do to lessen the environmental footprint of your clothing choices, none of them are ideal. The Environment Team would like to propose a different solution: embrace VINTAGE! The Members of the Environment Team would like to share their stories of vintage with you as an inspiration to embrace this great trend!
Ayuska: One of my favorite “vintage pieces” is this green fleece I bought back in the late 80s out of my first paychecks. Fast forward to the 2020s and now both my children are so eager for me to give it to either of them… to the point of offering all kinds of “payment.” But I am staying strong and holding on to my old green fleece for as long as I can!
Sheila: My all-time FAVORITE vintage piece of clothing: an authentic pair of navy blue heavy, 
coarse woolen, 13-button US Navy wide-legged sailor pants. I purchased these sometime during high school circa 1975–76 from a friend’s brother’s friend who was in the 
navy. These are the real McCoy, and I LOVE these pants! I am still able to fit them because of their “hidden magic”– an ingenious gusset located on the waist which allows one to expand the waist at will.
Alexandra: Attached is a photo of my dress that I wore in my twenties before I had children. It was always a tad long on my 5'3" frame but I managed with really high heels. Except that this photo (left) is not of me but of my daughter. For her senior year HS dance, she didn’t want to buy a new dress that she would rarely use. She’s 5'8", but with the hem down and the fabric being slightly stretchy, I think she looks great. In fact, the last time I wore this dress, it was also snug on me because I was 3 months pregnant. Full circle.
Valerie: Here are two photos of me in my jacket, first taken in the 1990s in Zurich at one of our tree planting projects, when it was already old, and the second one taken a week or so ago in our back garden! Still holding up (me included)!
Meenakshi: This is a photo of me in a silk dress, hand embroidered with beads that I designed more than 15 years ago and still have and wear. 
The handmade bamboo lamp with cotton khadi cloth was designed by an intern who worked for me many years ago. We haved used this in our country home with LED lighting and love it...
Ayuska: I bought these boots 15 years ago while in Rome and love them. I have had them resoled many times, and they are still so comfortable and my favorite boots to this day. I have worn them several times a week during every winter since I bought them! A great tip is to find your local cobbler and take good quality shoes in for repair. You can keep them forever and support a small, local family business in the process.
During the pandemic I could not go to shops to try on new pants. I did order a pair on the internet but they did not fit well and I 
realized that I just wanted my old pairs to be repaired. So I took three pairs of my jeans to the tailor in our neighb
orhood and he did this to them. They are as good as new and I can still wear them over and over. And I was able to support a small local business right after the tough pandemic times. He had so much to do since so many people were doing the same thing, showing that we do not need to keep buying new things, just repair what we have when they need mending. They really do look vintage!!
Anne: I am 5’11” which means I was taller than most kids my age growing up (certainly most of the boys!). My Grandma Martha was a sewer and made me flannel nighties that were like a hug to wear and extra-long so they went all the way down to the floor! I wore each one until the fabric in the elbows became transparent and even put patches on one nightie. My Grandma died in 1994, and I am down to my last nightie. :-( Fortunately, I inherited her pattern so can continue to have my favorite sleepwear.
“New” clothes shopping at Thrift stores is also popular with many on the Team. Valerie’s husband does the majority of his clothes shopping at Goodwill and finds good looking tweed jackets and ties that he uses for his many work meetings – video and live. Anne’s daughter (left) is an also an avid thrift store shopper and frequents shops in England, the Netherlands and in the US every time she visits. Her favorite coat, jeans and striped shirt are vintage finds.
Clothes aren't the only things that are great as vintage items! Read on for a few more examples of why we LOVE VINTAGE!
Amanda: Facebook recently shared a memory with me from 2003 during the NYC blackout when I had gone to the beach. In the photo is my nalgene water bottle, purchased in 1995 when I started backpacking the Appalachian Trail on the East Coast and through the Rockies in New Mexico and Colorado. I have many backpacking water bottles because you have to carry at least a gallon of water with you at all times, but this was and is my personal water bottle that I have drunk out of (the others would refill this bottle to prevent contamination).This water bottle is still with me. Having hiked around 10,000 miles in wildernesses on four continents so far, as well as an unknown number of city miles, it looks a little different now – as do I – but it still works. It’s not just about buying reusable water bottles; it’s about buying the right one for you. (I’ll point out that in the beach photo there are a lot of other single-use plastic bottles; they are still around too, but probably not in a useful capacity.)
Jocelyn: In 2002 the FAWCO conference was held in Florence, and I was in charge of the goodie bags for all attendees and guests. I knew a lot of manufacturers in Tuscany and asked Vanny of Il Bisonte if he would make the FAWCO bags for us. They were made in a very strong yellow cotton, zip front pocket and leather straps... and he donated them to us! They are still being used today and 
have not lost their shape, still look good, and I use mine frequently as it is a good size to hold documents and even heavier items. It’s still sturdy and serviceable! I also have a favorite bag which I bought from one of the first Il Bisonte collections. I think this dates back to around 1980, and it still looks good. So buy less, but buy quality items – they will last longer and maintain their original look!
I am also a cook – like most people living in Italy – so I spend time in the kitchen preparing food. I love this heavy duty stainless steel potato masher, which can also be used to make a type of pasta similar to spaghetti. A lot of older-style kitchen equipment has been replaced by machinery, but using the traditional tools feels very authentic and still works beautifully.
Meenakshi: I personally think that recycled and refurbished furniture is a wonderful conservation practice. When we were back in Mumbai, India (2006/07) due to work and family, I 
started a furniture refurbishing studio along with my vintage clothing showroom. Picking up pieces from the local street and putting them together to create mainly tables – also using natural materials, such as bamboo and tiles to create tables. This was a very new concept in 2007–2009, especially during the time when India was at its peak of imports from the west, as well as the philosophy of “you are cool and fashionable if you and/or your home looks straight out of New York.”
Our club members would regularly advertise their departure and sell their furniture for very reasonable prices, and this got circulated back into the expatriate community quite regularly and systematically. A terrific practice to encourage.
Two of my favorite pieces from my home are my Mom’s Singer sewing machine stand – now made into a side table, possibly 50 years old. The copper-based lamp you see sitting on it, I bought from a lady living in Mumbai as an expat from the UK. The rocking chair pictured was my Father’s and reminds me of him and his philosophical teachings (30+ yrs old).
Sources
UN News: “The Environmental Cost of Staying Fashionable”
McKinsey.com: “Style that’s Sustainable”
Trendy World of Fast Fashion Styles Aren't Made to Last
First picture from Pixabay; all other pictures made by Environment Team members
