Katherine Martinko on Treehugger.com reports on a new retail model for clothing:
The fast fashion industry is notoriously bad for the environment. It is a top consumer of resources and energy, and a main source of landfill waste. Many eco-minded shoppers have sworn off fast fashion because they do not feel comfortable supporting an industry that treats clothing as disposable.
For the shoppers who make this decision, the only real alternatives are thrift stores and independent, eco-friendly labels, both of which are great, but have some downsides — namely, the limited selection at thrift stores and the high price tags on sustainable brands.
Now, however, some innovative entrepreneurs have come up with alternative ways to support the fashion industry. The following three companies specialize in sharing and borrowing high-quality fashion items through subscription services, which is exactly what the recent report on fashion by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation said needs to happen. Learn how they do it.
As the population swells and those who are on top continue to swill down the most in resources, those of us who are not must find ways to cope – and this seems to be one of them. Rental clothing reduces the number of clothes society must produce to clothe us while increasing our closet space.
And then they make it feel cool, as they must. And should.
