Is Sustainability Going Out of Fashion? A Worrying ‘Trend’ | Sustainable Fashion Blog

The US stepping out of a climate deal. Several ethical clothing brands going bankrupt. Ultra fast fashion continuing to grow.

Is sustainability going out of fashion, lately? 

As the co-founder of this ethical clothing platform (and a fellow eco-conscious fashionista), I’ve been noticing some worrying shifts, both in consumer behaviour and beyond.

Here’s what I think—and what you can do to keep embracing sustainable fashion in a way that feels aligned and realistic, even in the current climate. 

How sustainability is going out of fashion 

• Greenwashing and overused buzzwords– Over the past few years, we got tricked by brands pretending to be ethical: selling a ‘sustainable collection’ but still relying on sweatshops, presenting a ‘natural cotton t-shirt’ as the best thing ever even though traditional cotton is one of the worst fabrics for the planet, using vague terms like ‘green’ without telling us how their clothes are made…
  So, I can’t blame you if you also cringe or switch off when a brand introduces itself as ‘sustainable’ in the first sentence. Sadly, that word is losing its meaning
• Cost-of-living crisis – Cheap fast fashion clothes hide an expensive environmental and human cost. However, when someone’s struggling to make ends meet, the higher price tags of ethically made garments can seem scary or downright unattainable (although you can save money in the long run! I’ll show you how soon)
• Uncertain times and escapism – When you pair up that cost-of-living crisis and the fact that, whenever we watch the news or start scrolling on TikTok, we end up wondering if we’ve fallen into a dystopian novel… people are fatigued. And buying cheap clothes regularly becomes a pick-me-up
• Fast fashion getting even faster and cheaper – It was bad enough when, years ago, brands like Zara moved from two main collections a year (Spring/Summer and Autumn/Winter) to weekly ones. Now, ultra fast fashion stores like SHEIN add thousands of new products a day
• Lack of regulation enforcement in sustainable fashion – For example, the EU had been working towards the Green Claims Directive, a unified law to fight it. Then, in June 2025, they withdrew from it despite reaching the last stage of negotiations. This creates uncertainty for small brands that are trying their best (but haven’t got the right budget and resources) while making it easier for large fast fashion companies to keep hiding behind greenwashing.   

Ways in which sustainability is not going out of fashion (let’s be optimistic!)

• Many consumers still care about ethical clothes – Yes, lots of people are proudly supporting ultra fast fashion on a regular basis. At the same time, though, plenty of consumers are waking up to its horrors. And a promising ‘trend’ is that they’re now more interested in the story and people behind a product
• Many brands are being transparent – While plenty are still relying on greenwashing and marketing buzzwords, many ethical brands are actually showing you who made their clothes and how, with clear data and information about their supply chain, like what they’re doing (in practice) to reduce their environmental footprint or support their garment workers 
• Innovative fabrics and eco-friendly options – Up until a few years ago, there weren’t as many. For example, ‘vegan leather’ was pretty much synonymous with ‘extremely polluting plastic-based PVC’. Nowadays, there are more and better alternatives.
  Some are already widely accessible, like recycled cotton. Some aren’t mainstream yet (unfortunately, they’re still too difficult and costly to produce) but they certainly sound promising, like mushroom leather and corn fabric
• Desire to slow down – Succumbing to fast fashion overconsumption is indeed a popular way of coping with the cost-of-living crisis and the world feeling on fire. Luckily, lots of consumers are opting for the opposite approach: a slower and more meaningful lifestyle. For example, they’re buying less but more mindfully, keeping those items for years and repairing them instead of discarding them immediately. That’s great news for sustainable fashion!

So, is ‘sustainability’ going out of fashion?

Unfortunately, the word itself has lost some of its meaning, and lots of brands and consumers are indeed opting out of this conversation. 

At the same time, though, it’s not all doom and gloom: sustainable fashion is still relevant, and plenty of us are embracing it. 

How to keep embracing sustainable fashion despite the current situation

As seen before, it can feel more challenging to support ethical brands if you’re going through a cost-of-living crisis (= smaller budget) and life feels heavy (= need for escapism and desire for more frequent purchases).

So, here are my tips for you:

• Be smart with your budget –  First of all, the most sustainable clothes are the ones already in your wardrobe! So, get creative by repurposing them in different ways to create new outfits. Secondly, those cheap fast fashion purchases add up. On average, consumers have been spending £250 a month on new clothes but wearing each garment less than 7 times or for under a year.
  When you buy less but better and keep it for longer (for example, one new ethical jumper for €150 that you’ll keep for years and wear +50 times), your cost-per-wear is much lower, and you can save money in the long run
• Replace escapism and constant change with ‘feeling better whenever you rewear your clothes’ – We all need a good pick-me-up, but that shouldn’t always mean ‘buying something new’. If anything, fast fashion overconsumption has been keeping you unhappy, despite its initial dopamine hit!
  So, forget about chasing impersonal trends: think timelessly, and start from what feels “YOU”. When you prioritise clothes that match your preferences and style, you feel like your best self whenever you rewear them
• Find the right sustainable clothes easily, without overwhelm – Who’s got the energy to scout for small ethical brands and figure out whether or not they’re legit?! That’s why, at Project Cece, we vetted and brought hundreds of them in one place, with filters to simplify your choice (including Price)

So, maybe the term ‘sustainability’ is going out of fashion, but we should never let it go out of style. As I always say: “If an outfit was made by exploited workers, it can never make you look and feel good.”