5 Reasons Why You Should Buy Sustainable Lingerie
In the past 10 years, sustainable fashion has been an important topic of discussion and has been organically growing into a trend. When Olyinka Lingerie was conceived. it was our goal to produce beautiful sustainable garments that was healthy for your skin, produced with natural organic materials, produced ethically and made to last. The world has caught up, is ditching fast fashion and is now focused on protecting the Earth. Valuing sustainability is a priority which is amazing and it’s about time if you ask us.
Fashion is one of the fastest-changing industries and fast fashion has the potential to severely damage the environment. Just imagine what happens to all the unbought clothing from past seasons. For those of you who don’t know - it forms huge piles of synthetic fibres. Mountains of waste left on dumpsters and floating in the oceans. This type of pollution is just as bad as the plastic type.
Image: Gantas Vaičiulėnas
Fact! Polyester was invented in 1941 and takes up to nearly 200 years to decompose and if you do some math, you find out, that some of the first polyester pieces of clothing might still lay on some landfill on the planet or rock on waves in the oceans. This issue is directly related to the customer demand for variety and diversity when it comes to fashion.
Our consumer society is always thirsty for new products. In such a fast world, no one wants to fall behind. This is why sustainable fashion is a preferred choice by consumers. It offers the opportunity of being both on trend and environmentally friendly.
With eco-fashion, your classiest outfit can be also good for the planet. And that’s what we call a win-win. Now, let’s talk about what we know best - lingerie.
Lingerie has had its symbolic transformation throughout history. It started purely as a basic utility, then progressed to an object of sexual desire (in most cases certain male fantasies), and in the present, it has adopted the role of a powerful female empowerment tool. It makes women feel sexy and desirable but not just under the male gaze, but for themselves.
And as lingerie has an important role in our lives, we have an important role in the healthy life of this planet. So why not combine both. Connecting with your inner self and connecting with life on Earth can be done at the same time. And so it should be.
Here are our top 5 reasons why you should purchase sustainable lingerie:
A Healthier Alternative
Sustainability is important but when it comes to undergarments first and foremost you have to look for materials that take proper care of your intimate parts. Synthetic materials tend to trap moisture which encourages the growth of bacteria and causes all types of infections. Not only that but synthetic clothing tends to contain many chemicals that were used during the production process. From the pesticides, used in cotton farming, to the carcinogens in clothing dyes, those chemicals have no place near your body. Did you know that most inorganic clothing dyes nowadays contain the carcinogen formaldehyde, which gets sucked into pores after prolonged skin contact and in contrast to all those unpleasant toxins, we have sustainable lingerie. Crafted with organic cotton and non harmful dyes, it the best option for a breathable piece of clothing that fits the health needs of every woman.
2. Planet-Friendly
After we have decided that sustainable lingerie is better for human health, let’s look at what’s better for the planet. Pollution is a huge issue. Oceans are overflowing with waste and many landfills are as big as some smaller towns. Fast fashion is partly responsible for the world’s pollution. Synthetic fibres have a decomposition period of up to 200 years. That is incredibly long. In fact, according to The Guardian, 85% of the human-made material found on the shoreline were microfibers and matched the types of material, such as nylon and acrylic, used in clothing. Turns out, plastic isn’t the only big pollutant. Shocking, right? And even if we forget about human-invented fibres like polyester – which is made of petroleum by the way – even natural fibres can be harmful when farmed conventionally. Conventional cotton crops account for 24% of the world’s insecticides and 11% of the world’s pesticides, despite taking up just 2.4% of the world’s farming land. If really want to take care of the Earth and engage in ecology, sustainable lingerie is the way to go. Not only are you reducing waste pollution by going with slow fashion, but you are also decreasing the use of harmful chemicals like pesticides.
3. Sustainable Fabrics
We already mentioned that conventionally farmed cotton is harmful. But that leaves the question of what materials are left to produce clothing. Paper panties? You’d be surprised but there are so many alternatives to traditional cotton and polyester that are produced in a nature-friendly manner. There’s linen, organic cotton, bamboo, silk, hemp, modal, and many others. In most cases, they are farmed without pesticides or chemicals. Some of them are not only unharmful for the planet but are also beneficial. For example, hemp’s growth is healthy for the soil (thanks to a process called phytoremediation), and it requires much less water than cotton. Some fabrics are made from recycled synthetic fibres like econyl which is recycled nylon. There are always alternatives to harmful materials. We just have to look at the right places.
Image: Gantas Vaičiulėnas
4. Ethical Production
When we speak about fast fashion, the quantity of clothing is unmeasurable. Just think of all the fast fashion stores you know and how every time you go there, you see completely different clothes. But who produces that? Unfortunately, as demand for quantity and quantity is immense, fashion brands go to unhuman extents to keep producing enough products. It’s a common practice to see child labor and exploitation in poor countries, working overtime for very little money in unacceptable conditions. Brands do it because it’s cheap and usually goes undetected. Sweatshops of many fast fashion brands operate illegally every single day putting children in danger. In contrast, the main principle of sustainable fashion is that it’s supposed to be organic and non harmful. Which means no mass production, no sweatshops, and exploitation.
5. Divine Feminine Connection
Lingerie is important. Throughout history, the meaning of lingerie has transformed but today we’re demanding more and more sustainable, comfortable, beautiful lingerie which is a tendency that will help both us and the planet. And in contrast, unsustainable fashion is harmful, uncomfortable, unhealthy, and unethical. When purchasing organic undergarments, you connect both with your most delicate feminine self and the purest materials on earth. You have a choice. Help yourself and help the planet. Shop sustainable.
Olyinka is a brand that produces beautiful, handcrafted, bespoke lingerie. Our mission is to change the narrative within the lingerie industry by encouraging, inspiring, and empowering women. We do this via our monthly newsletters, as well as giving you first access to exclusive news, freebies, and discounts. So sign up below! Become a part of our movement! And as a thank you, you will receive 10% off your first lingerie purchase. Sign up here!
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Olyinka is a brand that produces beautiful, handcrafted, bespoke lingerie. Our mission is to change the narrative within the lingerie industry by encouraging, inspiring, and empowering women. We do this via our monthly newsletters, as well as giving you first access to exclusive news, freebies, and discounts. So sign up below! Become a part of our movement! And as a thank you, you will receive 10% off your first lingerie purchase. Sign up here!
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