Opinion — Lockdown didn’t hinder my eating disorder, it helped it
Recent research shows lockdown didn’t affect people’s mental health in the way we thought it would. As restrictions lift, so will the obsession with body image. Trigger Warning: this article contains mention of eating disorders. Living with an eating disorder means constantly competing. Competing with yourself, competing with the people around you,...
Current in Style
Vollebak’s latest t-shirt design absorbs CO2
The innovative men’s apparel brand has partnered with US biomaterials company Living Ink to design a t-shirt dyed with black algae that will continue to absorb carbon dioxide as the consumer wears it. ‘Sustainable fashion’ is complex and although major brands often use environmentally conscious marketing, it doesn’t necessarily mean...
Could bioengineered beauty help the industry’s sustainability problem?
Can lab-grown ingredients and biotech brands solve the industry’s sustainability problem? Though we may be a long way off from 3D printing ourselves a new face every morning, there’s no denying that a new era of skincare is upon us. Namely a super-natural world of beauty in which bioengineered products...
Fashion’s copycat dilemma prevents industry-wide sustainability
Multibillion dollar companies like SHEIN are stealing, recreating, and cheaply mass producing the original ideas of independent designers. Until this stops, fast fashion lives on. In February, I asked where we were in our ongoing fight against fast fashion. Unfortunately, the answer was somewhat bleak. Though the number of people shopping...
Opinion – why it’s time we ditched the phrase ‘summer body’
Perpetuating the toxic narrative that we need to alter our physical form for a season is having a serious toll on our mental health. Here’s why we should put the notion behind us once and for all. Trigger Warning: this article contains mention of eating disorders. Every year, as the warmer...
Could non-surgical cosmetic work become prescription-only?
MPs have warned that the ‘complete absence’ of regulations for non-surgical cosmetic treatment is dangerous and must end, with a call for new rules to be introduced. In February, the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority ruled that social media influencers were, by law, to disclose when using beauty filters to promote...
Researchers discover ‘forever chemicals’ in beauty products
Researchers have found signs of toxic per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances that can cause lasting damage to health and the environment in more than half of 231 product samples. When shopping for cosmetics, it’s pretty standard to see a lengthy list of ingredients on almost every item, but a recent study has uncovered that some of those listed might be more dangerous than you’d expect. PFAS (which stands for per- and...
Could 3D printing clothes be the future of fashion?
An outlandish concept that successfully tackles growing concerns of sustainability, is being able to download and print out our garments the answer to over-consumption? When you think about constructing a three-dimensional object from a digital file, being able to print an entire outfit might not necessarily be the first thing that springs to mind. This new technology has been making waves across the fashion industry recently, however, provoking serious discussion around...
Should we really be buying vegan leather?
Vegan fashion is on the rise, with the UK’s accessories sector seeing a 56 percent increase in ‘vegan’ items stocked year-on-year. But are these products really a sustainable alternative? Ever found yourself purchasing a ‘green’ clothing item from your local retailer? Veganism across the board has seen a huge surge in popularity in recent years, with Gen Z leading the charge. According to a report from Produce Blue Book, 65% of...
Exclusive – The future of sustainable fashion lies in the hands of the agriculture industry
With COP26 on the horizon, a growing number of fashion brands are embracing regenerative agriculture in order to meet eco-friendly consumer demands. ‘Regenerative agriculture is a powerful movement in fashion that I think is going to catch fire,’ says Oliver English. English is the CEO of Common Table Creative (CTC), a production company with the primary goal of exposing the unsustainable nature of our relationship with the planet, both in...
