Sustainable Choices in the Fashion Industry with Board Member Vittoria Buraschi
At EMA, we believe green is the new black. In the fashion enterprise, activists and creators are bringing to light the vast environmental and social issues that plague the industry. No matter how glamorous the runways, when your industry is polluting at levels that rival fossil fuels, it's time for a makeover. That's why EMA lends its platform to leaders in the sustainable fashion space and calls on businesses and the public to do more.
We are grateful that so many of our Board Members are leading us toward sustainable fashion, including one of our newest Board Members, Vittoria Buraschi. Vittoria is the creator behind Unimpressed Studios, a sustainable clothing line inspired by vintage. We chatted with Vittoria to learn more about her inspiration to become a sustainable fashion leader.
According to GenEco, "Globally, the fashion industry is the second most polluting industry after the oil and gas sector." So, when did you realize the fashion industry needed a sustainable makeover?
Back when I was living in Europe, I was a designer working for big luxury houses. Florence, Milan, London, Paris -- I've had so many experiences, and all of them were different. But the bigger the company, the greater the waste. I heard stories of companies burning expensive unsold luxury items, which is illegal. Other brands, however, were very conscious and tried to create as little waste as possible. But waste has increasingly become a significant problem during the last 3-5 years, with the pandemic and the consumer's change of attitude. We order far more stuff online than we did before. We're all busy; we see more trends/stuff online than we did before and want them immediately. I really saw the consumeristic approach change suddenly. Specifically, I was working in the costume department for a movie, and I had to go shopping for the characters. I was going to the fast fashion stores -- I hadn't been in one for about ten years -- and looking at all those clothes, the amount of cheap, similar, ill-fitting clothes was terrifying. What was worrying was that those clothes were replaced by tons of other new ones in the following weeks. One collection after another, I couldn't possibly rationalize it in my mind. And this was happening in one store, in one mall, in one city, in one country. I realized that the same scenario was going on in cities across the planet. And I asked myself: who is buying ALL this stuff, and WHERE is this going? What do consumers do when they stop wearing that polyester top? Where does it go? Where do the unsold pieces go? Where is all this produced? Where do the materials come from? What kind of waste does the factory make? Who are the people making these clothes? Lots of questions, no easy answers. But most importantly: how can I contribute to change this?
What motivated you to commit to sustainability when designing your new line? Was it challenging?
I saw the change in what the shops were offering. It became about volume, selling as much product as possible, changing it instantly, and then selling more, or you were out of fashion. Social media has contributed to this craze, with fashion "challenges" and people being proud of never wearing the same outfit twice. This is the worst practice for the planet, and people don't seem to tie it to the destruction of the environment in any way. I suddenly realize how much stuff goes around and around. I saw the landfills in Peru, India, in Africa. We've all seen it. We've all seen denim with the hang tag price still on. That was so shocking. I couldn't imagine making clothes using "new stuff," hence asking the market to make them for me, which means adding more waste to the planet. I could not think of another reason to keep contributing to it. I had to make it work using materials that were already available. It is undoubtedly challenging. Gathering enough sustainable materials (like vintage fabrics) for a collection is difficult, so deciding what the collection will offer takes more time. Planning a "production" is very hard since I don't have big stock quantities, and I run everything from my office in Los Angeles. We can't keep acting like our actions are not affecting the planet anymore. Starting a business today means putting effort into knowing what the business entails for the environment, even more so if the company is about "making" physical objects, like clothes, in this case.
Where did you come up with the name "Unimpressed" for your studio?
Unimpressed Studios is a mix of emotions I feel being an Italian who relocated to Los Angeles. I grew up between Florence and Siena, surrounded by the greatest masterpieces of the Renaissance. A walk in the city is like going through a museum. You go to have a coffee, go to the supermarket, and step into a fresco or a statue. It's hard to move anywhere else and not always see that beauty. So, no matter what I saw, I was always Unimpressed when I first moved here to Los Angeles. On the other hand, I also relate to the unimpressed feeling when thinking of the 60s and 70s, when revolution and the intention to change things were strongly felt, and people didn't care about judgment. I want to think they were feeling more liberated, compared to the weird dystopic crowd of today that cares too much about our virtual persona without thinking of our real one.
What role does vintage clothing play in sustainable style?
Vintage clothing is an alternative and sustainable choice when it comes to clothing. There is so much vintage stuff out there it's overwhelming. I have always worn my grandma's and mum's clothes. I always looked so different from my classmates, having the best unique style - but kids also mocked me because I was wearing "granny's clothes." Well, guess what? Grandma's style is all the rage now. I have been buying vintage since I was 13 -- I used to go to this shop in Siena called "Aloe&Wolf," and I remember sometimes I had to sneak a trip to it because my dad was worried and mad that I wanted to buy "old used clothing."
For those reading who want to shop and dress more sustainably, what's your advice?
The first piece of advice: wear the clothes you already own. This is the most sustainable choice. Only buy what you need, or more that you can wear. Buy as little new stuff as possible, and when you do, please make sure it's sustainably and humanely made and a piece you will cherish and wear forever.
If you need to get rid of something, recycle it, as thrift stores are at capacity now and don't sell those used Nike leggings. Some programs will take your clothes and shred them for the most disparate uses, such as isolating walls, filling shipping envelopes instead of air bubbles, or even recycling the fibers in your clothes to make new recycled yarn. All this is fantastic -- we're just starting to work on practical ways to reuse, repurpose, and recycle. I am excited to see where this conversation leads.
Follow Unimpressed Studios on Instagram to learn more, and check out our EMA Talks page for additional sustainable fashion discussions.