Tamsin Blanchard’s ethical fashion epiphany happened one hot August day in 2006 at a local London festival. There, she seated herself in an “earthly sins” confessional booth and confessed her fashion sins—how many clothes she owned, and where and when she bought them—to Anti Apathy campaign founder Cyndi Rhoades.

Though Blanchard, style director of Telegraph Magazine, thought she always got a lot of wear out of the garments she bought, she soon realized she had no idea what she even owned, let alone what her wardrobe’s green credentials were. That night she went home, cleared out her closet, and filled three garbage bags with clothes and accessories to recycle, swap, or sell. Remarkably, she still had 41 dresses left over.

One year later, Blanchard came out with her new book, titled Green is the new Black: How to Change the World with Style. Fashion has become so fast-moving and disposable, Blanchard asserts, that people have lost all sense of personal style. They also fail to create a look for themselves that can stand up to the intoxicating appeal of constantly changing fashion seasons and trends that make them out to be true originals.

“An entire generation seems to have forgotten about workmanship and quality,” she writes. “Instead, we want a quick cheap fix…If a T-shirt cost £2 new, who is going to buy it second-hand and washed up? These are not the hand-me-downs and heirlooms of future generations.” Quite.

The tone of the book is personal and light-hearted. It is possible to breeze through chapters dedicated to guilt-free shopping on the high street, creating a season-defying capsule wardrobe, swapping clothes, buying ethical accessories and gems, knitting your own scarf, and sewing your own skirt.

You can find out which celebrities and companies are really trying to make a difference and those who treat vintage or recycled looks as just another fashion trend (hint: one of them is named Paris). Readers are also given first-hand advice from eco-conscious fashionistas such as Stella McCartney, Katharine Hamnett, and the inspiring Safia Minney of the innovative fair-trade fashion company People Tree. The book even encourages readers to take up a hobby, such as guerrilla gardening, silkworm farming or…napping (complete with instructions on how to make your own hammock).

The fact that it is an effortless read, however, should not make you think any less of the book. It is actually what makes it such a delightful tome, and, ultimately, motivates and inspires. If you are looking to feel guilty however, Blanchard includes hard facts and some thought-provoking meditations on the consequences of our conspicuous over-consumption and addiction to shopping. One that really got me thinking was about how fast fashion contributes to climate change.

“As the earth heats up, and seasonal confusion becomes the norm, the fashion industry seems to be going into overdrive, making more and more collections to cover all bases,” Blanchard writes. “And of course, the more clothes we produce, the more carbon emissions we create.”

This may be an obvious point, but it is no less potent. Thankfully, Blanchard has a solution: stylish staples, taking good care of your clothes, and the art of layering. You might even consider hiring a handbag next time you go out (Blanchard tells you how). That way you can get the novelty factor without the environmental cost.

At the end of the book there’s a green directory with relevant websites and companies around the globe, in addition to letter templates you can send to your favorite shops to demand that they introduce organic and fair trade lines.

This isn’t literature, it’s a how-to guide to a more fulfilling and planet-friendly way of getting dressed. And that’s not a bad place to start.

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Posted on Aug 28, 2007 at 2:45 PM
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