While the lockdown has many fashionistas carefully stowing away their prized collection of designer garments, this may be the perfect time to reconsider how our sartorial choices impact the environment.
For Tara Viggo, this idea had been churning in her mind for many years, prompting her to create Paper Theory, a collection of digital fashion patterns for customers to download and make their own clothes.
Paper Theory’s mantra is a simple one – slowing fashion down. Some fashion brands have already moved towards more sustainable and ethical methods of production, but fast fashion (clothing retailers re-producing runway looks en-masse for a fraction of the cost) has already had a devastating impact on the environment.
According to the United Nations Environment Programme, 10 percent of global carbon emissions and 20 percent of global wastewater is produced by the fashion industry. Overall, textile dyeing is the largest water pollutant in the world – it takes over 7000 litres of water to produce an average pair of jeans!
These statistics were almost enough to dissuade Viggo from the industry altogether. After a decade of working as a paper cutter for some of the UK’s top brands, Viggo was preparing to quit and pursue landscape architecture, but instead decided to seek a solution.
In an interview with Newtown House, she says, “I thought, actually, I can’t just leave this problem, because if I walk away the problem still exists, and I should do something that encourages this to get better. That was when I decided that sustainable fashion would have to be one of my biggest priorities.”
The Cook Islands born entrepreneur established Paper Theory in 2017 for those who wanted to enjoy fashion with a “guilt-free conscience”. Customers can download their favourite pieces from the website, print from home and create their very own fashionable, flattering and stylish wares.
The website also features several tutorials for beginner sewers and a blog which discusses ideas of sustainable fashion.
Viggo says slow fashion “is not about nostalgia or harking back to better days – it’s about pushing the social compass forward and creating systems that work for our future.”
“We can improve the infrastructure of the fashion Industry by understanding the true value of our clothes, buying vintage, supporting ethical fashion brands, upcycling our existing wardrobes and making our own slow fashion.”
