Fast fashion has its perks when it comes to saving money and filling your wardrobe, but the impact that it is having on our planet can’t be ignored for much longer! At PAMA London we are on a mission to show everyone the benefits of eco-friendly fashion, and today we are going to do that by looking at how the production of clothing is affecting our planet!

The Real Cost of The Latest Trends

It is estimated that the average consumer spends over £600 on clothes each year, equating to somewhere around the 28kg mark! You may think that this is great, and that your wardrobe has never been so diverse for such a small budget, but how many of these items are loved and worn, year after year? And, how many of them simply end up in the bin, destined to join the countless other discarded garments in landfills around the world.

In America alone it is thought that over 10.5 million tons of clothes are going to landfills each year – forcing us to really consider how sustainable this is!

The Workforce

Through the exploitation of the cheap labour market in the east, the cost of fast fashion in the west manages to remain low. With an estimated 40 million workers worldwide churning out the endless supply of cost-effective fashion, the prevalence of questionable ethics in the industry is certainly rife.

The detrimental impact of the fast fashion industry, and the clothing industry in general, does not stop with the workers, and the health of our planet is also suffering.

Production and The Planet

Some fabrics are undeniably more eco-friendly than others, with ordinary polyester and cotton being amongst the worst offenders when it comes to harming the planet. In fact, polyester fibre production alone requires close to 70 million barrels of oil every single year. Additionally, polyester is known to take between 20 and 200 years to decompose!

With so many resources needed to manufacture this fibre, and such a long decomposition time, it is clear to see that the use of polyester in clothes that are rapidly being thrown away is a disaster for our planet!

When it comes to cotton, this fibre is the is the biggest offender in the world in terms of chemical consuming crops. More than 20% of insecticides used globally are involved in cotton production, in addition to more than 10% of all pesticides. Furthermore, when we look at the bigger picture, we can see that more than a quarter of all of the chemicals produced in the world are used by the textile industry in some way!

We must also consider which other resources are being used when billions upon billions of garments are being manufactured each year. In many of the countries where these clothes are being produced, coal is the predominant source for generating power, and the impact that this has on the environment is incredibly damaging.

It can’t be ignored that the clothing industry is responsible for approximately 10% of carbon emissions around the globe. Of course, we must also consider the extensive amounts of other natural resources that are also involved in farming the various crops required, as well as for harvesting, processing and shipping!

The huge carbon footprint of fashion is evident, but what is being done to combat the negative effect this industry is having on our planet?

The Answer…

At PAMA London we believe the best way forwards is to invest in ethical production and eco-friendly resources. This is why we use recycled charcoal bamboo to create our apparel and manufacture it in an eco-friendly way in LA. Our choice to produce our clothing in LA is based in the current innovation in sustainability and understanding of renewable resources that exists there.

[Creative]

As we mentioned in our last blog post, the colour scheme of PAMA London clothing matches the various chakras throughout the body. It is our belief that you can work to bring some balance back to inharmonious area of your life by choosing to wear clothing that matches unbalanced chakra areas.

Why is it Important to Balance the Chakras?

In very basic terms, the chakras are the seven points within our body that energy flows through. These energy centres can become blocked for any number of reasons, but issues are usually connected in some way to emotional imbalances. These chakra blockages can manifest in countless detrimental ways, such as illness, pain and further emotional and spiritual conflicts.

By striving to rebalance the chakras, we can release blockages and allow the flow of energy through the body to return to normal.

Only when energy is flowing without obstruction through all seven of the chakras can the body and mind function in the most optimum way.

The Crown Chakra

At the very top of your head the crown chakra can be found. This chakra is concerned with staying connected to the spirit and soul. It is the very basis of our spirituality, and when it is balanced it will enable us to live lives full of clarity.

If you feel like this is an area of your life that isn’t balanced, then wearing violet or white coloured clothing can help you to enhance this connection with yourself.

The Third Eye Chakra

When energy is flowing through the third eye chakra in a desirable way, your ability to see the bigger picture will be more prevalent, and you will make wise decisions.

Wearing clothes that are dark blue in colour can help to balance this chakra. In doing so you will improve your understanding of your environment and also your understanding of your own actions.

The Throat Chakra

The throat chakra, as the name suggests, is in the throat. This chakra is representative of how we are able to communicate and express ourselves in an authentic and genuine way. It is not only connected to how confidently we express ourselves, but also to how truthfully we do so.

Light blue is the colour to choose when you are trying to improve the way in which you communicate and express yourself. Doing so can also influence how well you listen to those around you.

The Heart Chakra

The heart chakra is where your compassion, empathy and forgiveness stems from, and can be found just above the heart. It is the essence of how you love yourself and how you love those around you.

The heart chakra is also linked to how you love the things you enjoy, and how much you enjoy the things that you love!

The colour green feeds that heart chakra and helps you to open yourself up to those around you. It can also help to soothe your own heart if you are experiencing heartache or sadness.

The Solar Plexus Chakra

This chakra is in the upper abdomen. It better enables you to maintain your inner strength and to protect your emotional energy. The solar plexus chakra is a source of personal power, and can also be thought of as your inner fire, fuelling your confidence and motivating you to stay strong and resilient.

Yellow is the colour that supports this chakra, and choosing yellow clothing will spark the solar plexus chakra into action! When this happens you can notice your self-esteem and self-worth thrive.

The Sacral Chakra

Your sexuality, sensuality and creativity are all represented by the sacral chakra. It is located just below the navel. When your sacral chakra is in balance, you will find it much easier to accept change in your life and in your relationships.

Wearing orange will influence the power of this chakra, and can inspire you to express and enjoy yourself in previously undiscovered ways.

The Root Chakra

The root chakra is found at the base of the spine and guides you to maintaining a sense of calm and stability. This chakra also encourages a connection between the mind, body and Mother Earth. Additionally the root chakra is concerned with honouring your relationship with your family and appreciating your roots.

The root chakra is enhanced by wearing the colour red. When you do so you will feel a greater sense of control over the things that you consider to be pivotal to your existence and survival, such as your finances, your security and your independence.

Having now read this article you may have become aware of which of your chakras may be blocked! Head to our online store to see which of our garments match the colours that you need to incorporate into your life to remedy your energy flow!

 [Physical]

At PAMA London, all of the high performance active wear from our collections is made from recycled charcoal bamboo. You may initially consider this to be an odd choice of fabric, but by the time you have read this article you will understand why it’s the only choice for truly eco-friendly fashion!

Charcoal bamboo is a completely natural resource, and as such is an optimum choice for creating sustainable fashion. In fact, in Japan and Southeast Asia, where this incredible resource is grown, it is referred to as the ‘Black Diamond’. This is because its impressive potential is well understood and admired.

Charcoal bamboo is rapidly becoming more prominently used in the fashion industry, and nobody knows this better than we do!

Why Bamboo?

As one of the most sustainable resources on the planet, we believe it is the only sensible choice when it comes to creating ethical fashion.

When used to create fabrics, charcoal bamboo is much better able to regulate body temperature than synthetic fibres, wool or hemp! It is anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and much kinder to sensitive skin than other more conventional fabrics. Also, it is fairly resistant to the adverse effects of being washed regularly.

What’s more, is that because of the structure of charcoal bamboo fabric, it provides great ventilation for your body when worn, and also provides better moisture absorption. This means that you stay comfortable when working out, or when wearing your charcoal bamboo clothing on a hot day. On the flip side, the porous nature of this fabric means it will also insulate your body against the cold.

When you combine the fact that charcoal bamboo enhances the performance of active wear, with the fact that it is such an environmentally friendly material, then you can see why it is our material of choice!

How is Charcoal Bamboo Created?

When bamboo is heated at around 800 degrees the charcoal is created. It can then be combined with other materials to create a lightweight, breathable, anti-odour material!

Bamboo and the Planet

Bamboo is one of the fastest growing plants on the planet, even growing as much as four feet in a day! As it grows vertically, and can reach heights of around 98 feet, the amount of bamboo grown per acre is much more than any other natural resource.

Even more excitingly, bamboo will usually re-grow naturally after it has been harvested, meaning no replanting has to take place. This self-regeneration means that it does not require extensive, plant-damaging agricultural practices to ensure its existence.

Almost unbelievably, bamboo requires absolutely no chemicals or pesticides to grow, meaning it seriously deserves its organic label! When we consider that on average it takes more than a third of a pound of certain chemical fertilisers to create enough cotton for just one t-shirt, then you can see how the planet stands to benefit from opting for bamboo instead!

When it comes to how much water is required to cultivate bamboo, the answer lies with Mother Nature! This amazing crop can thrive on natural rainfall alone! In contrast, it has been estimated that a one pound plant of hemp will require a gallon of water a day – certainly more than Mother Nature will generally provide.

Bamboo forests already exist in abundance throughout Asia, and due to the rising popularity of this resource, more and more continue to be planted.

Sustainable Fashion

At PAMA London we believe the health of our planet is the most important thing, and we want to show the world the countless benefits of eco-friendly fashion. This is why we place so much faith in the potential of charcoal bamboo.

When you take a look at our collections, you will see that the colour scheme matches the various chakras throughout the body. Inharmonious areas of your life can be supported by wearing clothing that matches the colour of the chakra area that is out of balance. This is a concept that we are going to explain in much more detail in our next blog post – so check back soon!