Our clothing is toxic, and not just to the environment and our wallets, but to our health! We’ve probably all heard about the dark side of fast fashion like child labor and poor wages, but have you also heard about the dangerous chemicals and plastic fibers? These books on toxic clothing reveal everything you need to know about switching to a more sustainable approach!
Each of these books reveals new insights into the harm of large corporations producing fashion cheaply. Our clothing has become extremely toxic to our health in numerous ways. And, as consumers, we can make small changes that add up to big impacts.
I have been on a journey to change my wardrobe from downsizing to choosing sustainable natural fibers when I purchase new items. In my recently completed 100-day dress challenge by Wool& I learned so much about which clothing items hold up over time, feel good on me, and that I don’t need that many clothing pieces in my wardrobe.
Check out these books to start your journey…
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This book is so wonderfully written with a great deal of research and many personal testimonies! You will never look at clothing the same after reading this book. The amount of toxic chemicals and harmful dyes in our clothing is shocking! Plus, you’ll learn about how unregulated it all is too.
The introduction of the book alone had my jaw dropping. I can’t believe how much harm has been caused by our clothing. We are hearing about toxic chemicals in our food, water, air, and personal care products but we rarely hear about the clothing industry.
However, the author is not pessimistic and offers hope on what we can do to improve our closet and our world. I especially appreciate her approach to understanding the industry through a look back at history and a challenge to change legislation in the future. We need ingredient lists on our clothing, as crazy as that sounds!
Check it out on Amazon here!
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This book is extremely convicting – do you care where your clothes come from, who makes them, or where they go when you’re done with them? How our current culture treats clothing, cheap “keeping up with the trends” garments, is not sustainable. Fast fashion has become the norm, but we can change that with our dollars.
While this book is politically biased at times, I appreciate all the facts and history behind why our garments have become what they are, especially blue jeans. The facts of this book are alarming, yet the author remains hopeful about where the fashion industry is headed – toward reform.
I desire to invest in quality pieces I love to wear, stay in “my style,” and keep my wardrobe minimal. The more informed we are about our clothing, the better decisions we can make regarding what we purchase.
Check it out on Amazon here!
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How exactly is a garment made? How long does it last for? And how does it impact our world? This book tackles all these questions by following the journey of a pair of jeans from life to death, as the author says.
First, you read about cotton farming in Texas. Then, the textiles made in China, garment workers in Bangladesh, and how they end up in the store for you to purchase. The book then takes a deep dive into consumerism: why our culture is what it is today, and what happens to the garment when it is disposed of.
This book is very educational and informative, making the topics easy to read and understand. There are lots of great pictures and graphs in this book to help retain the information. Hope is the closing theme of the book: you have the power to make change as a consumer in a variety of different ways!
Check it out on Amazon here!
Check it out on Amazon here!
America has a spending problem, and also a clothing problem. We consume and dispose of clothing without giving it a second thought. Cheap fashion has harmed us in numerous ways, and you’ll hear about them all in this book.
What is ethical fashion? Hopefully, it’s the cultural change to where we are headed. After reading this book you will begin your slow journey to more sustainable fashion choices, avoiding deals and steals, just like the author! It certainly encouraged me on my journey.
Check it out on Amazon here!
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Consumed: The Need for Collective Change: Colonialism, Climate Change, and Consumerism by Aja Barber
I love the opening paragraph of this book: “Welcome to Consumed. This is a book about stuff (particularly apparel) and why we need less of it, and what information you need in order to climb out of this mess.” (pg. xv)
The book is divided into two sections: the information about the problem(s) and then how you can change the system as a consumer. I loved the deep dive the author did into the marketing “tricks” played on the consumer, like Black Friday and greenwashing. I also loved that she dove deep into the root cause of our consumption: insecurities, financial burdens, bad habits, and lack of education.
If you want to start making a change today this is one of the books on toxic clothing and fast fashion that you need to read today!
Check it out on Amazon here!
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According to this book, a fibershed is a place-based textile system where both the materials and the people needed to turn those materials into clothing reside. What an amazing way to be connected to your clothing, exactly the opposite of what the fashion industry is focused on!
In this book, you will learn all about your clothing from its history to where we are today, and what we can do to change it all! This is one of the books on toxic clothing that shares about synthetic dyes and the cost of coloring our clothes.
I was convinced that if I support the slow food movement, then it’s time to also support slow fashion. The fibershed movement includes natural dyes, enriching soil, avoiding synthetics, plant-based fibers, and more things wonderful for our bodies and the environment.
This book is filled with wonderful pictures and great life lessons like less is more, composting, and how to support local farmers. I especially loved all the resources in the back and learning about the Great Lakes Fibershed as I would like to own sheep one day on our homestead!
Check it out on Amazon here!
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The Conscious Closet: The Revolutionary Guide to Looking Good While Doing Good by Elizabeth L. Cline
This is another book by Elizabeth L. Cline that is considered a sequel to Overdressed. It goes past the ethical dilemmas of fast fashion and provides solutions to us, the consumer. The path has six parts: get rid of your fast fashion wardrobe, buy better clothes, buy clothes consciously, pick toxic-free clothing, take care of those clothes, and join the movement.
I especially appreciated learning about the fundamentals of wardrobe building and the breakdown of each fiber used to make clothing. This is one of the books on toxic clothing that devotes a whole section of the book to educating you on the topic. It is a great book for everyone seeking to build a healthier and more intentionally simple wardrobe!
Check it out on Amazon here!
Which of these books on toxic clothing and switching to natural fibers will you be reading first? Let me know in the comments below!
Kelsey at GoodPointGrandma
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This is such a great resource! We have a lot in common. I started my fashion brand (hemp based) as a great-great-great grandchild of my Wool& experience. Total thought revolution!
Very cool!