10 icons show the sustainable commitment of the brands

In order to better understand the sustainable commitment of the respective brands, the founders have developed ten sustainability icons. The collections are only offered for sale if a brand meets at least one of the criteria. And the more icons a brand has, the more sustainable it is.

Among other things, the icons characterize fair working conditions, organic materials and avoiding waste during production. Brands that donate part of their proceeds to a good cause or whose clothes are still handcrafted are also recognized. The nice thing: if you want, you can targeted shopping according to the respective sustainability criteria.

We love sustainable fashion that tells a story. That's why we asked Julia Zirpel, one of the three founders of “the wearness”, our three questions.

1. What was or is the motivation behind "the wearness"?

When we founded THE WEARNESS two years ago, we had already seen the change in the fashion industry as fashion editors for various magazines. The fashion industry has changed rapidly in recent years. It has become faster and more short-lived than ever. Collections change more often than ever before and global textile consumption has doubled since 2000.

More and more items of clothing that go from the rack to the closet and from the closet to the trash have set in motion a colossal alienation: fashion means nothing to us anymore. And it has become disposable. The dramatic consequence? Mountains of discarded clothing that was produced far away because it was as cheap as possible. How a piece of clothing is made, who worked on it and under what conditions - that is hardly understandable. What is certain is that the clothing industry ranks second in the polluter ranking, just behind the oil industry.

We got to the point where we realized it couldn't go on like this. And so we founded THE WEARNESS in 2017. We, that is Jennifer Dixon and Julia Zirpel, both longtime fashion editors, and Guya Merke, owner of a fair jewelry label (VIERI Responsible Fine Jewelery). After half a year we were joined by Karolin Helou.

THE WEARNESS is an online shop for sustainable fashion and beauty products. Our goal is to offer fashion-conscious customers a positive shopping alternative. We only work with designers who run their business with respect for people and the planet and who meet our three most important criteria: good, timeless design, impeccable quality and sustainable and fair production methods.

2. What do you advise our readers: What can you do specifically for a better future?

In order to live more sustainably, I try to follow these three simple rules:

• Buy less, but better - quality instead of quantity
• eat less animal products
• fly less - which is clearly the hardest thing for me

But I am certainly not perfect. I believe that we don't need a handful of people who live completely sustainably. We need millions of people who try a little more every day.

3. How do travel and sustainability fit together for you?

Refraining from traveling would only limit our horizons ... My credo: conscious travel. No trips around the world in 14 days.

Instead, take your time, travel more by train, more Europe and, ideally, stay overnight in hotels or accommodation with a sustainable approach. And in the end more enjoyment.

You can find more information about THE WEARNESS and the online shop here