A Thread in the Right Direction; Gen Z’s Surge towards Sustainable Fashion ft. Lilyella the Label

(Expression 2024 Collection, Durham University Charity Fashion Show)

From teaching stitches on the playground to crocheting in Jimmys’, one could argue that Lilyella the Label started young. Known for its meticulous stitching and fabulous designs you can find it worn on celebrities like Sabrina Bahsoon (or tube girl if you’re as chronically on the app as I am) or on models throughout Durham University’s various charity fashion shows.  And as I sit down to discuss it all, my laptop filled to the brim with notes, the budding fashion designer brings my attention to something else: slow fashion. As stitched on many of the Label’s iconic designs ‘slow fashion’ refers to the intentional designing, manufacturing and buying of more sustainable clothing.

“You can't do sewing and not think about sustainability.” 

Now a designer and a teacher of sustainability at her local studio, Lilyella goes on to explain:

“If the only way for me to do fashion and design was to draw something on a screen, and send it halfway across the world to be manufactured, I would quit fashion, as that’s not my dream – I need to be hands on, that’s my favourite part.”

And the truth hits hard - Lilyella and many young designers like her have a point, how can we possibly think about fashion before considering the carbon emissions, the sweatshops and waste all accumulated for say one shirt you could thrift, upcycle or borrow from a friend instead. With Shein and Temu hauls dominating our social media feeds (and perhaps our lives) as well as the already peaking rise of the fast fashion industry estimated at £10.9 billion in 2025, we have to ask – is churning out trendy styles destroying our future?

According to a recent education study in the Ellen MacArthur Foundation an estimated 85% of textiles discarded each year go to landfills or incinerators, amounting to about 92 million tons, according to the same study the average consumer buys 60% more garments than they did 20 years ago but keeps them for half as long. Yet despite all these facts the fast fashion industry continues to not only survive but thrive in our climate. The appeal of cost effective clothing as well as the onslaught of emerging new trends which with them bring a whole new wardrobe demand a quicker turnover rate for clothes we might have once kept for years - the accessibility of fast fashion works in its favour despite the harm.

The truth of the matter is that while the mass market is aware of sustainable fashion as a concept, they’re spared from its reality. When the average shopper walks through retailers like H&M they don’t see pictures of the sweatshops where the clothes are made, or the wage those workers earn when they pick up new top or a nice skirt, they see only the clear aesthetic writing of that familiar red against the backdrop of white bright – and more importantly the new trends on the tables surrounding it. Other retailers like Zara are experts in cultivating a chic atmosphere and timely jumping on the trends every season, where the reality highlighted by a Public Eye article shows Zara’s roughly 1,000 cargo flights per year, contributing significant CO₂ despite its dedication towards sustainability as showcased through its ‘Join Life’ collection.

Notably, and crucially, the intention is there. A 2021 fashion finest survey highlighted 79% of Gen Z say sustainable fashion is important, and 68% want clothes made to high ethical standards. More recent studies such as McKinsey & Business of Fashion report (2022) showed that 60% of Gen Z shoppers actively seek out brands that align with their values, including environmental responsibility, while First Insight and The Wharton School (2023), 73% of Gen Z consumers are willing to pay more for sustainable products. Why is then that fast fashion still leads the industry when it comes to actual purchases? BCG x Vogue Business study highlighted that only around 35% consistently act on their sustainability values when shopping for fashion - indicating an intent-action gap.

While the intention to live more sustainably continues to grow as Lilyella highlights “there’s definitely more sustainability awareness with social media, it's kind of hard to escape, there's infographics left and right!” The steps taken towards more sustainable living, specifically in fashion is still a work in progress.

Let’s say a Gen Z consumer plans to attend a festival, being so excited for this festival they plan a new outfit, only they need a white top to complete this look. Already this consumer is more likely to purchase a top from a retailer, than to borrow from a friend or buy through second hand apps like Depop or Vinted. This is our first issue: the average consumer is more primed to simply purchase new items rather than looking at alternatives. Then when shopping for the top itself a Gen Z consumer might walk into more sustainable retailers such as Reformation, Aritzia and & Other Stories where white tops are priced at around 90 – 100 pounds and then be more likely to purchase from fast fashion retailers such as H&M, Zara and New Look where white tops are priced more affordably at 10 – 35 pounds. This is the second issue, where upfront costs are higher, consumers tend to prioritise price over sustainability. After this festival comes our third problem, once a piece of clothing is used for its intended purpose or used only a handful of times, it tends to end up unused in the back of our wardrobes and eventually makes it way a landfill.

“My opinion regarding fast fashion is as so: if you cherish and love a piece, and wear it to death, repair it, and keep it in use or circulation as long as you can – then its got my tick of approval. I won’t hate on someone for buying a shirt from Zara, H&M but there are so many more sustainable ways to acquire fast fashion Sustainability is wearing the clothing you have in your closet; as my favourite mantra goes: "The most sustainable thing is something you already have’”.

As a teacher of sustainability, Lilyella is passionate about educating her students on more sustainable ways of living.

“It’s a lot easier than you think to lead a sustainable life – as long as you’re trying. One thing I’m careful about with my students is not fostering eco-anxiety, because if you focus too much on the negative (‘this behaviour is BAD’; ‘you shouldn’t do this’), you’ll never learn what you can do instead, and it takes away from the positive changes and more sustainable alternatives that you can actually implement. Additionally, if you over-analyse every single thing you could be doing, you will never live your life freely”.

In a world where fast fashion is accessible and sustainable clothing is harder to access, the ‘intent – action’ gap becomes understandable. Of course, given the choice the majority of the consumer market would purchase more high quality, sustainable pieces free from the tags of sweatshops, low wages and Co2 emissions, but the reality is that only a small percentage can choose to do so. Luckily there are other ways to live more sustainably;

“Gift your friends something you don’t wear anymore, trade clothing, maybe even swap for a month!”

Clothes swaps, thrifts shops and online markets like Depop or Vinted are becoming more popular alternatives among Gen Z, as online trends continue to grow (and probably always will) consumers look for more cost effective and sustainable ways to participate.

“People are starting to come around to the beauty of visible mending, and the lovely handmade touches that beginner sewists can have when repairing clothing for the first time. I truly encourage anyone to start handsewing – search ‘whip stitch’ on YouTube and bam, you’re a sewist! We need to be more okay with people being bad at sewing, but still trying! Cuz they’re being more sustainable at the end of the day!” Lilyella adds.

The lack of awareness surrounding consumer alternatives like sewing your own clothes used to mean that the average consumer was more likely to purchase from fast fashion brands, now Gen Z is getting more creative. Especially considering the lack of transparency that comes with both inexpensive and expensive brands regarding sustainability. Lilyella recommends the brand sustainability checker ‘Good On You’ to search brand names and find out their environmental impact, and transparency regarding paying garment workers a living wage.

While not perfect, Gen Z’s commitment to trying to live more sustainable lives already makes a huge impact. Launched in 2008 Vinted has accumulated around 105 million registered users across 20+ countries by 2024 according StartUpBooted, while Depop follows with 30 million registered users according to its own statistics. Hashtags like #capsulewardrobestyle which gained popularity on TikTok in late 2023 suggest a growing interest in high quality, sustainable pieces with a total of 7.7k posts and roughly 176.8 million views.

As awareness grows surrounding sustainability, consumers become more aware of alternatives and more aware of the choices they make moving forward. As Lilyella says ‘the most sustainable thing you can do is wear clothes you already have, and the best thing you can do is just try’. When it comes to sustainable fashion, Gen Z is changing the conversation, one garment at a time.

Lilyella Stevens now works at Little Hands Design in Hampstead, a Zero - Waste arts charity based in Hampstead that incorporates sustainability in everything they do. When Lilyella’s not teaching sustainability through sewing, crochet and mixed fibre arts, she’s passionate about historical fashion and costume, specifically corsetry, traditional sewing techniques and of course her brand, Lilyella the Label.