Faithfully Yours began as a creative venture in the spring of 2013, evolving through many phases before landing where it is today. Originally, sustainability wasn’t at the forefront of my mission. That changed in the fall of 2018.
At the time, I had just left a decade-long job to be home with my 1.5-year-old, searching for a new purpose beyond parenting. When I joined a local collective of artists, I was introduced to some hard-to-ignore truths about the fashion industry. I quickly realized the staggering waste the industry produces and the untapped potential of upcycling textiles. Once I saw the problem, I couldn’t unsee it.
Since then, I’ve immersed myself in learning about the environmental and social impacts of fashion, the role we all play in it, and, more importantly, what we can do differently. Faithfully Yours has become my response to these issues—my way of rethinking materials, valuing resources, and bringing awareness to others through my work.
The Problem with Fast Fashion
Fast fashion is designed for speed and profit, but at what cost? Every year, 100 billion garments are produced, yet only about 20% are ever sold. The rest? Buried, shredded, or incinerated—adding to pollution.
In the U.S. alone, 14 million tons of clothing are discarded annually. That’s about 80 pounds of textile waste per person, per year. Most of it is not biodegradable, meaning it lingers in landfills indefinitely, releasing harmful chemicals into the soil and water.
We often assume donating clothing is a sustainable solution. Unfortunately, the reality is that 90% of donated clothing still ends up discarded, shredded, or shipped overseas in overwhelming quantities. This influx of unwanted clothing destabilizes local economies, particularly in African nations, where the secondhand market is saturated with more clothing than communities can reasonably use.
Simply put: We are producing far more than we can ever consume or repurpose.
The Role of Upcycling
So, what’s the solution? There isn’t a single, simple answer, but one step is reducing consumption and rethinking what already exists. This is where my journey with upcycling began.
Upcycling is similar to recycling, but with one key difference: instead of breaking materials down through chemical processes, it repurposes them as they are, transforming waste into something new and of higher value. The goal outcome? Eliminating excess waste, reduce demand for new materials, and lower pollution.
For me, upcycling felt like the perfect answer to my creative dilemma. I love making new things, but I didn’t want to contribute to an already overproduced world. Creating to reduce waste became my mission.
For the past four years, I’ve committed to sourcing at least 70% of my materials from rescued or secondhand sources—through donations, thrifting, yard sales, and rummage sales. In fact, sourcing materials has become one of my favorite parts of the process. There’s a thrill in uncovering hidden treasures—turning an old button-down into a toddler’s dress, transforming a sweatshirt into a cozy stuffed animal, or even repurposing plastic cereal bags for a sensory toy.
Small Efforts, Big Impact
The journey toward a truly sustainable, circular fashion industry is a long one, but I believe every small effort adds up. While my tiny studio in upstate New York may be just a drop in the bucket, change happens when many small drops come together.
Sustainability is an ongoing learning process—one that constantly challenges me to think differently, find better solutions, and share what I create with purpose. I hope Faithfully Yours inspires others to rethink the way we see materials and embrace creative, conscious alternatives.
A sustainable future is within reach, as long as we keep learning, practicing, and taking small, meaningful steps forward.
Want to Learn More?
If you’re interested in diving deeper into the realities of fast fashion and sustainable solutions, here are a few great resources:
A Mountain of Unwanted Clothing Washes Up on a Beach in Ghana
Fashionopolis: The Price of Fast Fashion and the Future of Clothes
Why Upcycling Clothes Is the Next Big Thing in Sustainable Fashion
Every choice we make matters. Let’s create with intention and work towards a more sustainable future—together.
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