Sustainable Fashion: Curated for You
Valeria Sarto, the face behind Fashionability Collective, was born and raised in Miami Beach from Peruvian-Italian parents. At just 21 years-old, Sarto curates sustainable fashion brands with one goal in mind; to inspire you towards a more sustainable closet and raise awareness to the true cost of fashion.
Image Credit: Valeria Sarto
“Ever since I watched River Blue my first year of college, I decided that I would be more conscious in my wardrobe,” states Sarto. Her interest and knowledge of sustainable fashion stemmed from there. Four years later, the summer before her graduation as she was on the phone with one of her friends, the concept of Fashionability Collective came to her, “All of a sudden, the idea just slipped out of my mouth. I believe there’s a creativity that lends itself to the ‘limitations’ of only shopping sustainably.”
Through her conscious consumption, Sarto was able to develop her own unique style and wanted to create a platform that promotes these sustainable fashion alternatives for consumers to be inspired by. “Everything is so fast now. Everything we see in social media, the content we’re constantly exposed to. We begin to only see through certain lenses and are blind to the looming effects of the fashion industry.”
It is apparent that garment workers, and our environment, are at the front line of the side effects caused by the fast-fashion industry’s current overbearing presence. Additionally to terrible conditions for garment workers, the fashion industry is responsible for 10% of all humanity’s carbon emission and is the second-largest consumer of the world’s water supply. “I want to spread awareness in order to create a shift from overconsumption to conscious consumption.” Via her Instagram platform and website, Valeria Sarto features a multitude of brands, such as House Of Sunny or Boyish Jeans, and the selection is anything but random.
Image Credit: Valeria Sarto
“My favorite brands to feature are vintage and pre-loved (my term for secondhand) shops.” Explains Sarto, “It’s the most sustainable, and also most unique. But something really important to me is ethical and fair production, as well as materials.” All brands featured on Fashionability follow sustainable guidelines established by Sarto to evaluate a brand’s responsibility and thoughtfulness in being considered a sustainable alternative:
Sustainable Materials: Use of organic, recycled, up-cycled or Eco-innovative fabrics that are healthy for the environment and our skin.
Ethical + Fair: Guaranteed living wages, safe working conditions, voluntary overtime and freedom to unionize for workers. No animals are part of the product nor were used/harmed in the process of the making. Production and support of the traditional skills and/or the ancient heritage of artisanal communities.
Eco-friendly Production: Use of low impact and low chemical processing and methods, natural dyes and minimal waste manufacturing techniques.
Local: Support of independent, local business and strong, personal relationships between designers and local manufacturers.
Vintage/Pre-owned: Our favorite. Promoting the reuse of those things that are beautiful and already exist in the world.
High Quality & Timeless Design: Can be worn and utilized for years to come. Unlike fast fashion, these pieces are meant to last.
Custom Made: This includes made to order pieces, bespoke and DIY.
Rent & Swap: Clothing rentals and swapping pre-loved pieces from another consumer.
Image Credit: Valeria Sarto
Along her travels, Sarto creates pre-loved fashion city guides where you can find a curated list of the best local thrift shops for each city, "My advice on finding thrift shops is to ask a local first and foremost. They’ll probably know the coolest one or the best area.” So far, you can find on her website guides for New York, Miami, Boston and London.
“I recently discovered the extensive thrift scene in Bricklane and Shoreditch in London. They were literally to drool for, but they’re also priced a bit higher. I love Paris’ thrift shops. You can find myriad Levi's jeans at such a great cost.” When it comes to thrifting, the best advice given by Sarto is to start by evaluating your closet to know in advance which pieces you are looking for and avoid over-purchasing.
The second is to get acquainted with quality materials that will last you a long time. “I like to go through each aisle and browse. If I see silk, all eyes are there. Once I found a pair of La Perla silk pants at a Goodwill for $3, and that was all from spotting a quality material.” Explains Sarto, “Going into luxury shops, feeling the clothing and comparing it to those at fast fashion shops is a good way to familiarize your eye.”
Shopping sustainably can no doubt be more expensive than fast fashion per piece, however, there are many different ways that it can become cost-effective. “For one, reduction of consumption means you’re less likely to be spending $20-$50+ whenever you walk into H&M, Zara, Mango, etc.” Additionally, if you shop pre-loved, that’s most likely already going to be at a cheaper price than retail.
Image Credit: Valeria Sarto
“In regard to shopping at sustainable brands, which are probably in the $50-$300 range depending on where you go, you’ll be more conscious of buying what you actually love.” Paying a bit of a higher price for something you love will guarantee you’ll get your money’s worth by wearing it countless times. “These brands also offer better quality that will last you longer than any fast fashion brand would, and you’re less likely to dispose of it.”
Sarto has a lot planned for the future of Fashionability, such as bringing in her photography experience to work on creating content for Sustainable brands and releasing pre-loved fashion city guides for Paris and Los Angeles. But for now, her priority is to develop her platform in itself, “I really want to be a resource for consumers to turn to when they’re looking to shop. I want them to love the content I create and be inspired so much that they really use Fashionability.” Concludes Sarto, “Soon we’ll be releasing a video look book of fully thrifted outfits that I’m really excited about. We got creative and I think it’s a good representation of what Fashionability is. Stay on the lookout for that, and keep in touch with us at @fashionability.co! I love to connect and hear new perspectives.”
You can find Valeria and fashionability.co on Instagram and on her Website.