The Drift Collective is a sustainable clothing shop located in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, that focuses on upcycled, vintage, and reconstructed apparel, along with handmade bikinis. They’ve been partnering with us by donating profits from their “Plastic Killz” line for around 3 years now! We got a chance to chat with Emily Stearns, the founder of Drift, to talk more about Drift and why sustainable fashion is so important for the health of our ocean and planet.
What was the driving force behind creating The Drift Collective?
“As a brand our main mission is and always will be to change the way the fashion industry makes and sells clothing. This goal was really the reason Drift started. We felt there were very few companies that were doing enough in terms of radical change within our industry and we believed that the only way to make an adequate impact on an extremely unsustainable system, is to completely remake the system itself.”
Tell us about The Drift Collective and what makes the clothing sustainable?
“We create our clothing line primarily by taking clothes that already exist and carefully repairing & recreating each garment by hand. Our clothes are a commitment to waste less, to close the loop in an industry that thrives off of mass-production and overconsumption. We hope that each piece we create out of 2nd hand clothing/materials eliminates the need to make something new. We also specialize in custom clothing- our belief is that by including customers in the design process they will feel an increased sense of connection to their clothing, therefore valuing, caring & repairing it for longer!”
Why is sustainable fashion so important?
“As it stands today, the fashion industry is one of the most polluting industries on the planet. Thanks to fast fashion the industry has approximately doubled in the last 20 years and by 2030 clothing consumption is predicted to increase by another 60 percent. Put simply, the planet cannot support such a hugely unsustainable system. Radical change within the industry is past due. “
Why do you think it’s beneficial for our oceans to switch over to sustainable fashion?
Over a third of all microplastics released into the world’s oceans are from synthetic textiles. Additionally, the fashion industry is largely responsible for the pollutants (pesticides and manufacturing chemicals) that contaminate our oceans and adhere to these particles.
We’ve been partners with you guys for almost 3 years now, and couldn’t be happier about it! What made you want to create the “Plastic Killz” line and donate a percentage of sales to us?!
Our Plastic Killz collection is an attempt to tie together two important issues- plastic pollution and textile waste. Through this campaign our goal is to raise awareness of the plastic pollution crisis while also diverting used clothing from landfills. The Blue Ocean Society does admirable work in ocean conservation within our community, so we were excited to partner with them on this campaign!
What’s some advice you’d give to someone who’s just starting to change their wardrobe over to a more sustainable one?
Most important advice I’d give – BUY LESS. Learn how to care and repair the clothes you already have. This small act actually makes a huge difference! Avoid buying anything new. When you do feel the urge to have something “new” in your wardrobe, buy second-hand & upcycled (or even better upcycle your own pieces!).
To everyone at the Drift Collective, keep doing what you’re doing!
After learning about the dangers of fast fashion towards the health of our ocean, how will you be switching up your wardrobe to a more sustainable one?!
