Ethical Shopping

Meet sustainable fashion influencer Bianca Foley

Bianca Foley, an advocate for sustainable fashion, utilises her Instagram profile to educate her followers on sustainability.

Bianca Foley.

All fashion enthusiast-turned-influencer Bianca Foley desired was a plain white T-shirt, but she was astounded to discover 19 pages of the same white garment during an online search. This abundance of seemingly unnecessary choice sparked her interest in sustainability.

“I just wanted a white T-shirt,” Foley told The Big Issue. “I went on ASOS and there were 19 pages [of them]. I was like, ‘Why are there so many? Why is the company not just selling one perfect white T-shirt that fits everyone?’”

Since then, Foley, 34, has grown her profile as a fashion and sustainability influencer, content creator and co-host of Sustainability Influenced, a podcast which she describes as directing her audience through the “minefield” of sustainability.

With over 14,000 Instagram followers, Foley has made a name for herself in the field of sustainable fashion by showcasing her sense of style, as well as enriching her online followers with advice on consumerism, rental fashion and how to maintain an ethical wardrobe.

In 2021, the term “sustainable” was at the forefront of public discussion as there was a tremendous rise in environmental consciousness to safeguard our planet — specifically during and after the United Nations’ Cop26 climate conference in October.

One positive outcome of the conference was that the United Nations Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action was renewed with new commitments, including the goal of reaching net-zero emissions by 2050, and procuring environmentally acceptable raw materials by 2030. Among the 130 brands that signed the charter include top fashion labels Burberry and Nike.

Foley began her journey 10 years ago with the launch of Love Food Love Fashion, a lifestyle blog that offered advice on fashion and beauty. Three years later, she started her first e-commerce brand, GLDN, a company designed to limit excessive purchases and encourage shoppers to build a capsule wardrobe — a limited number of items that can be reworn time and time again.

“I had this real thing against buying all the time,” Foley said. “I didn’t want to design any new things because [there are] plenty of designers out there. There’s plenty to choose from.”

“I’ve always had this thing against buying every trend and buying everything that comes out because fashion moves so quickly. So I chose the best pieces from particular well-known brands and sold them on my site.”

Foley is conscious about the goods she sells; she wishes for a more sustainable and ethical fashion sector where humanity and the environment prevail. She points out there is a distinction between sustainability and ethical fashion, however.

Sustainable fashion focuses on the environmental impact of manufacturing clothing, while ethical fashion places a premium on social responsibility and worker protection throughout the manufacturing process.

“You can have an ethical fashion brand that isn’t sustainable,” explained Foley. “If you’re producing at a rate of 300,000 garments per year, you’re not thinking about the afterlife of your clothing.”

As for ethics, recent research from the Clean Clothes Campaign found that garment workers were owed an estimated between $3.19 billion and $5.78 billion in wages during the first three months of the coronavirus pandemic.

On Instagram, Foley has also been a long-time supporter of rental fashion, which she says is simple and effective way to keep up with latest trends without feeling like you’re hurting the planet.

Rental fashion allows individuals to rent an item for an event or for a specific period. These items can vary from clothes, shoes, accessories and jewellery.

“I used to see my mum come home in princess gowns, and she’s like, ‘Oh, I rented it.’ I absolutely adore rental fashion, I think it’s a great way forward,” Foley said. 

But the fashion influencer warns that if people aren’t careful, eco-friendly rental fashion can play into the culture of fast fashion as individuals continuously purchase new items to rent in order to keep up with the latest fashion trends. 

 “I’m starting to see that the other side of rental fashion where there is this question that in order to keep your wardrobe, current and rentable, I’m seeing a lot of people feel the pressure that they have to keep buying things in order to rent them out,” said Foley.

Foley encourages people to be more mindful. “For me, it’s about shopping second-hand and only really buying what you need.”

Support the Big Issue

For over 30 years, the Big Issue has been committed to ending poverty in the UK. In 2024, our work is needed more than ever. Find out how you can support the Big Issue today.
Vendor martin Hawes

Recommended for you

View all
'We're all changing the world': How B Corps are turning competition into collaboration
The Sustainable Drinks Cabinet event 2023
B Corps

'We're all changing the world': How B Corps are turning competition into collaboration

giffgaff is up to good
Sponsored Post

giffgaff is up to good

'You're being ripped off!': Behind the insidious rise of greenwashing – and how to fight back
Greenwashing image fro B Corp piece
B Corp

'You're being ripped off!': Behind the insidious rise of greenwashing – and how to fight back

'Do you use child labour? These things matter': Why ethical shopping is here to stay
Ethical shopping

'Do you use child labour? These things matter': Why ethical shopping is here to stay

Most Popular

Read All
Renters pay their landlords' buy-to-let mortgages, so they should get a share of the profits
Renters: A mortgage lender's window advertising buy-to-let products
1.

Renters pay their landlords' buy-to-let mortgages, so they should get a share of the profits

Exclusive: Disabled people are 'set up to fail' by the DWP in target-driven disability benefits system, whistleblowers reveal
Pound coins on a piece of paper with disability living allowancve
2.

Exclusive: Disabled people are 'set up to fail' by the DWP in target-driven disability benefits system, whistleblowers reveal

Here's when UK households to start receiving last cost of living payments
next dwp cost of living payment 2023
3.

Here's when UK households to start receiving last cost of living payments

Strike dates 2023: From train drivers to NHS doctors, here are the dates to know
4.

Strike dates 2023: From train drivers to NHS doctors, here are the dates to know