Celebrities and influencers are beginning to stray from only wearing designer clothes. WildFlower Cases’ Devon Lee Carlson has adopted her unique style from online consignments and Emma Chamberlain often sports independent brands like Paloma Wool and Hosjberg. Social media fashion culture is leaning into independent, sustainable style.

In addition to making fashion more affordable, the sustainability movement aims to reduce the industry’s carbon emissions and textile waste. ThredUp reports that consumers are 138% more environmentally-conscious than in 2019. And many of those shoppers are on Instagram.

Paloma Wool and House of Sunny are at the forefront of trends permeating today’s mainstream culture, featuring pastel colors, simple and classic silhouettes, and effortless streetwear, popularizing a European aesthetic that offers serious fashion inspiration when scrolling Instagram or Tik Tok. Transitioning customers from fashion brands such as Urban Outfitters and Free People, House of Sunny, and Paloma Wool’s Gen Z and Millennial audience is embracing trendy sustainability.

Logging onto PalomaWool.com, I am greeted by a sleek home page featuring gorgeous models in even more gorgeous clothing. On the “shop” page, the snapshots of the clothing takes my breath away. Quicker to take my breath away is the price.

This independent fashion house is based in Spain so the prices are in Euros. I found myself copying and pasting “175,00 €” into Google, and dropping my jaw at the American price of $212.25. As a college student, that is not a price I’m willing to pay for the stretchy jacquard long sleeve top that is Paloma Wool’s no 736.

I ask myself, “Is this the price we have to pay for handmade, hand-printed, sustainable fashion pieces, that are semi-exclusive, though not quite designer?”

Paloma Wool has a large social media following of over 500,000 on Instagram and the page features avant-garde photoshoots, featured products, and a representation of the brand's unique aesthetic. Pieces like their iconic checkered wool co-ords are featured on all genders, races, body shapes, and displays the ways in which their brand is progressing in the fashion industry.

“Acknowledging the fashion industry’s shortcomings enables us to challenge the system we work in,” states Paloma Wool’s website. “This allows Paloma Wool to develop its own path in conscious manufacturing, supporting local production, offering transparency, applying minimal waste procedures as well as the use of sustainable fibers, low-impact dyes, and ethical printing methods.” This challenges leading design houses who fail to introduce the use of environmentally friendly materials and prioritize a living wage for their employees.

But forget the price range, these pieces are near impossible to get your hands on. After Kendall Jenner posted on Instagram wearing the Hockney Dress by House of Sunny, a green “knitted long dress with water print,” it took the internet by storm and was named the “cult dress of the summer” by Vogue. In the midst of its fourth exclusive drop, HoS runs on the eco-friendly “shop it before we drop it,” ensuring the brand only produces what is in demand and shoppers stay on the hunt for the dress. Customers ordering from the London-based company at the beginning of February can expect to receive this dress beginning in mid-April. Retailing for £98.00, or $135.50, however, is a hefty price to pay for a dress that won’t be at your doorstep for at least two months.

House of Sunny produces two seasonal collections a year in an effort to achieve the most sustainable sourcing and manufacturing, without using any animal products, and setting the goal to maintain zero waste at all times. But with prices that may be a bit more affordable than Paloma Wool, purchasing from the brand is still a stretch for most people.

Sustainable fashion brands are putting up a high premium to support their missions. It’s not cheap to maintain locally sourced, vegan materials or anti-wastage prints, which is something consumers get to decide whether they want to buy into. Designers often create high prices to establish a sense of luxury. But these brands strive to benefit both the consumer and the environment, whereas larger designers produce at the cost of the consumer and the planet.

Paloma Wool and HoS are opening the doors for emerging Instagram-based brands and helping to make fashion more sustainable, which should be celebrated. Save up for these interesting pieces, treat yourself, or watch Depop for an occasional steal. If you’re able to get your hands on a trendy and well-made item from one of these brands, consider yourself lucky.

Social Media Fashion Making Trends Sustainable