Sustainable Fashion Glossary | Terms Explained Simply

Sustainable fashion comes with its own vocabulary, and a lot of it gets thrown around without explanation. Here's a plain-English glossary of the terms you're most likely to run into — useful whether you're just starting out or trying to evaluate a specific brand's claims.

Circular Fashion

The practice of keeping garments in use for as long as possible — through resale, repair, and durable design — rather than the traditional linear model of buy, wear briefly, discard. Read more in our circular wardrobe guide.

Cost Per Wear (CPW)

A garment's price divided by the number of times it's actually worn — a practical way to evaluate whether a purchase was genuinely good value, regardless of its upfront cost. Full breakdown in our cost per wear guide.

Fast Fashion

A business model built around rapid production cycles, low prices, and high volume — designed to keep pace with trends rather than durability, often at significant environmental and labour cost.

GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard)

A certification verifying that a textile is made from a high percentage of certified organic fibres, with defined environmental and social criteria applied across the entire supply chain. Covered in depth in our certifications guide.

Greenwashing

Marketing that overstates or fabricates a product's environmental credentials — vague language, unverified claims, and self-created "eco" labels are common signs. See our full guide on spotting it.

Hemp

A bast fibre known for minimal water use, natural pest resistance, and exceptional durability — one of the fastest-growing sustainable textiles currently in use. More on why we use it in Our Choice of Fabrics.

Microplastics

Tiny plastic particles, often shed from synthetic fabrics (like polyester or nylon) during washing, that enter waterways and are extremely difficult to remove from the environment once released.

Slow Fashion

The intentional opposite of fast fashion — smaller, more considered production runs, an emphasis on durability and craftsmanship, and a slower relationship between trend and purchase.

Traceability

The ability to track a garment's materials and production process back through the supply chain — a foundation for verifying any sustainability claim, rather than taking it on trust.

Zero Waste (Design)

A design and production approach that minimises or eliminates fabric offcuts and material waste, often through pattern planning done before cutting begins. Covered in our post on our production process.

Why We Built This List

Understanding these terms is the foundation for evaluating any sustainability claim — including ours. If a term you've come across isn't listed here, our Contact page is a good place to ask.

See how these terms apply to our own practices → Ethical Production Practices