The fashion and beauty industry constitutes what’s trendy and what’s out of style. Trends aren’t always worth following, but one trend consumers should subscribe to is sustainability. Consumers have taken a newfound interest in eco conscious actions, and stores are taking notice.
The COVID-19 pandemic piqued consumers’ need for environmentally safe products and practices. People want everything to be sustainable. Products, packaging, ingredients — if the item is green and clean, it is more likely to be bought.
Makeup and clothes is a hugely profitable market because of Gen-Z. From elementary school kids to college students to millennials, our generation is changing the face of the beauty industry because of our concerns. We are concerned over our damaged surroundings and preventing additional harm.
Gen-Z wants to rescue the environment in style. We want to feel good by using ethical products while looking good doing it. Afterall, we are the generation that put online thrift stores like ThredUp, Depop and Poshmark on the map. Pushing impactful practices while looking impactful? Count us in.
Boston stores are no stranger to this eco-friendly trend. Newbury Street is Boston’s epicenter for shopping. Assuming you aren’t strolling down Newbury to purchase a Gucci jacket or La Mer Creme de la Mer Moisturizer, there are two stores on Newbury that provide ecological and tasteful products worth buying.
Covet
Covet is a consignment store for women’s clothing located at 176 Newbury St. The Newbury location opened last month, adding to the Beacon Hill and Southie locations. Covet’s selection of clothing is very impressive. Any design of clothing you can think of is probably provided.
Dresses, skirts, pants, jackets — you name it they got it. They have hats, sunglasses, candles, bags and jewelry too. What’s great about consignment stores is finding pieces you wouldn’t usually see together. It’s not abnormal to find something like a Saint Laurent t-shirt touching an American Apparel hoodie. The point is that each piece is in great condition and discounted.
Shopping second-hand is paramount to helping the environment. Recycling clothes can reduce your carbon footprint. Producing and distributing products requires energy that emits greenhouse gasses.
Shopping at consignment stores or thrift shops means you are contributing to circular fashion. You are slowing down the need to make new clothes, thereby slowing production. A slowed-down production allows renewable resources to properly renew themselves. Supplying time to renewable resources means future generations will have access to them.
Covet is great for shopping sustainably because you are bound to be drawn to an item of clothing that fits your personal style. Vintage clothes don’t equate to your grandmother’s wardrobe, but if you are afraid of older items, don’t fear. Covet has plenty of new clothes to rummage through.
Credo
Literally right across from Covet is Credo, a skincare and makeup store that advocates for ethical, clean and sustainable brands. Located at 177 Newbury St., this quainter Sephora is a small space full of goodies any beauty lover can get lost in.
Credo has a list of dirty ingredients on their website that are linked to health and environmental issues that they refuse to incorporate into their brand. Some of the ingredients correlate with cancer, hormone disruption, allergies and environmental disruption.
Like most luxury beauty stores, Credo is very aesthetically appealing. The placement of the brands and the packaging of the products forces you to stare and contemplate buying that tube of mascara you know you don’t need. Nothing is cheap, but students can receive a discount for 15% off every purchase.
Cosmetic packaging is a culprit of using non-recyclable materials like plastic that are single-use. With their Sustainable Packaging Guidelines, Credo ensures that their brands work with specific packaging suppliers to remove single-use packaging.
Sustainable packaging helps eliminate pollution from plastic waste found in palettes, tubes like lip gloss and eyeliner or bottles for serums or shampoo. Credo’s commitment to clean beauty is righteous and appealing. Do good, look good, feel good.
