Our love for vintage clothes goes beyond the feeling of finding an old gem and being able to wear unique pieces nobody else can get their hands on, its also an environmental decision. The fashion industry is a huge polluter and there seem to be endless mindblowing statistics and facts about the effect of producing clothes. Statistics like the fashion industry using 1.5 trillion liters of water a year sound shocking, but seeing the effect in a documentary really puts things into perspective.

To help keep you up to date on why you should shop responsibly, here are five documentaries that helped persuade us.

Pure Couture

Diving into the effect of fast fashion, this documentary will brief you on its environmental effects whilst also taking a look at some of the designers that are making clothing in a more sustainable way - such as Pharell Williams. 

Stacey Dooley Investigates Fashion's Dirty Secrets

This clip from Stacey Dooley's documentary shows just how well the fashion industry has managed to disguise its impact on the environment. Exploring the worldwide effects of fashions pollution, Stacey gives you a first-hand insight into how our spending habits affect the environment in the full documentary on BBC iplayer.

The True Cost

Since coming out in 2015, the True Cost has been a catalyst in consumers and producers thinking more about sustainability. Focusing on the human and environmental effects, this film is unapologetically graphic in its shunning of the fashion industry. You can purchase the film on youtube and it is available on Netflix.

Riverblue: Can Fashion Save The Planet

Another documentary that sent shockwaves through the public when it was released, Riverblue explores the fashion industries effect on the world's waterways. speaking to a number of professionals, this film gives graphic accounts of the many effects of garment production as well as offering solutions to them.

How Fast Fashion Adds to the Worlds Clothing Waste Problem

As with many of the other documentaries, this one shows how fast fashion is particularly to blame. The main things to take away from this doc is not just how wasteful fast fashion is but also why you should not trust when these labels try to make themselves appear sustainable.