While I love all thing eco-friendly, sustainable fashion is one that is a little harder to adhere to. At least, in the same way that everyone is touting: you know, second-hand everything. But, just because you don’t buy from Value Village doesn’t mean that you can’t have a more sustainable closet – without changing too many habits!
Quality, not Quantity
This can be used in every aspect of life, but you don’t need 1,000,000 of anything to be happy. You just need a few good of anything to be happy.
While it’s hard to buy good, quality clothes when your budget is non-existent, it’s one of the best ways to have a better closet for you and the world. Because, if that $5 skirt you bought only lasts 1-2 wears before it breaks down or the trend is out of season, was it even worth the $5 to begin with?
Re-Think Purchases
Holy hell, this is the hardest one yet. I absolutely LOVE buying shoes, clothes, and pearl earrings like I’m some sort of 80-year old millionaire. The more, the better! I know, I just went over why more doesn’t mean better as above.
I don’t need 10 pairs of shorts, and unless you sweat through a pair a day and don’t own a washing machine, you don’t either. While having massive quantities of everything can come in handy when you’ve forgotten to do a load of wash, it’s not needed. We all end up wearing the same few pieces day-in and day-out, so why do we own 25 blouses, only 5 of which see the light of day?
Budget
This one is just as hard, or harder than above, but it helped me stop buying so damn much. Putting yourself, and staying, on a budget can do wonders. It’ll be hard at first, and yes you’ll spend when you shouldn’t have, but eventually you should fall into a rhythm and the idea that you don’t need everything you see at first glance.
My big boxing day splurges? A pair of socks, a gorgeous tweed blazer (quality and something I’ve had my eye on for ages), a chic blouse (quality), a sweater I already saw myself wearing later that week, also of decent quality, yellow velvet pants, a sponge, a bowl cover, and a pair of thinx undies. Did I end up buying something I didn’t need? Yeah. Those velvet pants. But, they made my heart sing, so I broke down and got them. We all make mistakes a time or two.
Which is fine. It just means I don’t have to spend on clothes for a long time. Perhaps not until summer.
Think Ethical in your Brand Names
But, know you don’t have to buy solely from these companies. Because, they can be expensive. And, they may not necessarily have your style.
Luckily, brands are becoming more ethical and more clothing companies with better morals are popping up all over the place. Does anyone remember when Stella McCartney was the only ethical clothing brand out there? And, that a pair of pants cost hundreds of dollars? I mean, they’re gorgeous and wonderful, but not in everyone’s budget.
But, if there are any brands out there that are doing it for you, even if it’s socks made from plastic bottles, BUY FROM THERE FOR THAT ONE THING! Support them.
Thrift it
And, by that, I mean, donate your gently used clothes to thrift stores. Just because you don’t shop there doesn’t mean someone else doesn’t need to buy your stuff. If you love thrifting, go for it! Just know that it’s not for everyone and that’s okay.
Clothing Swap
While I don’t like thrift stores (I honestly can’t get over the fact that I don’t know who wore the item before me), I absolutely LOVE clothing swaps. Held with your friends, you guessed it, you swap clothes! It’s a fun get-together, you can get some really great pieces and anything left over gets donated.
Sometimes, the Big Fast Fashions Work out
I have had an H&M shirt for nearly 8 years, now. I wear it often and I absolutely love it. It’s probably getting to that time where I’ll need to throw it out, but it lasted me for 8 frickin’ years. H&M is supposed to be fast fashion, and a lot of it is. The trends you’ll only wear for a season, pants that have the flimsiest zippers ever made, shirts that get the smallest of a snag just by looking at them. Not the best. But, if you really look at the quality of the piece and pay a little more than those $5 wonders, you’ll get something that lasts far longer than you thought it would.
