The fashion industry is the second largest polluter in the world right after the oil industry. As a lover of fashion and shopping, this has kind of been a hard pill to swallow for me. There was a point where I felt like the world had succumbed to the fast fashion model and that any effort against it would be futile and unsustainable for me and my budget. Fast fashion makes wasteful shopping so accessible. The fact that I can see a cute shirt on Pinterest and then immediately buy it online for super cheap (which appeased my next to nothing budget) is the reason that I originally gave up on sustainable fashion. But as I have learned more, and therefore began to care more about the topic, I learned that there is more to sustainable shopping than the wickedly pricey sustainable brands that only sell basic items of clothing. Shopping sustainably is a lot easier than you would think.
1. Do your brand research
Fast fashion isn’t great no matter how you look at it, but there are some companies that are better than others. The best way I have found to educate myself on brand practices is through the website Good On You. Good On You is basically a search engine for environmentally and ethically conscious clothing brands. You can search any brand and it will give a rating based on how the brand treats the planet, people, and animals. If you find that one of your favorite brands doesn’t have a good rating, don’t worry. Good On You gives you better alternatives for brands that don’t have good ratings. There are also a lot of articles written about sustainable and ethical brands, sustainable fashion bloggers, tips on how to shop sustainably, and so much more. I honestly love Good On You, and I have learned so much about sustainable fashion just from spending a little bit of time on their website. It makes sustainable shopping feel a lot less daunting.
2. Know what your clothes are made out of
One of the main problems with the fashion industry is that the materials they use to make the clothes are super harmful to the environment. Fast fashion is made to be produced at an accelerated rate and are therefore made with synthetic (plastic) materials. These clothes aren’t designed to last long in your closet, but also don’t break down easily when thrown away. The best way to fight this is to stay away from clothes that are made from synthetic materials. Basically, buy clothes that are 100% cotton. 100% cotton made clothes are better for you anyways because cotton is a more breathable material, so it will be more comfortable and it will probably last longer.
3. Buy intentionally
Make sure you are buying clothes that are not only going to physically last a long time, but that you are going to want to wear a lot and keep around for a while. Enough with the impulse buys that sit in your closet for years without being worn. Buy clothes that you need and can be worn to multiple occasions throughout the year. Also, buy classic pieces that are likely to be in style for a long time. Trends are fun, and it’s okay to have a few trendy pieces, but you shouldn’t have to do a huge shopping haul every season. Shopping intentionally is not only better for the environment, but also for your bank account.
4. Thrift shop
Speaking of being better for your bank account, start thrifting your clothes. Thrift shopping is one of my favorite activities, and even though it is becoming super trendy, I think that it is still an underrated form of shopping. Everyone needs a little retail therapy sometimes, and thrift shopping is a great way to get your spending fix while not contributing to waste. Also, you will probably spend a lot less money on a thrifting haul than you would on a shopping mall haul. Because thrifting is gaining popularity, there are so many more ways to buy second hand. There are vintage shops, second hand shops that only buy from current styles like Plato’s closet and Uptown Cheapskate, and regular thrift shops like Goodwill are beginning to be more common. If online shopping is more your style, don’t worry. There are lots of online thrift and second hand sites like Depop, Poshmark, and ThredUp, just to name a few.
5. Don’t throw away your clothes
No matter how intentional you are with your buying or how much you loved a piece of clothing a few years ago, we all go through style changes or buy clothes that we thought we would wear more often than we actually do. It’s okay. But don’t throw your old and unwanted clothes away. Give them the opportunity to be worn and repurposed. Donate them, or sell them, or alter them to match your style more. Unless your clothes are absolutely trashed to the point where they are unsalvageable in any way, you don’t need to throw them away.
As I’ve learned more about environmentally conscious shopping, I have grown to love it and to find it exciting. I’m no longer disheartened at the thought of my shopping habits. I have found ways to fix my problematic habits, and I have made good habits that work for me. What I’ve learned from shopping consciously is that you don’t have to be perfect at it. As long as you are striving to do better, you are doing a good thing.