When you hear sustainable clothing, what’s the first thought that comes to your mind? Maybe it’s looking towards established sustainable clothing brands, or occasionally ditching your shopping sprees at your favorite fast fashion stop. When we talk about sustainable style, we often get stuck thinking we have to shop from specific brands and avoid others in order to be a sustainable consumer.
While supporting sustainable brands is crucial in the sustainable style movement, let’s be real — it still comes with a price (for your wallet). Brands that abide by sustainable ingredients and ethical manufacturing practices can get extremely pricey and hard to rock when you’re a college girl on a budget. Here’s the truth: transforming your wardrobe into a more sustainable collection can be done in so many other ways. In fact, other style habits can be way more sustainable than buying new clothes to begin with. With that, here are some easily attainable options, besides buying new sustainable clothing, for people who want to curate a more sustainable closet.
Don’t be scared to buy secondhand
Thrifting clothes have been a huge phenomenon lately. It’s time to take the trend and turn it into a staple in your new wardrobe. Savers and Goodwill are both two places that are super cheap and you can find a bunch of hidden gems there. If you don’t want to spend the day scanning racks, you can alternatively turn to your smartphone to buy secondhand. Depop is one app that has taken over how you thrift by shopping other user’s past loved pieces.
Upcycle past pieces and make them good as new
If you’re getting bored with your current pieces it might be time for an upgrade. Upcycling clothes have become my personal favorite in giving me one of a kind pieces that no one else owns. Whether it’s cutting and sewing, painting, embroidering, or ironing on graphics, it’s super effortless to make simple pieces brand new again. Some of these tasks are easy enough to learn and there are tons of YouTube tutorials to turn to in case you get stuck.
Raid your mama’s closet
Looking to create a new sustainable wardrobe? The answer is closer to home than you would think. What I love the most about trends is that they repeat themselves. If you and your mom are relatively the same sizes, see if you can borrow some of her pieces she hasn’t touched since the 80s or 90s that are resurfacing in fast fashion stores currently. This is a great way to not only bond with your mom, but also get some cool new finds!
Sustainable style can be Will you be trying out any of these sustainability options? Tag us at @HerCampusStyle and use the hashtag #HCSustainablyStylish in your new fave thrifted look.