For me, sustainable fashion has many meanings. At the core of it, it means clothing and apparel purchased and used in an eco-friendly way. It’s also a way to help combat the carbon footprint that the fashion and apparel industry has on the world. I’m no Greta Thunberg, but I am trying to go zero waste. Shopping sustainably can seem overwhelming at first, so I’m going to give you four quick ways to get started.
1. Buy clothes you’re actually going to wear
It sounds silly, but especially in a consumer-driven society like the US, that isn’t obvious. I used to fall prey to this as well. We’re so driven by sales and “good deals” that oftentimes we might buy clothes for those reasons rather than because we actually need or even want them. Or as a way to treat ourselves too. I can’t even tell you the amount of times I used a Target run as a way to make me feel better. A coffee and several random pieces of clothing later, I’d come home happy and de-stressed, but oftentimes the clothes either wouldn’t last or would go unused in my closet.
While I do believe in being fashionable and I understand that some people genuinely like clothes, I think we should take a more intentional approach to buying and keeping items. This means not only buying things you know you’ll use, but holding on to and truly using them, not just throwing them in the trash when you’re bored of them. (More on what to do when you’re done with clothes in point 4).
2. Purchase thrifted items
Growing up we always donated clothes to Goodwill, but I didn’t really start shopping there until recently. There is so much ego attached to shopping at secondhand stores; for some reason, it can be seen as ‘less-than’ to buy someone’s used belongings. It doesn’t quite make sense to me anymore. Plus, with the invention of companies like Poshmark and Thredup, it’s become very normal to buy secondhand clothes online. I’m lucky enough to also have a plus size consignment store where I live now.
3. Buy sustainable fashion through ethical brands
This one is actually trickier than you might think. It seems every other day some random t-shirt brand pops up on Instagram promoting their “eco-friendly” clothes. You’d think that means they were made in an eco-friendly way, right? Nope. This tends to mean they donate some portion of profits to some kind of nonprofit organization. While that’s admirable, I’ve found that many of those small companies use the same manufacturers that produce the environmentally-unfriendly clothes coming out of our favorite fast fashion brands. So the making of these items is damaging to the environment, but they’ll send the money to a nonprofit that’s planting trees in Brazil? Seems counterproductive to me.
What we should be doing is purchasing truly sustainable fashion: clothes made from recycled and organic products, with eco-friendly manufacturing processes and materials. Fortunately this industry is growing leaps and bounds and it seems companies are popping up daily. Unfortunately, most of this clothes only comes in straight sizes or up to a US 16…so there’s still work to be done there.
4. Dispose of your clothes sustainably
Let’s say you’re done with an item of clothing. You don’t like it, it doesn’t fit, or you simply don’t wear it anymore. Donate it if you can, repurpose it if you can’t. Some brands will even give you store credit if you turn your old clothes in to them. They turn around and upcycle the clothes, using them to make other products. Talk about a full-circle experience! You can also resell your clothes on other sites (like Poshmark & Thredup) and potentially make some additional money.
I only started truly participating in sustainable fashion recently, so while I’ve always donated clothes, I’m also trying to do a better job of truly using what I have. Does that mean I might wear the same five workout tank tops over and over? Yes. Does that mean my yoga pants are seven years old and slightly dingy? Yes. I don’t care. They still fit and serve their purpose and they’re the type of clothes nobody would really rebuy, so I’m going to use them until I can’t, and make rags out of them when the time comes. At the end of the day, knowing I’m making an impact is also a huge confidence boost for me!
I’m slowly researching and getting to know ethical and sustainable fashion brands. Do you have any you’d recommend?
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