If you could only do one thing about your closet to make it mindful and sustainable, I'd recommend you go with knowing how to take proper care of your clothes to make them last longer, this should always be your first step to an ethical and sustainable wardrobe!
Now that the weather is finally cooling down, we're all reaching for our warmer clothes we haven't seen in months - boy, did I miss wearing more than one layer... After so long, it's only natural you'll find pieces you no longer want, wear or fit you, so how do you get rid of them responsibly?
Ask yourself why you no longer want a specific piece. Is it too big on you? Too small? It has an unsightly rip? A stain? Is it no longer on trend? Is it no longer your style? You need to make sure you're getting rid of something for the right reason, not just because we're all addicted to watching closet declutter videos... Once you've asked all the right questions, work through those problems.
If it's something you love but no longer fits, get it altered! If it's too big, seek a professional (or do it yourself, if you can) and get it to fit you perfectly. If it's too small, up-cycle, see if you can make something else you love with it. I have these shorts I love dearly, but because they were a bad Forever 21 purchase, they shrink every time they're washed, so even though they fit around the waist, they're too small, so I'm turning them into hair accessories for next summer, a scrunchie and a small hair scarf, one less piece to end up where it shouldn't.
If you no longer like an item, ask your friends and family if anyone is interested, if no one claims the prize, try to sell it online, there's no reason why you can't make some money with your old things. If all else fails, or you're simply not interested in selling your things, there's always someone in need you can donate it to.
Fix any small holes or stains, there's no need to get rid of clothing just because they have a small flaw, repair and love your clothes for longer. And if the problems are just too big, alter them into something else, even a cleaning rag can be a good way to extend a fabric's life for a little while longer.
The last step you should ever take, is to recycle them. Even though recycling is a thousand times better than simply throwing your clothes in the bin (please, never ever do that), it does still take a toll on the environment, so make sure you've exhausted all possibilities before placing them in a clothes recycling bin. I'm lucky enough to have lots and lots of those available around my country, but if that's not the case with you, do some research, even H&M has a clothing recycling program (not that I support them in any way, but it is a good first step).
As you can see, there are many ways to get rid of clothing in a responsible and sustainable way that don't include throwing them out in the trash! If you have any other tips on this subject, make sure to let me know below!
Almost like a capsule closet, at the end of each season I like to write down a list of things I feel may be missing from my closet and would like to get for next time. At the end of winter my list looked something like this:
- trench coat
- long black wool coat
- a black and a white wool/cashmere/cotton cardigan
- tight black high neck sweater, wool or cashmere
- skinny black jeans
- black wool beanie
- black/camel wool scarf
None of these items were chosen due to their trendiness, but they are all versatile pieces that can be used forever, no matter how much my style may still change. Now, this would all be a lot easier if I still shopped at fast fashion stores, I could literally find all of these in one store without much effort, but ever since I stopped buying from them and decided to buy secondhand only, it takes a little bit more time to find each piece, but that also makes it a bit more special.
As much as I would love this Holland Trench from Reformation, or my original love, the Waterloo Trench by Burberry, realistically I can't even begin to afford any of these, so my only choice to buy a good quality option, and sustainable, is to buy secondhand. I've been looking for the perfect one since winter 2019 began, I know I like my trenches to be longer than usual, 100% cotton, and I know I prefer tortoiseshell buttons, so those are the first three things I look for, but so far I haven't been so lucky. I've found two I liked but one had a belt I didn't love - and I do want to make sure I absolutely love whatever I buy - and the other one sold quite fast, that's the problem with secondhand buying, once it's gone, it's gone.
Last winter I was lucky to find a secondhand wool and cashmere coat that I love so so much, and better yet it was only €10. Sure it had a few problems, but they were all easily fixed once I got it and I barely wore anything else the whole winter, it kept me warm in both Portugal and Norway during Christmas, so you know it was a good choice. Besides, the cut is such a classic, so is the camel colour, that I know I'll keep it for years and years to come! My goal for this year is to find something very similar but in black, and then I'll be sorted when it comes to essential coats. I did find one on my go-to app for secondhand clothes, but as it is so heavy the lady prefers to sell it face to face rather than ship it, which is the only reason why I don't have it yet but, if all goes to plan, I'll be in her city soon and I might finally get my hands on it.
Lastly for outerwear, cardigans! Almost a year ago I bought a dark grey secondhand cardigan for 3€ and I wore it until April this year, that's how you know it's love. A few months ago I also got my hand on a different type of cardigan, a 100% cashmere button up to wear as a sweater, for 10€, and I can't wait to wear it, and even though I'd love to find similar ones in white and black, those can wait. But the only thing missing right now are regular chunky cropped cardigans, my faves. While I can' yet afford this beautiful Bee Bomber by GoldFreckles, handmade by order with 100% Peruvian sheep wool, and I'm yet to find the perfect ones secondhand, I think my only option is to make my own. I recently bought this Vintage Cable Cardigan pattern on Etsy, but I also have these options saved for later: Cable Knit Sweater, Lacy Cardigan and Turtle Neck, and I'm really excited to give them a try.
A few years ago I bought a ribbed high neck sweater from Bershka which I still love dearly but, I've worn it to death, it's getting so thin and stretched out and I really want to find a substitute for it. This Cashmere Ribbed Turtleneck from NAADAM isn't the exact match, but I love it and it might be a contender if I manage to save up for it, but after reading Good On You's article on How Ethical is Cashmere, I would really prefer to find a secondhand option.
For a few years now I've been wearing only straight cute mum jeans, somewhat resembling a vintage cut, but when it comes to wearing them with boots in winter I find them too bulky, so after years of not wearing skinny jeans I'm on the lookout for a new pair again. These INGAA Skinny Fit High Waist by Armedangels look perfect, skinny without being too much, the right waist height, and they're made with organic cotton, the whole brand is like a dream so here's hoping I can save up for a pair soon. Still on the subject of bottoms, I'm really trying to find a black wool mini skirt and a pair of black wool vintage pants, but those are proving to be hard to find, one day maybe...
Finally, for accessories, I'm in desperate need for a warm beanie, something along the lines of this Ribbed Beanie by Mango, but better for my head and the planet, I'm thinking the best way may be for me to make my own, so I found this Ribbed Beanie Knitting Pattern on Etsy which would look wonderful in a black merino or cashmere wool, both super warm and soft, but still breathable. Lastly, I'm missing a super warm scarf, I could obviously make my own, but I really like the look of a super solid scarf, so my only option is to buy one, this NAADAM Cashmere Solid Scarf - both in camel and in black - is exactly what I'm looking for but it's also way out of my league, so I'll need to find something similar secondhand.
So this is my list of basics lacking in my wardrobe, let me know which basics you're still trying to find yourself and if any of these tickle your fancy!
Disclaimer
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I haven't posted in over two months, and every time I did post this year it started with something along the lines of "long time no see", but let's skip it this time and go straight to what brought you here: how to transition your fast fashion wardrobe into an ethical one?
For the past two years I've been a lot more conscious of what I buy, as I mentioned in my last Mindful Fashion post, Becoming Aware of the Problem, I started out by weeding out polyester & co. based fabrics from my purchases, focusing more on "natural" options. But the problem is, I was still consuming things I didn't need, buying on a "want" basis, and worst of all, I was still buying from brands I knew weren't ethical. It's not that I didn't care about what conditions people were working in to make that 2€ t-shirt I was gonna wear twice and then realise I didn't really like, it's that I thought all brands worked the same way and I didn't have any other options. Boy, was I wrong!
Photo by Giulia Bertelli on Unsplash
I couldn't really have a blog about living a more sustainable lifestyle without mentioning fashion, especially as that was always the main focus of my blog when I first started. Fashion, and having lots of clothes, were always dear to my heart, no matter the quality or how many times I wore each piece, as long as I had lots of them, I was happy. When I first started delving into the whole sustainability matter I read a lot about how the fashion industry was one of the planet's biggest threats, and my first step to help out was to stop buying anything with polyester&co, if a piece of clothing had even 2% of plastic I was staying away from it, nothing that wasn't linen, viscose, rayon, cotton, wool, etc wasn't coming into my home, but I was still buying from the same stores, every sale season I would buy more and more, so was I really helping at all?
Well, yes, I was no longer consuming as much because it's hard to find pieces that 100% fall into that category in high street stores, and I was no longer contributing to the synthetic-ridden clothes problem, but I was still supporting brands that weren't environmentally friendly, not to mention brands that had awful policies regarding workers and their conditions. My second step came after I saw a documentary about how clothes in Zara (and Inditex in general) are made, I was absolutely shocked to see how polluting the whole process is, just making a simple pair of jeans had horrible repercussions not only to the planet but also to the people making them. I stopped buying from Zara right there and then, it has been two years, and haven't felt tempted to go back, but I do still, occasionally, shop at high street stores, which is something I'm trying to stop altogether.
Becoming aware of the problem is the first step to fight said problem, so I don't feel as though I'm on level 1 of dealing with it, I've made other changes to the way I shop, which I'll talk about in another post, but I know there's still so much to learn and figure out. None of us need a whole new wardrobe every season, we don't need 10 new dresses for summer, and we certainly don't need to throw away perfectly good pieces just because it's trendy to do massive clearouts every other week. Even though not all of us can buy from fully sustainable and ethical stores, I know I can't, we can still have a mindful approach to fashion and the way we shop. I read an article on Business Leader that said "The fast fashion model has spiraled into a marketer’s dream. Consumer purchase behaviours are driven by short-term pleasure. We show off our wealth, style and personality but once this temporary fulfilment is over, it’s a vicious cycle to continuously satisfy our rational materialistic values, becoming a desire not a necessity." and this couldn't be closer to the truth, we need to stop living in a constant state of want and focus on what we truly need, and hopefully if consumer desires evolve, the industry will have to follow, this won't be a quick process, and not everyone will be up for it, some people will continue to prefer quantity over quality, but it's up to each one of us to make that change.
Each one of us needs to become aware as a consumer, making mindful decisions as to how we spend our money and how this will affect the people as a whole and the planet itself. Sure, conscious consumerism almost seems like a trend nowadays, but trends fade and what needs to remain is the core of the movement, it needs to be a lifestyle, not just something you dip your toes into for some Instagram likes. We need to break the cycle, the more we consume the more we demand, and the more we demand the more is overproduced, as long as we live our lives this way, the world will keep on hurting, and so will we.
There isn't a foolproof way to become a mindful consumer, but there are a few steps you can take to help you find your way:
Becoming aware of the problem is the first step to fight said problem, so I don't feel as though I'm on level 1 of dealing with it, I've made other changes to the way I shop, which I'll talk about in another post, but I know there's still so much to learn and figure out. None of us need a whole new wardrobe every season, we don't need 10 new dresses for summer, and we certainly don't need to throw away perfectly good pieces just because it's trendy to do massive clearouts every other week. Even though not all of us can buy from fully sustainable and ethical stores, I know I can't, we can still have a mindful approach to fashion and the way we shop. I read an article on Business Leader that said "The fast fashion model has spiraled into a marketer’s dream. Consumer purchase behaviours are driven by short-term pleasure. We show off our wealth, style and personality but once this temporary fulfilment is over, it’s a vicious cycle to continuously satisfy our rational materialistic values, becoming a desire not a necessity." and this couldn't be closer to the truth, we need to stop living in a constant state of want and focus on what we truly need, and hopefully if consumer desires evolve, the industry will have to follow, this won't be a quick process, and not everyone will be up for it, some people will continue to prefer quantity over quality, but it's up to each one of us to make that change.
Each one of us needs to become aware as a consumer, making mindful decisions as to how we spend our money and how this will affect the people as a whole and the planet itself. Sure, conscious consumerism almost seems like a trend nowadays, but trends fade and what needs to remain is the core of the movement, it needs to be a lifestyle, not just something you dip your toes into for some Instagram likes. We need to break the cycle, the more we consume the more we demand, and the more we demand the more is overproduced, as long as we live our lives this way, the world will keep on hurting, and so will we.
There isn't a foolproof way to become a mindful consumer, but there are a few steps you can take to help you find your way:
- Ask yourself if you really need that thing you're about to buy, how often will you use it? How was it made? Do you already have something similar? Can you borrow it from someone else? Asking questions is important, if it's something you need and know you'll use/wear for years and years to come, and if you know it was made to last and in a sustainable way, buy it. If you need it but will only use once or twice, maybe find someone that will let you borrow it, or will rent it to you, we don't need to buy a new dress for every wedding we're invited to.
- Get rid of your trend mentality, you don't need something new just because it's trendy, more often than not that trend will be over within a few months, and you'll be left with something you won't want to wear anymore. And while you're at it, get rid of the "retail therapy" mindset too, buying new things may feel good while you're doing it, I've been guilty of that myself, but the temporary mood boost will only result in a house filled with things we don't really need or want, and those things that made you so happy a few days ago will become waste. Fill that void with an activity that will be useful instead, learn to bake, teach yourself a new language, read a book, watch a movie or a show you love, have a cocktail..
- If trends are something that still call out your name, all you need to do is remember: all trends have been trendy before so, most likely, you can buy that item you've seen in every store and on every influencer's Instagram just by visiting your closest secondhand shop, or even by rummaging through your parents' or grandparent's closets. This winter I really wanted a baggy coat and needed something warmer to wear to university and my grandma was so happy to let me have a look in her closet and find something I loved and that she hadn't worn in over two decades, it can be a really great way to connect with your family too.
- Learn to value experiences, time and people instead of new things. Once I stopped spending money on dozes of clothing pieces every sale season that I didn't actually need, I was left with so much extra money I was actually able to travel (I wasn't spending thousands of euros each time, but all that money was put aside and every year I would go on a trip with my friends or my boyfriend) and I value those memories so much more than I would value those clothes.
- Take a look at Good On You, here you'll find ratings and reviews on ethical brands, and learn more about all the different stores and brands that care about our environment.
