Sustain your style
More and more fashion brands are slowly realizing their impact on the environment and are changing their ways. Now it is up to us, the consumers, to keep sustainability going. I won't lie to you, the options for sustainable fashion, although growing, are still limited. Especially for consumers who don't want to spend a fortune on clothes that we can easily get from fast fashion brands such as Primark and Shien. Nonetheless, sustainable brands will not necessarily cost more than brand name clothing for which we pay high prices for the image but rarely for the quality or sustainability. We tend to think that buying new clothes will make us happy. Maye we should reconsider some of our foundations of our lifestyle.
‘The most environmentally sustainable jacket is the one that’s already in your closet…’
— Patagonia’s Chief Product Officer Lisa Williams
The most invaluable first step to becoming a more conscious shopper is to do your research to help your decision-making. Knowing where to start – and, more importantly, where to shop – is key. Thankfully, it’s now much easier than it once was; there are so many brands that operate with a sustainably focused ethos. Do your own investigative work to find a handful of brands you love and start from there. After a while, your portfolio of knowledge will have grown – and you'll have a whole host of labels to choose from. For example, a few sustainable fashion brands may include the likes of Patagonia, Afends, Levis etc. Being sustainable doesn't mean you can't be stylish. Now let's look at how we can be fashionably sustainable in other ways. Don’t throw your clothes in the normal bins! Most of them consist of synthetic, non-biodegradable fiber and will just pile up in the landfill. You can either try repair them or resell on apps such as vinted or Depop or donating to your local charity shops is never a bad idea. According to the Energy Saving Trust, washing accounts for 60-80% of a garment's total environmental impact. By washing clothes at 30 degrees rather than 40 degrees, you can reduce energy used by up to 40%. Not only that! It is good for the material and helps make your clothes last longer.
Sustainability doesn't always have to be hard and difficult. For example, I personally love charity shopping. I usually pick a day (normally a Saturday for me) and i put my air pods in, crab a coffee and spend the day looking through charity shops rather than shopping in the local shopping center. I find it so relaxing and have so much fun and most times i find something really cool. The people in charity shops are always so lovely, which also motivates me to proactively stay environmentally conscious.
