How to Incorporate Sustainable Fashion into Your Daily Wardrobe
Sustainable fashion involves incorporating an aspect of environmental conservation in fashion. This involves ensuring that the production process is less environmentally harmful and reducing waste in the fashion industry. That said, here’s how to incorporate sustainable fashion into your wardrobe.
Switch to Eco-Friendly Fabric
Organic fabrics are a product of environmentally friendly farming methods and are, therefore, biodegradable. Unlike conventional cotton, the eco-friendly fabric is grown without synthetic fertilizers or other harmful chemicals that affect the environment. These fabrics are also better for your skin. However, organic clothing may cost more because of the higher expense of growing cotton organically.
Some sustainable clothes brands include Pact, Organic Basics, Fair Indigo, and Brook There. You can confirm the clothes you buy are eco-friendly by checking for the Global Organic Textiles Standard Certification on their label.
Choose Quality Over Quantity
Focus on having versatile, essential pieces rather than buying new clothes all the time. This is referred to as the capsule wardrobe approach. You can shop for different neutral colors that are easy to match. This reduces waste and the time you’ll require to pick an outfit and saves you money. The clothes also last longer since you’re keen on picking quality items. You would rather have fewer high-end versatile pieces for your wardrobe than many synthetic pieces that wear out too soon.
Borrow or Rent for Special Occasions
Rental fashion helps you get an outfit of your choice for an agreed-upon period, after which you should return it. Some online platforms allow you to rent items in your wardrobe for a fee. You can use Leadar to find organic fashion designers with rental businesses in your area. This is a better and cheaper option than buying an item for one-time use. Some fashion brands also allow you to rent gowns or suits for special occasions from their stores at a fee. You may also borrow from your friend and return the item after the event; it should be cheaper than all the other options.
Work with a Budget
Sustainable fashion doesn’t have to be expensive. You can choose specific seasons for your shopping and have a short but specific list of clothing items you need. Shopping for clothes when everyone is not looking to buy is a great way to cut your shopping cost. You can also opt to shop at thrift shops and online stores where you can still find gently used high-quality items at low prices. Also, take advantage of flash sales, coupons, and discounts. Nevertheless, resist the urge to splurge, especially when window shopping.
Embrace Clothing Swaps
We all have gently used clothes that we don’t wear as much. This could be smaller fittings or clothes that no longer align with your fashion sense. Rather than throwing them away, you can find them a new home. Hand-me-downs are common in many homes, where older kids hand down clothes they have outgrown to their younger siblings. You can visit a swap shop with your unwanted clothes and simply hand them in in return for items you like. You may also swap with a friend who shares your style. This is a nice way to explore different fashion styles at little to no cost.
Be Picky with Brands
Sustainable fashion brands care about ethical production. Most luxury brands have made headlines for malpractices and exploitation, like using underage children as cheap labor in their production lines. This is wrong. Some are also notorious for toxic work environments, poor pay, and racism. You should avoid buying from such brands at all costs. Sustainable brands are transparent about their product’s environmental impact and corporate social responsibility. They also engage their local communities in the production process to give back to them and achieve social-economic benefits.
Care for Your Clothes
Maintaining the quality of clothes in your wardrobe eliminates the need to buy more. This includes ensuring you don’t use harsh detergents and washing like colors together. It helps to read the labels on the items for extra instructions. Avoid dry cleaning as much as possible, as this involves many chemicals. Ensure you also don’t leave them to dry in the sun for too long; this causes your clothes to fade too fast. Store them in a dry space where they don’t have much exposure to heat, sunlight, or water.
Repair Torn Clothes
Some people throw away clothes when they get a small hole, contributing to fashion waste. While repairing clothes was common in previous centuries, it has become uncommon in an age where new fashion items are readily available and considered disposable. Mending clothes is a sustainable fashion practice. Some fashion brands even offer repair services but at a small fee. You can use embroidery to repair clothes to enhance their uniqueness and beauty. Oversized clothes should be altered rather than thrown away.
Declutter Your Wardrobe
A key step in your sustainable fashion journey is organizing your closet. You must regularly separate items you’d like to keep and those you no longer need. This process is always difficult, especially if you’re attached to your clothes. You should only keep sentimental items that you often wear. You can also separate your items by season and occasion. This helps you identify which pieces you need and the ones to give away.
Recycle and Reuse
You may want to find an alternative use for items that you can no longer wear. You can think of art projects that may be appropriate for your clothing. You may also repurpose some items, such as using old cotton clothes as cleaning rugs. There are also online stores that buy damaged and worn-out clothes for recycling or as raw materials for making brand-new clothes.
Conclusion
Sustainable fashion begins with your conscious decision to buy fewer fashion items and reduce clothing waste. This could be, among other things, by prioritizing quality pieces, taking the best care of your clothes to ensure you use them for longer, decluttering your wardrobe, swapping clothes, recycling, and reducing your fashion expenditure.
