Create a stylish, sustainable wardrobe without overspending!

The ‘fast fashion’ model has made fashion more accessible and affordable to more people around the world. However we are all increasingly aware of the environmental and social issues caused by increased consumption. On the other hand, companies following sustainable practices often charges more for their clothes. And it can be hard to build a sustainable wardrobe while staying on budget.

We as consumers are left with a dilemma: rely on fast fashion to be trendy without spending a fortune, choosing quantity over quality? Or think before buying and build a sustainable wardrobe, full of eco-friendly, but expensive, items?

In this post I will show you how you can transition to a sustainable wardrobe on a budget. Follow 6 easy tips, and you will help solving this environmental and social emergency, without spending a fortune, or sacrificing your need to feel good in your skin and wear clothes you like.

Say NO to fast fashion

We call ‘fast fashion’ the quick production of low-cost clothing to meet constantly changing fashion trends.

Clothes have always been a symbol of social status: they were made by tailors for the rich or hand sewn by the poor. One thing both had in common was durability.

Fast fashion has democratized clothing: it was born after the second world war, along with mass production. And it became very popular thanks to the development of advertisement and marketing during the 50s. Once domain of the wealthy, now everybody started to be able to buy ready-to-wear and cheap clothes.

As everybody was able to buy more and more often, fashion could also change more often, and durability became not so important, even boring: who would want to wear the same clothes for years, when we can afford to buy a garment and throw it away after we’ve worn it just once?

That of course came with a cost.

Fast fashion is cheap because it isn’t made to last. As a result around 92 million tonnes of clothes end up in landfills each year…that’s the equivalent to a rubbish truck full of clothes ending up on a landfill site every second! Most types of cheap fabrics also contain microfibers that end up in the ocean every time we wash them.

We consume a lot of natural resources, like water, oil, coal, cotton and wood, to make the clothes we wear, together with synthetic fibres and chemicals. We use fossil fuels to transport them around the world. The entire chain contributes to pollution and climate change. It might be cheaper to buy, but it’s costing the earth, literally!

To keep prices low, fast fashion companies produce their garments in parts of the world where wages are low and working conditions are unsafe (sometimes even deadly!). Every time we buy these clothes we are contributing to the problem. The more we buy, the more we contribute to the problem.

A sustainable wardrobe simplify your life

Research shows that fast fashion also make us feel unhappy in the long term. Marketing gurus play with our emotions when promoting a product. Adverts must engage their audience, so they use any trick to persuade the consumers to choose a brand over another. Companies need to convince you that you don’t just ‘want’ but also ‘need’ their product. And to do that they make you feel restless and unhappy with what you already have.

In this endless cycle, we keep buying new stuff but we are never satisfied. And we throw away clothes that we (or somebody else) could continue to wear.

This throaway culture might make you think that you are saving money buying cheap clothes. But in the long term the average consumer ends up spending less but more often, because fast fashion produces disposable items.

Plus there’s all the time spent to go to the shops every time there’s a new fashion trend. And the time spent trying to keep organised a cluttered wardrobe. On the other hand, a more minimalist wardrobe will help you save time and money, making also easier to choose what to wear every day.

So what can we do to help solving this environmental and social emergency, and stop wasting money and resources without sacrificing our need to feel good in our skin and wear clothes we like?

Sustainable fashion basics for budget-conscious shoppers

• Buy quality items. If your financial situation allows you to do that, invest in good quality timeless pieces. Choose to buy organic clothing which doesn’t contain plastic and is made with sustainable farming practices. When possible, choose materials like organic cotton, linen, byocell, tencel, hemp or recycled fabrics.
• Support ethical brands and local artisanal businesses. Show some love to companies which choose to be transparent about their manufacturing processes and labour practices. There are many online resources that can help you in your research, like https://goodonyou.eco/, https://www.thinkdirtyapp.com/ or https://betterworldshopper.org/
• Thrift. If you want to be a conscious consumer but you can’t afford to buy good quality items, buy second hand and embrace a circular fashion model! Second hand items have already been made, and they won’t end up in a landfill as long as we use them. Depending on where you live, you might also find opportunities to swap, lend/borrow or rent your clothes. Renting works particularly well with special occasion clothes you will wear only once. To swap clothes you can also have a look at websites like https://communitique.co/, https://www.thenuwardrobe.com/ and https://www.dopplle.com/. Or if you are more interested in renting, try https://www.nuuly.com/rent, https://armoire.style/ or https://www.renttherunway.com/.
• Reduce consumption. Before going out to buy new clothes, check your wardrobe and assess what you really need. When you buy, choose versatile items of clothing that you can wear in different combinations. Consider putting together a ‘capsule wardrobe’: with some careful planning, it will allow to create many different outfits by mixing and matching a limited number of versatile items.

• Mend your clothes. By learning some basic sewing techniques, you can repair small damages and make your clothes last longer – and even trendier! Check out the #visiblemending movement. If you can’t sew, the web can help you: have a look at these websites offering clothes repair services:
  https://www.theseam.uk/
  https://www.sojo.uk/
  https://www.saveyourwardrobe.com/en-gb/for-consumers
  https://www.repair-rebels.com/
  https://fixthatshirt.com/
  https://www.mendit.app/
  Shoes repair
  https://www.coblrshop.com/
• Wear and reuse your clothes as much as you can, and when you can no longer use them, sell, swap, donate or recycle them. If your old clothes are really beyond repair, you can turn them into cleaning rags, and old socks are great for dusting!

Start the transition to a sustainable closet today!

As you can see, there are endless opportunities to be more intentional and thoughtful when you shop for clothes. By taking any of these steps, you will create a timeless and curated wardrobe which will save you time and money in the long run. By embracing slow fashion and a more mindful consumption, you will reduce your impact on the environment and contributing to better industry practices.

So, are you ready to start a revolution from your wardrobe?