buy less, thrift, shop sustainable, repeat
Last week I wrote about the dangers that come with fast fashion. This week I’m telling you guys what I think are the easiest and most realistic ways to combat it.
Buying less: we are in such an age of extreme consumerism, and I really don’t think it would kill anyone to slow up on consumption. It can be hard (trust me, I get it) but I think this is really beneficial not just for slowing fast fashion and overconsumption, but for our well-being as well. I find that when I have too much stuff, I can feel cluttered and overwhelmed. Having less stuff simplifies our lives as well as reduces overconsumption. There’s beauty and calm in owning just what you need to have.
Thrifting: This is my personal favorite as thrifting is my favorite hobby (if you can call it that). When I began thrifting I only looked in the sweatshirt or t-shirt sections, really only looking for oversized stuff or loungewear. Now, I find myself more and more looking for (and finding) things that are actually contributing to my personal style. It takes time to be able to have the patience or ability to sift through all those duds to find what you’re looking for, but it is 100% worth it. Firstly, you can get amazing, high-quality pieces for very, very cheap if you go to the right places. Secondly, you are getting really unique pieces that no one else will have. And finally, why I’m writing this list, it’s so much better for the environment than buying new clothes. Also not to mention it’s a super fun activity to do by yourself or with friends. I also love to go to flea markets or thrifts when I’m in new places and often find cute souvenirs or clothing that are awesome ways to remember my trips.
Shop sustainable: If you need new clothes and it’s not something you can really thrift, sustainably sourced clothing stores are the perfect answer. These days it is really not all that difficult to find places that are sustainably sourced. The problem I find is that they are usually (and rightfully so) pretty expensive. However, if we’re in the mindset of consuming less, this is actually really beneficial. Buying clothing that is really good quality means that you will have to buy less clothes in the future. Also, focus on buying good staple clothing pieces that you will be able to wear multiple times. With these points in mind, buying good quality, sustainable clothing is completely worth the price tag.
Repair clothes: I think it is really easy to throw clothing away when they have wear and tear, however, repairing clothing rather than throwing it away is a much more sustainable solution. I heard a great TED talk which I will attach to this post that also said something along the lines of: the longer you have clothing (and repair them rather than tossing them) the more memories and stories you will have attached to that piece of clothing which is really special.
Finally, here is a link to a Pinterest board I created that is full of outfits that I think are realistically very thrift-able. In fact, a few pieces on there, I have thrifted almost exactly the same thing. SO hopefully you can use this for inspo for your next thrift outing :)
