WE KNOW – you’ve heard it all before.
Fast fashion is destroying the planet. Plastic pollution, carbon emissions, all the horrors that are associated with throw-away culture – it’s not a good look.
But if you’re reading this, it’s likely that you want to change your shopping habits – but maybe you’re not sure where to start?
Don’t worry, we’ve got you. These are our top tips for a greener, more sustainable wardrobe.
Swap til you drop
We like to think of our clothes as just that – ours – but when it comes to sustainability, sharing really is caring. Swap shops are a simple (and free!) way to get that retail therapy buzz without adding to landfill.
Just take your once-loved clothes along on the day – perhaps that top you wore once to that party last year, and then flung into the abyss of the ‘nice tops’ drawer, never to be worn again – and swap them with whatever catches your eye.
We love LoanHood’s swap shops, but you can find others with a quick Google search. Finding those hidden gems might take a bit of a rummage, but that’s the gamble you make – and to be honest, half the fun.
Get second hand savvy
Let’s face it, a massive part of fast fashion’s allure is how easy it all is. A few clicks and there is it, another item in our virtual baskets. But shopping pre-loved or vintage online is just as easy – if we know where to look.
Online charity retailer Thrift+ houses second-hand high street, designer and boutique pieces that are searchable by everything from brand and size to material and style – perfect if you don’t have the time or the energy to sift through the rails in-store.
To scratch that vintage itch without leaving the sofa, you can also browse trendy outlets like Beyond Retro and Rokit, online. Of course, if you love nothing more than an afternoon of shop hopping, it’s worth supporting your local vintage and charity shops too.
Know your sustainable brands
The world of sustainable brands can feel a little inaccessible. If we don’t know what’s out there and which one’s to go for, it can be tempting to give up altogether.
That’s where sustainable brand directories come in. Giving brands a good grilling on their sustainability status, Good On You covers the impact they have on people, animals and the planet, from waste management to carbon emissions, making it easy to see exactly what you’re buying into. Plus, you might discover new favourites that you’d otherwise miss.
Ethically sourced, high-quality clothes may not be cheap, but given three out of five fast fashion items end up in a landfill anyway, if you’ve got the means, they’re worth the investment.
Love your wardrobe
It only takes an old Facebook photo album to see how fashion and personal tastes can change. Even so, according to WRAP, prolonging the life of our clothes by as little as nine months can reduce their carbon footprint by 20 to 30%!
If you’re guilty of having one hit wonder outfits, or not looking after them as well as you should, don’t worry – like most things, there’s an app for that.
#30wearschallenge is an online community motivating users to – you guessed it – wear their clothes at least 30 times, while save your wardrobe helps you look after what you’ve already got, whether that’s through sourcing repairs or dry cleaning to keep them looking their best.
Passionate about sustainability? Download the Komorabi app to do your bit for the planet
Download the Komorabi app here.
