Expressing yourself through your style feels freeing and is a great way to show your creative side, but while you might strive to have a closet full of items you love, you don’t necessarily want to harm the environment with what you purchase.
If you’re like many fashionistas these days, you want to look good while helping the planet. It’s possible to be fashion-forward while still thinking sustainably, and there are many small changes you can make to have a more eco-conscious wardrobe.
Here are five environmentally-friendly fashion tips to try right now.
1. Take wearability into account
According to experts from Harper’s Bazaar, one easy way to avoid buying fast fashion you’ll barely even use is to consider how many times you’ll wear the piece. If you will wear it at least 30 times, it’s a good investment to add to your collection.
However, if you’re buying a bunch of clothing that you’ll only wear once or twice, it’s probably not helpful to your budget or the environment. While there are some exceptions to this, as you may need to buy clothes for certain special occasions, overall, it’s a good rule of thumb.
2. Don’t forget accessories
When you’re trying to make more eco-friendly choices, it’s not just about clothes. You should also factor in your other accessories, such as shoes, jewelry, and bags. There are some good, basic practices like avoiding leather handbags, but you can think even further about how your accessories could impact the world.
For example, if you’re splurging on nicer jewelry, you want pieces that last a long time but don’t harm people or the environment. So, lab-grown diamond rings are one option.
Generally, you’ll want to apply a similar thinking process to accessories that you do to clothes. It’s better to get some staples you’ll repeatedly wear than to have too many things.
3. Learn how to repair clothing
Most people don’t have training in sewing, but while you may have no interest in learning these skills, knowing just a few of them can help your wardrobe last longer. It’s easy to get into a mindset of tossing out items that have small rips or that lose a button. But, with a small sewing kit and a few online tutorials, you can teach yourself to fix these minor issues.
This is an excellent way to contribute less to fast fashion trash. Plus, knowing how to sew on a button or stitch up a seam will come in handy and be a cool skill to show off.
4. Donate, donate, donate
Thrifting is a popular activity and a great way to add new items to your wardrobe. But, when thrifting, you don’t want to get a bunch of pieces you don’t need or wouldn’t otherwise get. It’s important to still be eco-conscious in this process.
You can, however, help with sustainable fashion by donating some of the items you don’t want anymore. If you have pieces of clothing that are still in good condition, giving them away is much better than tossing them in the trash.
5. Organize your closet
Finally, one superb way to think more sustainably is to go through your current wardrobe. Make plans to donate what you don’t want anymore and see where you could make adjustments. You may have a lot of items that you don’t use or that don’t make good staples. You can keep the things you like and actually wear, and seeing these items will help you make better purchasing choices moving forward.
Seeing your items all laid out will make it simpler to assess your clothing and fashion needs and where you could make more sustainable improvements.
Article Submitted By Community Writer