It’s far too easy to make fashion choices that have a negative environmental impact. The fashion industry is one of the worst polluters out there – though a lot of this is down to the choices consumers make. If you’re more eco-conscious when it comes to fashion decisions, then you can influence the rest of the industry. Obviously, you need a lot of people to do this for it to have any effect, so why don’t you start today with these ideas to be more eco-conscious?
Buy Quality Clothes Less Often
Fast fashion is the bane of everyone’s existence. You’re quickly sucked into this world where you almost feel forced to buy cheap clothes because they’re cheap. It’s understandable; we live in an expensive world, so who wouldn’t choose the £10 jumper over the £80 one!?
The thing is, how do brands like Shein or Missguided sell this so cheaply? It’s because their clothes are designed cheaply, so they’re never going to wear well, wash well or last a long time. That’s the problem with fast fashion brands; they suck you into a never-ending spiral of buying cheap clothes and then replacing those cheap clothes after a few months.
You need to get out of this with the mindset that quality always beats quantity. That £80 jumper you thought about buying could last long enough to cover the replacement of over 10 £10 jumpers. When you buy quality goods, they’re more likely to fit well for longer – and stay in excellent condition after many washes. It might seem like you’re spending a lot of money, but you end up spending less and buying fewer clothes overall.
Focus On The Everyday Essentials
There are certain things you should never have in your wardrobe that end up sitting there for months on end. You often impulse-buy products because they’re trending on social media and look really nice. Sure, that dress and those trousers you bought look beautiful, and they fit really well. They’re not even from a “bad” brand, so why should you feel guilty about buying them?
Because you’ve bought a fair few things in recent times that you won’t be able to wear all the time. You’ve got a wardrobe full of clothes that are only suitable when you go out for a nice meal or have someone’s wedding to attend.
It’s a problem because you spend the money on these clothes and then complain about not having any daily trousers or tops to wear all the time. So, you dip back into the spiral of buying cheap daily essentials, as you spent too much on the nicer clothes that you’ll rarely wear. Stop doing this! Focus on buying quality every day essentials – you’ll wear these clothes more than anything else, so buy them and avoid impulse-buying things with more niche use cases.
Choose Conscious Fashion Brands
Now, even when opting for quality over quantity, you can still make some poor eco-conscious fashion choices. A lot of premium brands may sell high-class items that are designed to last, but the ethics behind their companies are shady at best. Instead, you need to look for conscious fashion brands that are taking active strides to be more environmentally friendly.
Eden Ashram is one such brand; it uses sustainable materials across every product and will package your items in recyclable packaging that minimises plastic use. Afends is another great example – this Australian brand makes its clothes out of hemp to make them more eco-friendly and sustainable. You’ll find plenty of brands like this, so always pay attention to the following when you buy new clothes:
- How are the clothes made?
- Where are the clothes made?
- What materials are the clothes made from?
- How does the brand package the clothes?
Don’t Be Afraid To Buy Second-Hand
Remember when we spoke about buying loads of nice clothes that you rarely wear? Well, if you shift your focus to spending the bulk of your fashion budget on high-quality daily essentials, then you can dip into the second-hand market for the “other” items of clothing.
Need a nice dress for a night out? Hop on Vinted or Depop and see what other people are selling. Never be afraid to buy second-hand as long as you’re buying from a reputable source and have either seen the product in person or can view lots of photos. You’ll secure bargains and keep clothes in circulation for longer.
Restyle Old Clothes Into New Outfits
Some of your older clothes could still have life left in them if you restyle them into new outfits. You can use a combination of upcycling or just wearing these items in new and inventive ways. A lot of us get caught in the trap of throwing things out because we’ve not worn them for ages – and then buying something new.
What if you could use your old clothes again and create new outfits? It’s such a simple idea, but you should keep in mind before throwing anything away.
Pay Attention To The Washing Instructions
Yes, this is genuinely a top to help you make more eco-conscious fashion decisions. You need to wash your clothes at the right settings to avoid a couple of problems:
- Wasting energy unnecessarily
- Ruining your clothes
If it says “wash at 30”, then wash at 30 degrees instead of 40. Those 10 extra degrees could destroy the fabric and make your clothe wear a lot faster, meaning you have to get rid of them and buy replacements sooner. It also adds up to more energy use over time. If it says “was with similar colours”, then do that! You don’t want to ruin a top because the colour’s faded or washed – pay attention to the instructions and follow them like the law.
When you hear about eco-conscious fashion choices, you assume the most extreme things. You think it’s a case of wearing hemp skirts and dressing like an old-school hippy all the time, but that’s not the case in the slightest. As this post shows, a few simple decisions can change your relationship with fashion and make you more eco-conscious.
