Fashion trends usually focus on making you look amazing in the clothes you wear, but designers today are also trying to make our planet look good – for as long as possible. We don’t think that our clothing is causing that much damage to the planet because it’s just fabric, right? But actually, all of the synthetic materials are akin to plastic, and even worse, the production process of most of the fast-fashion involves chemicals that are harmful to the environment being dumped into waters and land. So, if you want to make a real change, here are some tips on how to reduce your fashion footprint.
Thrift your heart out
If you think that second-hand clothing is worse than brand new, or that only people who can’t afford new clothing shop second-hand – you’ve obviously never found the perfect vintage catch. Buying second hand, whether it’s from thrift stores or online resale sites, not only gives you an opportunity to find some amazing pieces that are no longer on store shelves, but it gives the clothing a new life and prevents it from going to waste. Remember that you can always modify the piece and turn a dress into a skirt or simply use the fabric for a pillowcase with just some basic sewing skills.
Vote with your dollars
It’s time to put your money where your mouth is. We all love fast fashion. It’s cheap and easy and allows you to keep up with all the newest trends without having to pay a lot of money every season to get the needed pieces. However, fast fashion creates fast waste, and a lot of it, because it is either such poor quality that it rips and is thrown out, or is simply replaced by the next big style that comes our way. However, there are pieces that you can invest in, and more than that, you have the ability to support a healthier world by getting things like this sports crop top that is not only made sustainably but out of recycled plastic waste. Seek out companies that care and make a difference, and give your money to them. These items aren’t always more expensive than fast fashion, they just aren’t as easy to access, but with the internet and worldwide shipping, we have no excuse.
Pay attention to the origins of your clothing
It’s not enough to wear clothes for a long time or to recycle them after you’re done – you have to be aware of how they are made and where the materials come from. If you’re not by this point aware that a lot of fast fashion retailers have their clothes made in sweatshops across Asia, you’ve probably turned a blind eye. The best way to avoid this is to buy clothing that was certified as cruelty-free or simply that was made locally. Secondly – and this might be hard to hear – you might want to town it down with the cotton. Not only is cotton often picked in a cruel way by employing children or underpaid people, but it is the crop that is responsible for more insecticide releases than any other crop. Yes, this might mean saying goodbye to some of your favorite mall brands, but if you want to have a planet to wear those cute clothes on for a bit longer, it’s a small sacrifice.
People have been fighting for sustainable swimwear clothing for a long time, but it has just recently become a trend after some of the biggest brands in the industry started talking about it and pledging to become sustainable. Still, the pledges aren’t enough and until things actually change, this is one trend that we should all work on keeping for a long time.