10 ways you can be Sustainable in your fashion.

We all hear people preaching about the environment and we never get to hear solutions. In an earlier post, I talked about how manufacturing of certain garments as denim have an immense negative impact to our environment and its bodies.

Here are some of the things that you can do in your fashion habits that could help, that by small individual initiatives, there comes a bigger impact that paves way for change for all.

1.Only buy what you absolutely love.

I cannot count the number of times that i bought something and I ended up not liking and not wearing it. Make sure that you make a cautious decision to buy a garment because you need it, or it fits perfect and you can not get the same fitting from somewhere else, or it fits your style and you can see yourself having it for a long time. This also goes to buying impulse buying. Because you saw something or somebody wearing something and you “think” you like it, but then You find out that it does not suit you.

Expectation VS Reality

This picture brings me to the next point.

2. Know your right size and body type and shape.

By doing this, you are saving yourself the burden of buying garments that you think will look good on your body type and do not. Or buying very big clothes that do not fit your size and you end up wasting the garment and your money (resources). This goes for too small. Keep a measuring tape and know your size of the waist, bust, height and hips. This will help you know what really is your size and save you the stress of even trying on clothes. Below is a chart size for garments in the world for women. I will find a better one for the Men.

3. DO some research on the garment before buying it.

What I mean is that if the garment is find out about the designer, what was the intention behind producing it. Create a trust based purchase that the garment you are investing in was ethically made, is environmentally friendly, the people involved in the making of the garment were treated fairly and they will be rewarded fairly by your purchase. Would you be happy to know that a little child some day had to sew the top that you are wearing under very terrible inhumane conditions. Or that the company does not follow any sustainable steps in its production. It would be really responsible of you to do a little research on these clothing companies and learn about their missions and what they stand for.

4. Buy something that will tell your story and live your story.

Buy a garment that you will wear for years to come. A garment that can withstand washes, and can be passed on to the next generations. For example I have this pair of jeans that i have had since 2008, they let me know when ive put on weight or lost weight, they have moved with me to all the countries i have lived. The fact that they have s tory, I can not let them go, I wear them so many times and I will pass them on to my future daughter.

5. You do not need to wash your clothes every time

When we wash clothes, we use water, detergent and power. Sometimes we wear a garment for a couple of hours, and we were not active so there is no bad odour. We can hang the garment for aeration and have it won the next time. This is especially for jeans that need a lot of power to be washed and dried. We can reduce the number of times that you wash your jeans by being careful and not making them dirty. All rounds of washes can be reduced if we rewear our clothes and only get to wash them when we really need to.

Please check out this FASHION SUSTAINABILITY CALCULATOR. https://forms.gle/TVswhcAcM26wAUeD6

6. Buy neutral colours.

This is so for outerwear garments like coats, jackets, sweaters, shoes etc. If you buy overly printed day to day wear, it might limit the use of the garment. You might want to buy blacks, greys, browns, whites. These colours go with every other colour so you can have one coat that can be won the whole week without anybody noticing.

7. Say yes to hand me downs, they are perfectly fine.

Some people attach hand me downs to poverty. However that is not really the case, many people would rather give a garment they have won before to a friend that have it taken wherever. If the garment is in good condition and is beautiful, DO not be ashamed to take it, if looks good on you then take it. It would be a shame to have it thrown away to end up being sold to someone in a third world country. Which brings me to my next point.

8. Frequently clean out your closet and donate to charity.

Every twice a year depending on how big your closets is, clean out your closet and create a hand me down chain. Many times we have clothes lying in the closer that we NEVER wear but were expensive or have a special attachment. Sometimes it is not worth hanging on to the baggage, just let it go. If you do not wear it then you should not hang on to it unless it is an asset whose value appreciates with time.

9. Avoid trends and seasonal styles.

We all know that fashion is fast and dynamic, in recent years, the big brand have managed to be the trend setters and produce collections based on seasons and fashion forecasting. Social media is another tool for brands to put forward new trends for fashion. However this is not sustainable as not all these styles resonate with the normal person. What you can do is develop your own individual style and refer to classic styles to guide you. Its okay to copy a trend but only if it works for you and is worth your money, the invest in trends. The danger in the trends and those who follow them is that sometimes you can not keep up, considering the increasing number of high fashion brands, be careful where you put your money when it comes to trends.

10. Support sustainable fashion brands

Before being loyal to a brand, please research on its ethical policies, how they treat their employees, where do hey manufacture, how so they obtain the raw material. In the next blog, I will talk about 10 fashion brands that have earned the eco friendly reputation. DO research on their Corporate Social Responsibility and how they give back to their communities.

In conclusion, we have to make changes, small changes makes big impacts. Please start by educating yourself and then passing on the knowledge to the next person. The planet is our responsibility and out home and we should nurture, protect and enjoy it. Happy sustainability.