Sustainability has become a go-to conversation within the fashion world. While better materials, better production, and a circular approach are all needed, there is one big mistake that the conversation is making. The fact is that you can have a sustainable wardrobe at any budget simply by being more mindful of what you buy and how you take care of it.
- Choose Items You Will Love and Take Care of
Fast fashion can be sustainable when you commit to fixing, taking care of it, and wearing it for years. This is a slow-consumption approach that works for absolutely everything. Though you can absolutely wear fast fashion sustainably when you take this approach, do know that one of the hallmarks of fast fashion is that the items aren’t meant to last. If anything, they are designed to fall apart to encourage you to buy more and more.
Know the difference between fast fashion and items that are going to last. For instance, shoes you can wear for years – learn more about (the non slip shoes).
- Invest Lifetime Pieces
Lifetime pieces last a lifetime. Taken care of, they may even be passed on to your children. Though it sounds like something that lasts a lifetime would cost more than a fortune, it doesn’t have to. Leather cowgirl boots can last years when you properly care for them. Treat them, keep them clean, and take them to a cobbler when they need a bit more hands-on TLC.
Lifetime pieces should never be considered based on their upfront price, but instead on the cost-per-wear, you can get out of them. If you have had the same shoes for years and wear them regularly, then you can bring down high costs to just a few cents per wear.
- Consider the Material
Though any item can be sustainable when you approach it with longevity in mind, do keep in mind the material. You want the most versatile materials that are easy to care for and mend. Some polyester can be easily cared for, while others are not, for example. If you need your clothes to keep you particularly warm or cool, then the material will be even more important. If you live in a hot area, then wearing polyester can be very uncomfortable, even if the piece itself is pretty.
- Learn How to Mend and Care for Your Items
There are so many ways to learn how to mend and care for your clothes. There are also burgeoning repair businesses cropping up so that you can save and even transform your favorite pieces and keep them going for another go.
Getting into the habit of caring for your clothes will immediately keep them all looking better for longer. This will immediately make your looks more polished and infinitely more fashionable.
- Slow Down Your Consumption
Give yourself a limit per month in terms of budget and also how many items you can buy. If you have your eye on a pair of staple cowboy boots, you don’t have to tell yourself no, but by making each purchase a bigger event, you can one, buy the best option, and two, reduce impulse buys.
- Remix and Be Creative with What You Have
The most sustainable wardrobe is the one that you already have. Go through, remix, try new outfits, upcycle, and re-wear what you have, and you will have a very sustainable wardrobe that you can be proud to own.
