Building A Sustainable Wardrobe
In order to build a sustainable wardrobe you need to look at your past, present and future shopping habits. A sustainable wardrobe is more than just buying expensive, well made clothes. It’s about being conscious, knowing where your clothes are coming from and making that conscious effort to buy sustainable and ethical. Here I will help you take the first steps to creating and building your sustainable and ethical wardrobe.
PAST.
Go through your wardrobe and look at where you used to shop, what labels do you own? Are any of the labels you own ethical? I imagine you’ll probably have items from Topshop, H&M and Primark so here is some information about the ethical stance of these brands.
TopShop – Scored F on Shop Ethical! due to sweatshops, use of child labor, tax avoidance and low score in Fashion Transparency Index.
H&M – Scored C on Shop Ethical! due to workers rights in Cambodia and India as well as use of child labor.
Primark – Scored F on Shop Ethical! due to worker exploitation in India and use of child labor. Note, the owner of Primark scored F due to workers rights, farm animal welfare, commitment to deforestation, agricultural sourcing and tax avoidance.
How many items out of your wardrobe have you actually gotten use out of? If there are items in your wardrobe you haven’t worn or only ever worn once then ask yourself why that is, why didn’t you like that item? Asking yourself this means you are now less likely to make the same mistake again when buying items in the future.
PRESENT.
Go through you wardrobe and make separate piles, one for charity, one to keep, one to sell and one to repurpose. Any items of clothing that no longer fit you or you just don’t wear put in the charity pile. Items of clothing you wear on a regular basis put in the keep pile. Any items you don’t wear but are in good condition and might be worth money put in the sell pile. Finally, any items that are damaged put in the repurpose pile, these are clothes you can use as rags for moping or cleaning, spare material for patching up holes or even cushion fillings.
Now think about the improvements you want to make.
FUTURE.
Chose second-hand first, if there’s something you want to buy look for it in charity shops, on depop, ebay and Facebook market place. The chances are you’ll find it on one of those sites, by buying second hand you are not adding to the damage created by the fashion industry and you are also not supporting brands who exploit workers. Plus you’re saving money!
Compile a list of ethical brands to shop from, I use sites such as ethicalsuperstore to discover ethical brands. If you want to buy an item new, make sure you take into consideration the materials it is made from. Chose materials such as cork, bamboo and organic cotton, over regular cotton, polyester and leather which damage the environment and often aren’t ethically sourced.
Finally make sure you are only buying what you need and wearing everything you own.
I hope this has helped open your eyes on how to build a sustainable wardrobe, it’s easier and cheaper than you think and I urge you all to take the right steps towards a more compassionate and safer future.
Stay fashionable x
19 Comments
Emma
Great blog post. I agree 100% with everything you’re saying. I even wrote a post about this topic on my own blog post. I wish more people would ditch the high street <3
Emma
(Here's a link to the blog post, if it's of any interest http://www.brooklynisburning.co/2017/04/notes-on-personal-style-and-sustainable.html)
theethicalevolution
I’ll check it out!x
Sarah
Thank you for this. I only buy secondhand (except for undies). I absolutely want to be more ethical about all my purchaces.
theethicalevolution
Same here! And I buy my undies from ethical stores 😊
AmyToriaMakeUp
Great post! I really need to take this on board, all my clothes really need sorting!
theethicalevolution
It’s nice to have a good clean sometimes!x
chelseasbeauty0
Great post, I love using Depop to find items I want for cheaper, I love the thought of buying secondhand, helps everyone out!xx
theethicalevolution
It’s such a good resource! Saves you a tonne as well x
Róisín K
Nice post! I buy a lot from Primark but that’s because I am a student and I have a really tight budget but I hope in the future to be able to buy more sustainable clothes.
Róisín
totallyro.blogspot.ie
Corinne & Kirsty 🌸 (@corinnekirsty)
I don’t really buy second hand. Sometime I do on Vinted. I do massive boohoo or primark haul but then I just end up giving it all to charity so it is not lost but it is not sustainable either. i think i should focus on ten pieces and then buy something from time to time. xx corinne
theethicalevolution
How come you don’t buy second hand? It’s not just about the planet but it’s also about the people, companies like boohoo and primark use child labour and pay their workers next to nothing to produce dirt cheap clothes, also by buying items you don’t really want and giving it to charity (although better than throwing it away) you are only wasting earth resources in the production of those clothes that you didn’t really want in the first place! Just something to think about!x
Chloe Abigail (@_chloeabigail)
I LOVE YOUR BLOG! Such great advice. I think starting by buying second hand is a great start!
chloeabigail.co.uk
theethicalevolution
Thank you!!💖 x
Lisa
This post has really spurred me on to have a good clothes clear out and be so much more aware of where the clothes in my wardrobe have come from!
theethicalevolution
That’s great to hear!🎉
LU CREATES
This is so helpful. I find it so difficult letting go of old clothes but whats the harm if I sell them, I can buy PLENTY of new clothes 🙂
Britta
So true! Things need to change and we have the power to make those changes.
The Monday Project
This is such a helpful post. I absolutely love giving clothes away, it is one of my favourite things to do and my friends always have a root through my charity shop bags first to see if they want anything!
Kirsty | The Monday Project | themondayproject.co.uk
theethicalevolution
Yeah its great! I’m currently building a box of stuff I no longer want for friends and family to root through when they come round x