sustainable fashion

Sustainability. It’s in the news throughout the day. Everyone has thoughts on how we, as individuals approach sustainability from giving up plastic straws and single-use items to going vegetarian to boycotting corporations and the US military. None of these are wrong or bad ideas, some of these suggestions refuse to acknowledge the privilege it takes to take certain actions or they refuse to acknowledge the root causes of climate change or environmental degradation. In a previous version of this blog, I focused on sustainable fashion but it’s counterproductive to run a sustainable fashion blog in the same way that people run conventional fashion blogs because sustainability isn’t about excess. But fashion (and art) isn’t either (at least not in the capitalistic sense that fashion currently operates). Fashion is a form of expression— a form of art— and I respect and support these characteristics. 

It is, however, important especially for Americans to be less wasteful; it’s equally and arguably more important to hold companies accountable for the waste they produce and the energy they use.  I try to be intentional about what I purchase. I went a number of years without buying anything that wasn’t necessary clothing-wise, but honestly, it wasn’t great because I wasn’t happy and I ended up wearing a bunch of outdated clothes. (I ended up feeling horrible about my clothes and how I presented myself so it wasn’t great). I’m still buying clothes since that decision, but I’m being extremely intentional about what I buy and who I buy it from because fashion is a huge polluter. Therefore, you will occasionally see fashion posts here but don’t expect them all the time, but when you do the brands and designers I feature will have been chosen with intention. In the meantime, I’ll leave you with my guidelines for curating an intentional wardrobe.

Guidelines to curating an intentional wardrobe:

            I want to preface these guidelines by saying these are my personal guidelines for buying clothes and they work for me because I have prioritized and am also privileged to make some of these decisions. Some of these guidelines can be generalized for other aspects of living.

1. Define your style.
   1. This is entirely up to you and requires a bit of soul searching.
   1. It also makes sense to consider what you actually do for work and hobbies and your body shape. In each case, I like to have intentionally selected items for them.
   1. It is pertinent that you also consider your body shape because clothes are designed for different body types and somethings will look better (i.e. your clothes won’t gather in certain places or be tight in other places).
      1. Try using Pinterest to define your idealized style/wardrobe. It’s totally okay if this changes over time, you’re human and fluid!
2. Go through your closet, keep what fits (both your new style and your body), and toss what doesn’t.
   1. You have a few options with the clothes that don’t fit, you could donate them or you could resell them. There are a number of issues with donating clothes mainly that many of them end up in African communities and are a drain on the local economy. It’s better to donate with intention and if you find communities in your area that would actually use the clothes, that’s would infinitely better.
   1. If you opt to sell them, Mercari and eBay are great sites to sell your stuff on. Poshmark is okay but they take a larger percentage out of your earning. These are also great sites to shop on.
3. Buy clothes from thrift stores and online resell websites (post about my favorite sites coming soon). Reusing and recycling are still important. If you’re looking for new clothes, I have a whole map of brands that are sustainable or ethical in some way. I’m currently in the process of updating and streamlining it so it’s down for the time being.
4. When I look at individual articles of clothing, I look for natural materials (think cotton, linen, leather {especially if it’s preloved}, wool, and silk etc.//contrary to what most people think about me, I’m actually not a vegetarian so I try to buy natural fibers and materials). These materials are safer for the environment as plastic-based fabrics produce microplastics in waterways, which is detrimental to the environment. I also look for good stitching (this is a bit difficult to do online but if you can look at some stuff by that brand in person you can get a feel for the quality).
   1. It’s important at this stage to ask yourself if you truly love something

Repeat as necessary.