ICYMI, fashion is an official avenue by which you can advocate for some much-needed positive global change.
Take drinking water. In garment worker communities, drinking water is actively being polluted with dye chemicals so we can shop the latest pantone. Meanwhile, the amount of water needed to make just one tee can often require more than two years’ worth of one person’s drinking water.
Garment workers aren’t typically paid enough because pressures from fast fashion brands promote labor exploitation of the people making our clothes.
So what can you do to make a difference for both the environment and the makers of our garments? Today, there are a plethora of sustainable initiatives in the fashion industry that you can be a part of simply by curating a more sustainable wardrobe.
Clean out your closet
Clutter in your closet can hinder your ability to truly know what you already have in your arsenal. People are wearing tie-dye again, and you totally have an old tee from your junior high days waiting to make a comeback.
Here’s how to do it. Empty your closet and separate your pants, sweaters, shorts, and so on. Fill your closet back up with things you actually wear or completely forgot about and would like to wear again. Everything else should get set aside for some mindful redistribution.
Get rid of clothes more mindfully
You may already know that donated clothes typically end up in landfills. Donating clothes is obviously a well-intentioned act, but the results of over consumption have completely overwhelmed donation centers and now have negative implications for the development of foreign countries receiving our excess goods.
Rather than dump everything at your local Goodwill, you can sell higher ticket items on second hand apps to make some money. Another great option — throw a clothing swap party with some of your friends. Invite everyone to show up with the garments they no longer want from their own closets. From there, pour some wine, check out your friends’ unwanted clothing articles, and go to town picking out outfits for your own wardrobe.
Shop more sustainably
So you’ve cleaned out your closet, but still need a few things to round out your wardrobe. There’s no shame in wanting more stuff so long as you know it’s something you need and will get a ton of use out of.
You’ve just familiarized yourself with some great second-hand apps while cleaning out your closet, and now you can shop them. The best thing about virtual thrifting is that you get to use all the handy filters to narrow down your search and find what you want faster, while still getting the same treasure hunt feeling as shopping IRL.
Buy less and buy better
As for buying something brand new, you can start by shopping more sustainable brands that pay living wages and leave a smaller footprint on the environment. If you really want to be a sustainable fashion