Making difference with frugal clothes shopping
London Fashion week starts soon, which used to herald plenty of private jets on the tarmac at Heathrow as the great and good from the style world assembled together.
Thankfully things have changed and, while lots of fashion labels are looking at their eco credentials and going greener, you don’t have to have deep pockets when it comes to green fashion. Simply buying less can make a huge difference.
I think we've all got items in our wardrobes we maybe bought on a whim or look at but never wear, researchers in Germany saying we should all be purchasing less.
While it might take a while to get into the habit, buying less will help our wallets and the planet too. It's the earth they have in mind with their brand new recommendations.
Researchers from Berlin’s Hot Or Cool Institute found we should only be purchasing five new items of clothing a year in order to stay in line with the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global warming to 1.5C. They be- lieve buying more than that will be harmful.
In the UK that means shoppers will need to reduce their consumption by up to 80 percent.
The late, great Vivienne Westwood was a huge advocate of buying less but better. In a world of fast fashion, isn’t it better to buy a single timeless piece
than lots of items that’ll go in and out of fashion quickly?
Buying less might mean opting for better quality on a few items and being able to treat yourself a bit more in the long run.
The good news is the fashionistas at London Fashion Week are doing so much more than they used to this week. one of the high points in the capital, is greener than ever.
The organisers are planning the annual Swap Shop, visitors bringing in garments to swap and get given tokens to spend in store at the swap shop. But you don’t have to travel to London to make the most of preloved clothing.
While charity shops are in most town centres across the UK, you don't even have to leave your sofa to access preloved items. Simply searching "clothing swap" on Facebook will show you plenty of pages set up for clothing swaps. At www. theswapshopuk.com it does exactly what it says, the website set up for swaps or sales of preloved clothing.
If you find it hard to ditch your love of the High Street, a quick Google of your favourite brands will tell you their eco credentials and what they’re doing to help the environment. If you can't find anything online, why not contact them on social media and ask?
Marks and Spencers have a "Shwopping" plan where, if you’re a customer, you get a free treat every time you donate clothes in-store or visit marksandspencer.com website.