How to shop the sustainable way
WITH our social lives confined to park visits and video chats, there hasn’t been much call for new outfits during lockdown. But at the same time, the coronavirus pandemic has made many people take a step back and consider the effect humans have on the planet.
If you want to reduce your own carbon footprint, examining your buying habits is a good place to start.
Here Abbey Booth, founder of personal styling service Stories with Clothes offers seven ways to shop more sustainably when lockdown is over...
1. Shop your wardrobe “NOW is surely a time to ask ourselves whether we actually need anything new or could we customise, adjust, dye or reinterpret pieces we already own,” Abbey explains. “Looking at our wardrobes as a whole – rather than having separate sections for going out, workwear or weekends – and thinking about how we can combine these to create new outfits, is a great way to assess whether you really do need to buy anything new.”
2. Buy ‘pre-loved’ garments “BUYING second-hand has become big business now.
“Charity shops will need our support more than ever when we can shop with them again, and they often provide a vintage section for those extra special pieces.
“Look for designer brands and good quality fabrics in timeless styles that won’t go out of fashion.”
3. Try designer rental “THERE’S a large market for high-end rentals, such as
HURR, where you are able to hire an Oscar de la Renta gown of dreams for a few days.”
Other designer rental sites include My Wardrobe HQ and By Rotation.
4. Choose denim carefully “DENIM is one of the least sustainable textiles, with some garments needing over 7,000 gallons of water to produce. Levi’s, DL1961, Nudie Jeans and some other brands have created innovative technology to combat the overuse of water and, in some cases, now use up to 98% less water than previously.”
5. Care for your clothes “CARING for fabrics is just as important as choosing them, and many can be washed on very low heat cycles now. For example, denim doesn’t need to be washed more than once a month. Just spot-wash the marked area, hang out to dry, or pop them in the freezer overnight.”
6. Buy local
“BUYING clothes produced in the UK or Europe will ensure the garments have travelled less, than if they were mass-produced further afield,” Abbey says.
7. Support sustainable initiatives and stores “THERE are some brands which use solely sustainably production, such as People Tree, with each product made to the highest ethical and environmental standards from start to finish.
“If we support these initiatives, brands will recognise that sustainability and being accountable are important, and will invest more into these collections.”