SUSTAINABLE SHOPPING PART 3

Last week I wrote about, how, in my opinion, the most sustainable way to shop was... not to shop. I looked at ways that you could re-wear what was already in your wardrobe!

However, sometimes you need to buy new clothes and sometimes, you do just want to explore fashion and wear something you love! Well, here are great tips to shop whilst prioritising people and the planet!

One of the most popular ways to shop more sustainably amongst young people is probably to go second hand! Apps and websites like Etsy, Depop and Thriftify all allow people, not just business owners, to post pictures, details and the sizes of their clothes they have fallen out of love with, grown out of and so on, and try to sell them at a price of their choosing. It’s a lovely way for clothes to have a whole new life!

Even so, that’s not the only way! Traditionally, second hand clothes meant that you got the ‘hand me downs’ from older siblings, neighbours or cousins (often whether you liked the clothes or not). Still, these were free clothes and of course, second hand, so even if it’s not all your older brother’s/sister’s wardrobe, try picking out a few bits you like that they’re done with!

Charity shopping has also gained more popularity and attention in recent years. It can be hard to find something specific when you go to charity shops but if you pop your head into the different shops and keep an eye out, you could find some very special and cheap bits! In Mitchelstown, you could try the Sue Ryder Foundation, St Vincent or the NCBI charity shop! There is also many more charity shops in Cork City.

ADD SOME SPICE WITH VINTAGE

As well as being naturally second hand, vintage clothes often have a lot of style because you could have an iconic skirt from the ‘90s, a ‘70s pair of jeans and perhaps a ‘60s’ patterned jacket! Urcyberstylist is an Irish business run by 23 year old Caitlin Lowry, based in Galway, where she creates made to order styling bundles packed with second hand (and often vintage) clothes and accessories. She tries to take away the hassle and skill of shopping second hand by literally doing the shopping for people! On every order form, customers are asked for their measurements, anything they would love (or hate) to see in their bundle, if they have any style specifically and there is an option to include a link to their Pinterest board to inspire Caitlin.

Spice is another vintage and Irish business run by Gracie who opened a Spice Vintage as a pop-up in West Cork in 2017 and then, the shop soon moved to a permanent location in Limerick. Spice has become immensely popular, with 27.4K followers, because of the community it has built, its positivity, sustainability and the absolute spicy fashion! Spice is trying to make shopping sustainable, fun and exciting, because all the bits are sustainable, oneoff, high-quality and every single piece is handpicked by Gracie! Vintage shopping is definitely a good way of adding some spice to your life!

SWAP AND GO...

Another fabulous alternative to fast fashion is to borrow your friends clothes! It may sound odd, but lots of young girls already do it when it comes to going out and going to discos. I think we need to move away from the culture of needing a new outfit for every occasion or to display for social media, but if you and your friends both need a new outfit for a disco and you both wore a different dress last time, of course your going to swap - right! Why not do that more often or even decide to do a clear out on the same day and pick out your favourites from either pile.

THINK LOCAL

You can also buy new clothes and try to do a little bit of research into how sustainable it is beforehand (remember, sustainability doesn’t just look at how environmentally friendly it is, but also workers who made the clothes are treated, etc). Try to buy from local, Irish businesses where clothes haven’t had to travel to far to get to you. Aran jumpers are a great example as they are made completely in Ireland, they’re pure in that they don’t use chemical filled, artificial fabric and are made to last a very, very (very) long time!

There are loads of ways to shop sustainably and I hope this article has given you the motivation to find what works for you