A Few Ways to Build a Mindful Wardrobe
Where to begin and best practices
WHERE TO BEGIN AND BEST PRACTICES
Hello! Let’s talk wardrobe today: I’ve become engulfed in the world of ethically and sustainably-made clothing over the last 18 months or so, and I’ve found that altering my shopping habits is more of a long term shift than an overnight process.
While it’s important to work towards bettering your decisions, you don’t have to fall into the trap of feeling guilty when you don’t do everything perfectly. Ultimately, brands should be operating on a climate-positive basis production-wise with ethical labor practices— this shouldn’t have to be something we’re begging for as the consumer.
I’m working towards minimizing my impact on a regular basis and supporting brands who are aiming to better the earth and make a positive, lasting impact, as well as spending significant time contemplating purchases. Let’s jump in.
01 — Take good care of what you already own
Try to avoid washing your clothes every time you wear them. (Here’s more environmental info on that.) Hang dry your clothing whenever possible, and wash with chemical-free detergent (I like Seventh Generation). You can take garments to an eco-friendly dry cleaner if needed, or take pieces to the tailor to be refitted or repurposed. A study by the AAFA concluded that we don’t wear 50% of the clothes in our wardrobes: committing to keeping our purchases around for as long as we can is helpful since it allows us to purchase less and be mindful of what we’re buying in the first place. If you do plan to keep trendier pieces on a short-term basis, you can aim to take excellent care of them and re-sell them for closer to your purchase price, allowing them to hold their value and move on to someone else’s closet.
02 — Vintage or thrift shop first
If I’m looking for a specific style of clothing, I’ll head to as many different thrift or vintage shops as I can to start. At that point, I usually find what I’m looking for and save a bit of money in the process. If you don’t have tons of time to visit thrift shops in person, you can always order off of sites like ThredUp, Ebay, Poshmark and Depop. *It’s important to note that not everyone has the luxury of time to thrift until they find exactly what they’re looking for, but if possible, it’s a good practice to try to buy second-hand first.
03 — Contemplate your purchases
Lean toward quality instead of quantity and think about how much use you’ll get out of it. I like to ask myself what I’ll wear it with, how many seasons I’ll be able to wear it in, and how timeless the silhouette is: will I want to wear it in 5 years? I keep a note on my phone with a list of potential purchases, and typically think about each purchase for over a month before going in on it. More than half the time, I end up changing my mind. (Better for my wallet and the planet!)
“Americans do still buy a lot of clothes: no great surprise in the world’s largest consumer market. The annual US consumption for 2016 works out to every American on average buying more than five garments a month. The Council for Textile Recycling estimates that Americans discard about 70 pounds of textiles per person, much of it clothing, in landfills each year.” — Marc Bain, Quartz
04 — Support ethical & sustainable brands whenever you can
After I started to focus on quality vs. quantity and vintage shopping first, it became far more simple to focus on purchasing new clothing from brands who are doing good.
I like to seek out companies who are working to eliminate their carbon footprint, use minimal resources to create product, are mindful of their waste, inclusive of different demographics of consumers, and brands who are providing fair wages, healthcare and benefits to employees and those have audited supply chains.
It’s a privilege to shop this way, but it can be a meaningful way to make an impact and vote with our dollars by supporting companies who are working to make things better for both the planet and their employees (if you have the means to do so.)
Choosing to spend wisely and intentionally have the opportunity to benefit so many people, which is why I love organizations like Fair Trade USA who partner with companies to offer life-changing benefits and security for their employees.
Madewell is an excellent place to shop either locally or online because they partner with Fair Trade USA across hundreds of their products, meaning that they pay a premium on each of those pieces to provide community benefits that are voted on and determined by the employees who make the goods.
some brands who are doing it right:
Girlfriend, LACAUSA, Baserange, Madewell, Amour Vert, DÔEN, Christy Dawn, KOTN, more here.
Disclosure: I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you if you decide to purchase from brands that I refer to and promote. All opinions are my own.