You’re walking through the aisles of an overcrowded op shop and seeing seas of polyester that no one wants. Second hand stores were meant to give clothing another chance to be loved by someone new but with the rise in overconsumption paired with the degradation of quality in our garments, even op shops are finding it hard to stock things worth keeping.
Fashion is a way of expressing ourselves and what we hold dear - do you really want that synthetic wool jumper to represent you? These are questions we need to ask ourselves next time we find ourselves stacking our cart with things we don’t need everytime something goes viral on TikTok.
All is not lost though, and there are simple steps we can take to make our wardrobe more mindful. Start small with the tips in this guide that are most accessible to you now, and work your way through as time goes on.
Wear what you have
The most sustainable thing you can do is to wear what you already own. No amount of new “eco-friendly” goods is going to unmake that polycotton t-shirt that’s already sitting in your wardrobe. Wear what you have, and appreciate its functionality until it can no longer provide that for you. Then it’s time to downcycle it for other DIY projects.
Read the care labels
All clothing comes with a care label that tells you how best to care for your garments - these are important! Following these guides will help you get the most out of your clothing because the manufacturers who made the garment will have tested these methods and taken all the guesswork out for you. In general, washing on a cold cycle and skipping the tumble drier are great ways to care for most fabrics, while also saving you heaps on your power bill.
Borrow for special occasions
We don’t always want to shell out the big bucks for a special occasion dress that we’re likely only going to wear once so making use of dress rental companies or borrowing clothes from your friends is a much cheaper (and way more fun) way to expand your wardrobe without burning a hole in your back pocket. Money saving, space saving, and you’ll probably have access to a much wider variety of fancy clothes that you may not have considered otherwise.
Invest in quality
Here’s the big one that we should have learned from our grandparents - buy something that will stand the test of time. Choose high quality natural materials like cotton, linen and wool that are comfortable, durable and can handle being worn and washed over and over again.
The future of fashion has to be sustainable, and that starts now.