It's not simple to just stop clothes that are bad for the environment from being produced, but there are many ways that we as consumers can help reduced fast fashion. Several different shopping habits that we can practice will help prevent the demand for fast fashion produced clothes
2nd Hand Shopping
An effective and even trendy way to shop in ways that don't promote fast fashion is buying from second hand stores. Most of the clothes that I have in my closet are second hand, as there is many ways available to shop in this way. One method that has been around for a while is thrift shopping. Thrift shopping is a great way to get affordable, stylish clothing and also benefit the planet. A thrift store is a shop that takes clothing and other house ware supply donations. These items are then sold to the public at fair prices and normally the profits go to a charitable organization. My favorite thrift stores in Austin are Savers, Goodwill, and Austin Pets Alive Thrift. It's easy to find stores close to your house by just simply looking on a gps. Although looking through racks upon racks of clothing can sometimes be exhausting, it is really rewarding when you find name brand and unique pieces. Another way of second hand shopping through is at consignment stores, vintage stores, and upscale resale stores. All of these stores sell clothes in really good conditions that are in style, with popular brand names. Consignment stores sell designer items for cheaper, such as brands like Louis Vuitton and Coach. Upscale resale stores are similar to thrift shops, but usually sell only clothes that follow current trends and are from slightly more expensive brands. Vintage shops sell clothing made in the past 100 years that are in good condition. They are a great place to find old fashion style clothes and good quality items. If you prefer online shopping, apps such as Depop and Poshmark are good for also buying second hand clothes. When you second hand shop, you are buying clothes that would have otherwise been sent to landfills. You are also not supporting the production of more clothes. Second hand shopping is an affordable and accessible way to shop.
Only Buying the Essentials
It's hard to avoid buying brands that use fast fashion when producing their clothes. The stores are everywhere and sometimes its the most convenient and affordable way to get new clothes. But when you do so, its important to buy only the things you know you absolutely need. When deciding whether or not to buy a piece of clothing, I like to think about a few important factors first:
- Do I have clothing in my closet that already look like this?
- Will I wear this piece often?
- Can I style this with clothes that I already have?
- Will this be out of style in a few months?
Buying from Sustainable Clothing Companies
Certain clothing companies produce their clothing using sustainable methods. Popular brands Patagonia and Reformation both produce their clothes in more environmentally friendly ways than fast fashion companies. The billion dollar outdoors brand Patagonia is a members of the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, a group of companies working together to create an environmentally friendly fashion industry (Gunther). Most of the fabrics and textiles that they use are made from recycled materials and all their cotton is organic (How Ethical is Patagonia). 56% of their cotton is Blue Sign Certified, meaning that the materials were made without chemicals and are safe to use. Reformation also boasts a long list of what they call sustainable practices(Sustainable Practices). The company is carbon neutral, doesn't dye their clothes with harmful chemicals, and uses local manufacturing. Even more practices they take are on their website. If you have extra money and want to buy new clothes that have less of an environmental impact, buying from environmentally friendly brands is an option. If you are unsure about the sustainability of a certain brand, all you have to do is a little research.