5 Easy (and Cheap) Ways to Quit Fast Fashion & Build a Sustainable Wardrobe
Hey guys! So today I wanted to talk about something I’m super passionate about: quitting fast fashion & building a sustainable wardrobe.
Now I’m curious…what’s the first thought that comes to mind when I talk about sustainable clothing?
Maybe that it’s too expensive?
That the only way to build a sustainable wardrobe is by investing in a capsule wardrobe?
That sustainable/ethical brands aren’t as fashionable or affordable as fast fashion brands?
If you’ve considered quitting fast fashion before but had any of those thoughts, just know that you’re not alone. Before I immersed myself in the world of sustainable fashion, I thought all the same things.
But the good news is, building your own sustainable wardrobe doesn’t have to be hard or expensive! And I actually think it’s a huge misconception that it is. We need to spread the word about it so others know just how easy/affordable this process really can be.
So if you want to learn 5 easy ways (plus an extra bonus tip) to quit fast fashion and lead a more sustainable fashion lifestyle, keep reading, and don’t forget to share with your friends! Because the more people who know about these things, the more of a difference we can truly make.
Also, if you’re looking to learn more about fast fashion in general, check out this blog post all about it. I also put together a YouTube playlist here in case you really want to do a deep dive about fast fashion.
Anyway, let’s get to these tips!
1) Start buying from (affordable) sustainable & ethical brands
This might seem like an obvious solution, right? Sounds self-explanatory: if you don’t want to contribute to fast fashion, then just don’t buy from those brands.
However, as straightforward as this tip may be, I wanted to mention it because I’ve noticed a lot of people don’t realize that affordable sustainable brands even exist. I think we often tend to equate sustainable fashion with the words “expensive” or “luxury.”
While there are absolutely a lot of pricey sustainable/ethical brands out there, there are also a lot of affordable ones. In fact, I know of several who make it their mission to make sustainable clothing accessible to all.
I’ll probably write an entire separate blog post about this soon for you to reference, but here are a few examples.
- Pact: This sustainable brand has tons of high-quality and affordable clothes for men, women, kids and even babies! On top of that, they sell some home goods as well.
- CHNGE: Probably my absolute favorite eco-friendly brand. Not only do they make the coolest clothes, but they’re also super transparent about where their clothes come from and what they’re made of.
The best part about CHNGE, however, is the fact that they use their brand and their voice for good! They’re all about speaking out on social issues and they’ve even raised over $200,000 for the Black Lives Matter movement.
So if you want to support a good cause and immediately look cooler in their clothes, this is the place to buy from.
- MUD Jeans: What I love about MUD jeans is that they’re leading the way in terms of circular business models. Since we already have so many materials out there, we need to start reusing them instead of always turning to virgin fabrics.
Luckily, that’s exactly what MUD jeans is doing in that they take back old jeans and recycle them into new ones! Pretty cool, right?
- Ecovibe: This is one of the brands I was talking about that’s really trying to make sustainable fashion accessible to everyone. Not only do they have beautiful ethical options for men and women, including accessories, but they also sell lots of beautiful home goods.
On top of all that, they’re trying to do good in all aspects of their business in that they give back to local environmental organizations and also support local designers, women, minority and family owned businesses.
- Tentree: This is another new favorite of mine! They also have lots of options for women, men and kids that are really beautifully made.
What makes this brand so special though, is that they plant ten trees whenever a purchase is made. That means they’re not only providing us with beautiful, sustainable clothing options, but they’re actively doing good for the planet.
So far, they’ve planted over 46 million trees! And their goal is to plant 1 billion by 2030, which will make a huge impact on the environment. This is such a great brand to support!
These are just 5 of many more brands like this out there. I know that sometimes it can take some searching, but once you start looking, you’ll notice just how many sustainable options there already are.
If you don’t want to take the time to seek out these brands, you can also check out my sustainability page where I talk about sustainable brands all the time.
Before moving onto the next tip, I just wanted to take a second to point out how much power we hold as consumers. I know fast fashion can seem like an impossible cycle to break sometimes, but there’s so much we’re capable of doing to change the fashion industry for the better.
Investing in these brands, for example, has the power to make a huge difference.
I mean, think about it. The fashion industry focuses its’ time and energy wherever people are spending their money.
So, if we were all to invest in brands like these instead of fast fashion brands, more and more sustainable options would pop up. With our purchases, we get to control where the industry goes. How cool is that??
It really is possible to change things for the better, especially when we come together. So please consider buying from brands like these next time you’re shopping!
More of a visual person? Watch on YouTube instead:
2) Buy from the thrift store
I’m guessing you’ve heard this one before, but I had to add it to the list because it’s such a great cost-effective solution. Plus, it’s the best feeling to search through all those racks and find amazing items for less than $10.
I realize that not everyone wants to wear used clothes or take their time searching through all those racks for the few good items they’ll find. But please, please try it out if you haven’t before!
It can actually be super fun shopping at a thrift store and you’ll be amazed at how many high-quality items you can actually find. Yes, there are always unfashionable and outdated clothes there too, but I guarantee there will be nice options as well.
This tip also leads me perfectly into my next recommendation. Many of the items at the thrift store need a little TLC, which is why you should…
3) Learn to sew!
If you’ve been to my website before, it’ll be no surprise to you that I’m bringing up sewing. I’m a big sewer myself and am always trying to tell everyone just how easy and rewarding it can be, which is why I had to add it to this list!
Like I just mentioned, there are lots of clothes at the thrift store that need some TLC. The perfect way to fix them up is by sewing! For most items, they’ll just need to be taken in a little or maybe need a button sewn on, etc.
These are all super easy fixes you can make when you know how to sew. On top of that, sewing is just plain a good life skill. I can’t tell you how many times it’s come in handy since I learned to do it (like the time I sewed a button onto my sister’s wedding dress on her big day).
Once you know how to sew, you also never have to worry about fit again.
You know how when you go shopping, there are always clothes you like but that just don’t fit quite right? Well, if you can sew, that’s not a concern anymore because you can make everything fit just right! That has honestly been the best part about sewing for me–I know how to make all my clothes look incredible on me now.
If you’re interested in learning how to sew, check out my tutorials here. I’m all about sewing without a pattern and instead using clothes you already own to make something you know will fit and look great. It doesn’t get any easier than that!
Plus, if you’re more of a visual person, I’ve put a bunch of sewing tutorials on YouTube as well that you can check out here.
4) Worried about microplastics? Use a Guppyfriend Washing Bag.
Have you ever heard of microplastics before?
If not, here’s a little overview.
A lot of our clothes nowadays are made of fibers that contain plastic, like polyester and nylon. Each and every time we wash our clothes, tiny microplastics are released. Those plastics are so small that they then pass through filters and eventually make their way to our oceans.
Scientists have done lots of studies on these microplastics and have found them EVERYWHERE. I’m talking from the deepest depths of the oceans all the way to Antarctica. They’ve even found that they’re raining back down on us!
You might be wondering what could actually be so harmful about plastics that are this small though. Well, it turns out that they’re collecting in our oceans and are adding to all of the waste and pollution in a big way.
Here are a few articles where you can read more about this phenomenon:
Fight against plastic pollution targets a hidden source: Our clothes
What are microfibers and why are our clothes polluting the oceans?
I don’t know about you but, in my case, I’d heard about this issue in the past but didn’t know what to do about it until recently. Thankfully, there’s an easy solution!
Use a Guppyfriend Washing bag.
This awesome company, Guppyfriend, created a bag you can put your clothes in when you wash them. Then, the bag collects the microplastics so they don’t make their way to our oceans! And the great thing is that it only costs $35.
I’ve found a couple other places that sell the bag including Patagonia and Tentree. Thought I’d link those in case you want to combine this purchase with others.
So anyway, if you want to do your part when it comes to microplastics and making your current wardrobe more sustainable, this is a super easy and affordable way to do it.
5) Quit buying so many clothes and stop buying from fast fashion brands
I realize this might not be a suggestion you want to hear, but it obviously is the cheapest and easiest way to stop contributing to fast fashion. If you enjoy buying from fast fashion brands, it might not be an easy transition, but it’s totally worth it.
Personally, I stopped buying from fast fashion brands about a year ago and have to say that I don’t miss it at all.
Actually, I’ve found that it’s a lot more fun and internally rewarding whenever I buy from the thrift store or make my own clothes instead. But I’ll be honest, there have still been times when I thought about buying from a brand like Fashion Nova or Forever 21. I’ve even started a shopping cart and considered buying, but never checked out.
And you know what I realized?
I didn’t miss those almost-purchases at all. In fact, I forgot about them completely within days and realized I never needed those items in the first place!
My point is, we generally don’t need most of the clothes we’re buying since we already have so much. So next time you’re considering buying from a fast fashion brand, take a step back first and think about whether or not you really need those items.
Think about how much you’ll actually use them. Ask yourself if you have something like it already that you can use instead. Or alternatively, think about whether or not it’s something you can find at the thrift store.
There really are so many other options out there that make the “need” to buy from these harmful brands completely obsolete. And if they’ve convinced you otherwise, then you’ve fallen right into their marketing trap.
These companies are constantly trying to tell us that we need more. That we need to look a certain way. That we need to keep up with trends and look like influencers and celebrities.
But it’s all a load of crap!
It’s a marketing ploy that we often fall right into. So stay strong and ignore the marketing because we can do better. And honestly, we need to do better. It’s easiest to think of this problem as something we can’t change because that removes all personal responsibility.
But, at the end of the day, we’ve all probably contributed to the issue in some way and it’s up to us to fix it. And, little by little, we can do just that and it can be as simple as following these tips.
Bonus Tip #6) Use the Good on You app
As I was writing this, I realized there was one more super simple tip I needed to share with you.
Whenever you are shopping, it can be hard to know which brands are “good” (sustainable & ethical) and which ones aren’t.
One thing you can always do, of course, is look up the brand you’re buying from. You can check out their About page and see if they mention anything about sustainable and ethical practices.
As a general rule of thumb, if a brand has information about those things, you can assume that they’re at least trying to do something in terms of social responsibility. If they’re not very transparent, odds are they’re hiding something and cutting corners somewhere.
However, if you don’t want to take the time to look up and read their websites, there’s an easy alternative for you to try:
Simply download and use the Good On You app!
This app has already done all the work for us in terms of researching brands. All you need to do is type the brand’s name into the search bar and it’ll tell you all about their practices. Plus, my favorite part about the app is that, if a brand doesn’t rank well but you still want to shop, you can scroll to the bottom of the page and it’ll show you similar brands with better ratings.
So if you want to make better choices going forward, this is a great, simple way to do that. Also, the app is endorsed by Emma Watson so obviously it’s gotta be good!
That concludes my (now) 6 easy tips to quitting fast fashion & building your sustainable wardrobe
If you’ve made it this far, thank you for reading!
I hope you’ve enjoyed hearing my tips and that you try them out. Also, let me know if there’s anything I’ve missed and if you have any suggestions! I’m constantly updating these posts and am always happy to add to or change them.
I’m also curious, which of these tips was your favorite?
Did anything resonate with you?
Which one(s) will you try?
I’d love to hear more about your thoughts and what you think you’ll do. And if you’re already transitioning toward a sustainable wardrobe, let me know what your experience has been like and how I can help! My goal is to make a sustainable fashion lifestyle as easy and fun as possible for you.
Alright, now I’ll quit blabbing. 😅
Thanks again for stopping by and I’ll see you next time! Take care and stay healthy out there.
Love,
Emily