5 Easy Ways to Make Your Wardrobe Sustainable in 2017

​I’ve been taking steps forward to be more sustainable with my shopping habits this year by trying to only purchase vintage and second hand clothes. Bit by bit I am seeing my wardrobe become less fast fashion and more sustainable style. Only buying second hand was my path to being more sustainable but there are many different ways to go if you want to be smarter with your shopping. Here are some of the easiest and best ways to make your outfits greener. 

1) Clear Your Inbox

​If you want to step away from fast fashion brands then unsubscribe from those emails you get every day telling you to buy more. They may have been helpful to get 10% off the first time you bought online but now when you want something you can go to the website rather than feeling the constant pressure to buy more. 

2) Follow the Washing Instructions

​It seems so simple but it’s a sure way that your clothes won't shrink, stretch, or fall apart. A longer closet life is the best way to make sure you have everything you need for longer.

A Capsule Wardorbe

​If you haven’t heard this term before check it out on Pinterest and see the thousands of posts. Most of them are variations on each other: good jeans, a black dress, white trainers, a colourful clutch, etc. Your capsule doesn’t have to follow these rules, for example I can't remember the last time I wore anything floral so instead of a pretty scarf I have a velvet choker. It should just be the pieces that you can’t live without and wear all the time. If you didn’t have anything else you could still feel good every morning, and maybe one day you can decided not to have anything else but your capsual wardrobe.

4) 10 Minutes of Research Before Buying Anything

​Do this with any store or brand before you shop, you could even do less if information is easy to find. Go on your phone on the tube or in line for the dressing room and look up their ethic policies and where their materials come from.  Try to not use the companies own website because if there's something bad to say about their production they sure won't be the ones saying it. Everyone has different priorities and certain ethics might sit higher on your moral compass than others. If you personally feel comfortable with the manufacturing than it is your choice to buy. After a few shopping trips you’ll start to have a list of who you know you feel good about buying from. 

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5) Buy and Sell Vintage or Second Hand

​This is the step that I focused on the most during 2016, and will continue to do in the New Year. It proves effective both on a small and large scale. By buying second hand you are not contributing to the consumer demand for more clothing to be produced, therefore causing large-scale brands to produce less. Will your one vintage Champion sweatshirt instead of a new Top Shop distressed hoodie really make a difference in the global market? It is the same question I have been asked being a vegetarian my whole life. No, one meatless day won't change the market but each day you are chipping down at the demand for the product that you do not support.
Selling your old clothes also helps the environment, by not producing waste and providing people with your product so they don’t have to buy new, and also is a means of income for yourself and that never hurts.