Style Consultant & Confidence Coach

Thinking about creating a sustainable wardrobe can feel overwhelming at first and the thought of not wearing your favourite brands that you know and love may feel daunting at first.

You are probably asking yourself “where do I start?”

Many of my clients think they have to throw everything out that is not organic cotton or vegan leather.

No! This is not the case, as that wouldn’t be sustainable either, you would be adding to the landfill, unless you are donating to someone or a charity.

It isn’t as hard as you think to create a more sustainable wardrobe, it is a transition and work in progress and over time you will thank yourself for this change.

Let's first look at what sustainable fashion is.

Less pieces, endless combinations. Photo: Amanda Vick (Unsplash)

Sustainable fashion is the concept used when we talk about sustainability in the fashion industry. It encompasses slow fashion, eco fashion and ethical fashion. It also is a living, breathing concept that can, and will change with time.

What sustainable fashion is today, may not be the same in the next year or five years from now. It is a concept that has many interpretations and standards and is in constant evolution.

All of following form part of the umbrella of sustainable fashion:

Ethical fashion: It covers a range of issues such as working conditions, exploitation, fair trade, sustainable production, the environment, and animal welfare.

Eco Fashion: Clothing and other goods produced by methods that are not harmful to the environment, e.g. using materials that have been recycled or that have been grown without the use of pesticides.
Slow fashion: An awareness and approach to fashion, which considers the processes and resources required to make clothing. It involves buying better-quality garments that will last for longer and values fair treatment of people, animals and the planet.

Discover your personal style. Photo: James Hollingworth (Unsplash) — Discover your personal style. **Photo:** James Hollingworth (Unsplash)

Here are 5 ways to help you get started with your conscious wardrobe:

1- Hone in on your style

When we don’t have our style defined we end up buying from an unconscious place, wasting our own money and having a negative impact on our planet.

I have seen this time and time again with my clients. Creating your own style story is fundamental to creating a more conscious and sustainable wardrobe and putting an end to wasteful shopping habits.

When we know our own style and have a plan in place we can curate wardrobes that are authentic to us and better for the environment.

Ask yourself, How I want to show up in the world, who do I want to be? Does your style reflect that?

Then hone in on 3 style keywords that reflect the style you aspire to have, some examples could be: creative, classic, elegant, minimal, fun, vibrant, edgy etc etc.

2- Research brands aligned with your style & values

The idea is to buy from brands that are aligned with our values and style, once we have both our style and value clear, we can start to research brands.

Social media is a great way of getting to know a brand more by their tone of voice and image. Do your research and find a few brands you love that are aligned with your style and values and go from there.

Before researching really think about what part of sustainability matters most to you (ethical working conditions or it could be more about the environmental impact of it’s fabrics).

“Realise the political power of your money and spend it with the brands you know are treating their workers and the environment in the best possible way.”

— Lily Cole

Shop wisely. Less is more. Photo: Victor Garcia (Unsplash)

3- Buy with intention

Buying with intention is an important part of creating a sustainable wardrobe.

When you know why you are buying a piece of clothing and how you plan to wear it, you can make intelligent shopping decisions, without throwing your money away on something that will end up in the back of your wardrobe or in a landfill.

Determine what colours work best for you, your lifestyle and style. Pick more versatile pieces that can be styled in different ways, rather than that one item you know is going to fall out of fashion in no time.

Before purchasing an item, always ask yourself if it is aligned with your style and if you can wear it in 3 different ways with what you already have in your wardrobe.

4- Quality over quantity

Prioritise investing in quality ‘timeless’ pieces that will last for a long time rather than buying new pieces every season from fast fashion stores for 20€ that will end up in a landfill after a few wears.

I like to educate my clients to choose quality over quantity and to focus on natural fabrics over synthetics. Natural fabrics have a longer lifespan and the extra spending is well worth it.

You can detect what kinds of fabrics garments are made of by looking at the label and the composition. As a general rule, natural fabrics, including cotton, linen, wool and cashmere are preferable over synthetic fabrics. Synthetic fabrics, such as nylon and polyester contain plastic. Not only do they have a short lifespan and a negative impact on our environment, they look cheaper and are rougher against your skin.

Choose quality over quantity. Photo: Sarah Brown (Unsplash)

5- Shop vintage, thrift & Preloved

Vintage clothing has a huge role to play in making fashion more sustainable and reducing the global impact that the industry has on our planet. There are so many vintage and thrift shops and websites popping up now and there will be more to come in the future.

I often shop in vintage stores for more statement pieces which are unique and individual. Preloved is a concept of items that someone has owned and loved. These items may have been used lightly or heavily but are in top shape.

Check out preloved items on both Vestiaire Collective and Edit Second Hand.

So, there you have it my top 5 tips on how to start creating your sustainable conscious wardrobe.

What is one action you can take right now to move you forward towards your sustainable & conscious wardrobe?

If you need some guidance on how you can hone in on your style and curate a more sustainable wardrobe feel free to join my facebook group or book a coffee chat with me.