Sustainable Luxury | How to make conscious choices when shopping for clothing

The goal of the conscious clothing movement is to create a system that can be supported indefinitely in terms of human impact on the environment and social responsibility. It’s most often seen as an alternative trend against fast fashion, and in the perfect world, it would be. Sustainable fashion brands prioritize the sustainability of not only the planet but the people, as much as their bottom line.

No one is inherently against these principles, The issue, for most people is that the entrance into the ethical fashion scene comes at a high price point, and rightfully so. Clothing costs more when people are conscious of the people who make it and the effect a garment has on the planet.

No matter what brand the clothes are, wearing them for a long time is one of the best things you can do to reduce the impact of your wardrobe and combat disposable fast fashion culture. The goal is to get at least 30 uses from each new (to you) garment.

How to make Conscious Clothing choices

Before making a purchase, any purchase at all really, it’s important to ask yourself a few questions to ensure our purchase will be truly adding to your life. In order to make sure each you get those thirty wears out of each piece in your wardrobes to ask yourself a few questions about the clothing to guide your conscious shopping experience.

1. Does it go with other items in my wardrobe?
2. How many outfits can I create with this item?
3. Does it fit with my personal style?
4. Does the fit and fabric work for me?
5. Does this work with my lifestyle?

ideally, the most conscious place to go shopping for clothing is your own closet

Fashion is cyclical, so what was in one season and out the next always comes back around. Sometimes you’ve already got that “must-have” piece of clothing in your wardrobe.

Borrow

I grew up with a younger sister so the concept of sharing my clothing has been a part of my life long before I was making the conscious decision to do so. As an adult, I steal borrow (permanently) from my sister but now have expanded my closet to include those of my girlfriend’s too. If your friend wor the perfect shoes for the outfit you have in mind, borrow them for the event you have in mind.

Swap

I’m above average height for a female, however, seated I’m much shorter than most people even those considerably shorter than me standing up. in layman terms, I’ve been blessed with long legs and cursed with a super short torso. I’ve made an even trade of denim dresses with a cousin for dresses that played up the assets of the other. Swaps don’t need to be even trades though, find your neighborhood swap or host your own swap party.

Make

If you’re a master seamstress this one is super easy to take on, if you’re not, find a tailor that you love and treat them well.

Making a may take more effort but the time you put into getting exactly what you want will ensure you buy less. I’ve found that I’m more likely to spend more time shopping when I don’t get exactly what I want the first time.

Finding a good seamstress and tailor will not only extend the life of your wardrobe but also increase the likely hood that you’ll get far more wears out of your clothing.

How to make conscious shopping choices when buying new

Try on with your most worn items | if I can’t get a piece to work with my everyday apparel, I won’t keep it. Unless it’s like vintage Chanel or handwoven on the plains of Africa I don’t need it. I won’t keep it. 

Size up | since my daughter turned three I’ve been purchasing size six clothing for her. This ensures clothing fits her and gives her perpetual  Yeezy vibes. Sizing up in high street brands is also beneficial when it comes to making sustainable shopping choices for myself. Primarily, the more fabric it takes to make something the more expensive it is. Fast Fashion garments save money by making garments more slender. So sizing up will give inexpensive pieces more of a luxury feel. As far as sustainability goes sizing up guarantees you’ll get a few more washes out of special pieces. 

Make sure your store has a good return policy | as a rule of thumb if a store doesn’t have a good return policy, then they do not stand behind the integrity of their products. Poorly made products are not kind to the planet or the people who make them, closer to home if you cant return something you have no option to deal with buyers’ regret. Sometimes I buy something that I think is perfect, only to find out it lays around, not fitting into my Capsule collection as well as I’d like. When a store has a good return policy it allows for me to

Buy off-season | it’s currently winter in New York, which means it’s impossible to even believe we once had balmy summer evenings. Don’t suffer from weather amnesiac when it comes to shopping for yourself, shop sweaters at the end of winter. The luxurious hand-knit magical creations are slashed down to fire-sale prices. I’m the 

Having a color story | on the rare occasion this ends up costing me more money, ochre may be synonymous with dirt, but it costs an arm and a leg! However, for the most part, having a color story is one of the easiest most sustainable choices you can make when shopping new. It limits the amount of stuff you can buy and forced you to disregard the antiquated idea of seasonal clothing.  

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