Your Guide to Sustainable Fashion

Fast fashion is also known as disposable fashion. It’s a pretty fitting name, considering most of the clothes produced by fast fashion companies end up in the trash, as they’re very quickly unwearable, which means that the advent of fast fashion has been terrible for the environment.

Sustainability in fashion is so important when it comes to saving the environment. Sustainable fashion is a movement that is attempting to move the fashion industry and their products towards greater ecological integrity. Think about the following tips when you're shopping- or even when you're considering getting rid of something you already own.

Donating is an excellent way to give clothes you might not wear anymore a new life. According to the EPA, it takes $45 (on average) to dispose of one ton of garbage in a landfill. And clothing that sits in landfills releases toxic greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane into the environment when they break down. That means that donating your clothes instead of just throwing them out is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint.

And on the other hand, making new clothing takes hundreds of gallons of water, and the production of new textiles accounts for 10% of all greenhouse gas emissions. So the person buying your donated clothing is also reducing the amount of impact they have on the environment, meaning that donating old clothes increases sustainability on both ends.

But before donating, think about what's making you throw the piece away. If the problem is a tiny hole or a missing button, think twice! I personally think everyone should learn how to sew. By knowing only the basics, you can hem a pair of jeans, shorten the straps of a shirt, alter the length of a skirt, and so much more. However, if you have no interest in sewing your own clothes, you can find a tailor to do it for you. They are professionals and can completely change a piece of clothing to help you love it again. The prices of getting a tailor can vary depending on where you live, how much you want to alter, and the individual's prices. But when you alter clothing instead of throwing it away, the environment thanks you.

Typically, when stores can’t sell their products, they will put them on sale. Sometimes they will sell, but when they don't, what can the store do? They could try to return it to the manufacturer, but often the manufacturer has an excess of inventory and the last thing they want to do is handle returns. When they don’t return them, the only real option for unsold clothing is to throw it away. This is unsustainable because clothing can take thousands of years to decompose in landfills.

Although some stores will donate to thrift stores or discount stores such as TJ Maxx or Ross, most choose not to because they believe they are losing money in the process. So when you have to buy from a conventional clothing store, make sure you check the sale rack first. You may be helping prevent those clothes from being chucked in a landfill- and besides, your wallet will thank you!

But besides sticking to the sale rack, what can you do to focus on sustainability when shopping? Well, first off, make sure to look for items that are mostly cotton, since this fabric tends to last the longest. You also want to think about how you will like the item in a few months or years. If the item is following a trend that's been around for a month or two, it will likely go out of style soon. Instead, find items with good quality, but also things that you love and will continue to love for years to come.

When shopping, make sure you keep an eye out for ‘timeless’ pieces. Timeless clothing means pieces that are classic and will never go out of style. For example, a basic white/black shirt and jeans will never look dated. Some patterns that are timeless are plaid, floral, animal, stripes, argyle, and polka dots.

Whether you're thrift shopping, buying on websites like Depop or ThreadUp, or getting hand-me-downs from your sibling, second-hand clothing is an amazing resource for sustainability. First of all, this way of shopping is typically much cheaper. If you go to a Goodwill, you can find a shirt for $2 when its retail price could have been $20. “One man’s trash is another man's treasure” is a phrase that definitely applies to clothes. You can find a lot of unique items, or even some designer or vintage clothing. This can also help lower the demand for fast fashion, because many people can find all of their clothing from second-hand stores!

But thrifting isn't the only way to freshen up your closet sustainably. Renting clothing is an amazing way to change your wardrobe without splurging on clothes and hoarding them. An excellent website to rent from is called ‘Stitch Fix.' You simply take a quiz to find out about your style, size, and things that are important to you when it comes to clothing. Then, they ship you clothes in your size and style. If you want to keep them, that's when you buy them. If you don't like it or just want to wear it a few times, it's free as long as you return them! My favorite part is that you don't need a subscription to rent. That way you don’t have clothes coming to your house every month, causing you to keep more clothes than you need.

Another important part of sustainability in fashion is choosing clothes that will last. Choosing fabrics can be confusing, but these choices can be some of the most important. Some characteristics of a quality fabric are odor and stain-resistance, antibacterial materials, and breathability. You also want to look for fabrics that are not prone to pilling, losing their shape, shedding, or losing their shine or softness. Some materials that have these characteristics are linen, wool, cotton, silk, rayon, and hemp.

And when buying, make sure to read labels! This can ensure you’re buying the proper materials as well as providing that item the proper care. For example, some sweaters cannot be machine-dried. This does not mean you can’t buy the sweater! Instead, you should take it out of the washing machine as you’re moving the rest of your clothes to the drier. Then, you can put it on a hanger and hang it on a clothing rack or even your dresser handles. Doing this will make sure your clothes last longer and don’t shrink.

This one might sound strange, but washing your clothes too often can actually make them deteriorate more quickly. Instead, you can use biodegradable fabric spray to freshen up your clothes. Obviously you will need to wash your clothes sometimes, but I recommend staying away from tumble drying entirely to help them last longer.

Sustainability is great, but let's be honest: you're not going to stop wanting that cute new top from Urban Outfitters. You don't have to deny yourself completely. But before you go on a shopping spree, think about the following questions:

Lastly (and perhaps most importantly), you do not need to follow every trend. Most of them will likely die out in a few weeks, and let's be honest, nobody outside of Instagram influencers wears most of those things anyway.

To help save the planet, you don't need to stop shopping entirely. Rather, simply apply a little bit more thought to what you will actually wear, and what will be good for the Earth in the long run.