Natural Living

How sustainable is your style?

Creating a planet-friendly wardrobe is easier than you might think, and you won’t have to compromise on style

Leave me in a department store/market place/town centre for any period of time and I’ll gravitate towards the clothes. They call me like a siren atop a rock, with their floaty fabrics and pretty patterns. However, it has to be said: gone are the days of hitting the high street guilt-free. Even a staunch shopaholic like me recognises that fashion comes at a price to the planet, not just to our bank balance. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has calculated the fashion industry produces 10 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions every year, and uses an estimated 1.5 trillion litres of water. That’s before we factor in landfill, soil degradation and deforestation. So, does this mean the end of our love affair with fashion? No! But just as we might cycle to work, or recycle our plastics, our clothes-shopping habits need to change, too, to protect the planet we live on. “Many brands are doing their bit through switching to sustainable fabrics, creating a more positive social impact and using cleaner delivery methods,” says Lucy Kebbell, founder of the WIP (thewip.work) – a digital membership platform for sustainable businesses. “However, many are still overproducing and won’t tell customers to stop buying. Consumers can do their bit by buying less and demonstrating that we don’t need these huge volumes of clothing to be produced every year.” Here are some more tips for making a difference without skimping on style.

Rotate your wardrobe

With an increasing number of charity shops on the high street and platforms like Vinted.co.uk, eBay.com, Depop.com, ThreadUp.com and Vestiarecollective.com, it’s never been easier to operate a one-in-one-out system without ever buying something brand new. “I love buying second hand and renting and swapping my wardrobe,” says Lucy. “By consuming in this way, we can make our clothes last longer, and reduce the garment waste problem. Renting and swapping in particular can help to scratch that itch when you feel like you need something ‘new’. I highly recommend apps like Depop and Vinted which have created easy-to-use services for finding and buying the clothes you want.”

Embrace vintage

Now, vintage clothing isn’t for everyone, but with a growing emergence of vintage boutiques on social media, like @imparfaiteparis, @naninvintage, @smallneeds and so many more, it’s the perfect place to get your fill of stylish well-made clothing and there will always be a market for passing it on. “Vintage clothing is amazing because unlike the clothes we buy today, it was made to last,” says Lucy. “I suggest shopping from the era that best suits your style and body shape. For instance, pieces from the 50s and 60s can be very small, designed for those with little waists. Whereas clothing in the 70s tended to be more forgiving. Buy what you love, and invest in mending and amending to make it like new.”

Rent and return

It can take a shift in mindset to give back an item of clothing you felt like a million dollars in. However, be honest, how many of your garments are getting their 30 recommended wears to be sustainable?

“There are two ways that you can rent,” Lucy says. “Firstly, brands like Hiresstreetuk.com or renttherunway.com offer huge choice from current collections. Or there’s peer-to-peer rental [where you rent from, or to, members of the public like yourself] from apps like hurrcollective.com, byrotation.com or loanhood.com. Whilst renting is always better than buying new, I advocate for peer-to-peer rental as a more sustainable way to utilise our own wardrobes and avoid the need to constantly replenish offerings. I recommend dabbling with one of these apps first, follow a few people whose wardrobes you like and ask questions about the fit or comfort before taking the plunge.“

Create a capsule wardrobe

A well curated capsule wardrobe can save so much time, energy and money. “I advise supplementing additional pieces for occasions through renting,” says Lucy. “To get started, think honestly about your body shape, lifestyle and what you wear regularly. Separate these pieces from the ones that don’t fit or are not worn (these can be sold or swapped, or donated to a charity shop.) Now build around what’s left to ensure you have full, wearable outfits. Don’t just stick to ‘basics’, stay true to you and apply the ‘30-wear’s rule [will you wear it at least 30 times?] to anything new you buy.”

Get creative

Of course new clothes needn’t come from the shops, we can try our hand at creating our own individual style, choosing the very best sustainable materials and pouring our time and love into a bespoke piece. As Jodie Sheehan from our sister title Let’s Knit reveals, the good news is that making our own clothes and accessories is a great way to combat fast fashion. “When we craft, we put time, effort and care into the things we’re making,” Jodie says, “and we’re able to create things that meet our needs precisely – the complete opposite of impulse buying and ending up with a bundle of clothes that don’t fit, we don’t like and don’t want. So, learning to knit, crochet or sew your own clothes isn’t just an enjoyable hobby, it’s also a great sustainable practice. Take a look at our blog post Tutorial: Make do and Mend! at letsknit.co.uk for a step-bystep guide to darning holes in knitwear, and follow us on Instagram @letsknitmag for knitting tips and inspiration!”

If you’re not ready to dive in and create a project from scratch, giving your beloved clothes a longer life is a great way to be more sustainable. “It doesn’t matter if you haven’t picked up a needle and thread since your high school days; with a few basic stitches in your repertoire, you can still reap the benefits,” says Lucy Jobber from Sew Magazine. “One technique that’s increasing popular is wabi-sabi sewing. Originating in Japan, the movement is all about appreciating the imperfect and the impermanent, and celebrating the mistakes; after all, it can be what makes a project interesting and ultimately unique – so why not make a feature of it? Boro and sashiko are stitch techniques that are also on the rise; both focus on mending with fabric patches and repetitive geometric patterns, helping you to transform a once torn pair of jeans into a stand-out wardrobe piece. It’s important to remember though, while a machine may get a task done in record time, mindfulness is induced by hand, with each rhythmic weave of the needle slowly helping you to unwind.” For useful sewing tips and free mending projects, visit sewmag.co.uk, or subscribe to Sew magazine at giftstoyou.com