How to Build a Sustainable and Ethical Wardrobe

If you’ve been scrolling through social media lately, you may be seeing more content about fast fashion and why it’s a bad thing- I know I have, and I love that I’m seeing so many people talking about this topic.

If you don’t know what fast fashion is, it is the segment of the fashion industry that is driven by unsustainable demand as a result of cheap prices and perpetual access to shop through online platforms; it is 52+ seasons per year, and clothing produced dirt-cheap that encourages our throwaway culture; it is discontented compulsive consumption with no regard for the environmental or social consequences involved. You can read my previous blog posts on the topic here and here. Check out the resources I’ve linked for more information!

Fast fashion is bad news.

We need to spend our money elsewhere.

But how do you go about building a more sustainable and ethical wardrobe without breaking the bank on pieces that have been made with the environment and people in mind?

There are three primary ways to make the transition:

• Rewear and Reuse What You Already Own
• Buy Secondhand
• Support Sustainable and Ethical Clothing Brands

Reuse and Rewear What You Already Own

The simplest and most affordable way to create a sustainable wardrobe is to wear and use and love the pieces that you already own! This is the most sustainable option- the same goes for every area of your life.

I try hard to live by the motto “use it up, wear it out, make-do, or do without“.

Using what you already have prevents virgin resources from being taken from the environment to produce new garments. Don’t donate items immediately after considering you don’t want them anymore; do your best to breathe new life into your current wardrobe and work hard to keep the clothes you already own out of landfills. Upcycle, mend, repurpose (ex. old t-shirts make great rags)- whatever you can think of to really use your clothes as long as possible before tossing them. Whether you originally purchased from a fast-fashion retailer or not, the damage has already been done, but now you can minimize the future damage your clothes will potentially create.

Before buying additional clothing items, learning to be content with what you have and to only buy versatile pieces that you will love for years is the best way to have a conscious closet- because buying ethical and sustainable clothes is great, but when you’re buying pieces you won’t love or wear, and that will just be donated again in a couple months, that’s just as wasteful and hard on the environment as purchasing from fast-fashion. It’s important to be mindful.

Buy Secondhand

After focusing on what you already own the next best place to purchase “new” clothes is through buying secondhand. This is even more fun when you score on secondhand clothes that were originally from a sustainable and ethical brand!

We already know that we have a huge waste issue when it comes to our clothes, which is why purchasing secondhand clothing (even if it was originally made in an unsustainable way) is the next best way that you can fight fast-fashion. By keeping secondhand clothes out of landfills (because much of what is donated gets thrown away or dumped overseas) you are doing a big part to reduce textile waste and reduce the incentive that fast-fashion retailers have to continue pumping out new styles.

I’d guess that about 90% of my closet is secondhand clothes- and it’s always been like this. Long before I had strong convictions about fast-fashion I’ve found most of my clothes from yard sales and then thrift stores; it’s awesome to think I’ve been fighting this industry my whole life without realizing it (thanks, mom! She’s the one who started this habit in me). Shopping secondhand almost always saves you a good amount of money- this should be motivation enough to change those shopping habits!

If you don’t want to spend money on secondhand, having a clothing swap, or just borrowing and lending pieces with some friends is also a great option!

Support Sustainable and Ethical Clothing Brands

After you’ve taken the steps to avoid purchasing new clothing as much as possible- sometimes you just can’t find the right shirt or dress secondhand even after searching for months- the next best option is to support businesses that prioritize their environmental impacts and proper treatment of workers all along the supply chain. These businesses are often going to be smaller in scale (compared to the giants of fast-fashion), which makes it significantly easier for operations to be managed and supervised to ensure proper working conditions and quality construction.

Slow-fashion brands may be more expensive than the cheapest fast-fashion brands out there, but you want to prioritize being intentional with your clothing purchases and opting for quality made clothes that you will own for many years to come. Ideally, you won’t have to purchase as frequently to replace worn items, so over time you’ll really be spending less money.

Remembering that these purchases are helping to support real families around the world, rather than lining the pockets of monopolistic businesses makes it easier (at least for me) to justify higher costs. If you can’t shop second-hand first, look to support brands that are producer-focused and hold to rigorous fair-trade standards.

Building a sustainable wardrobe is not as complicated as many people may make it out to be. It can be more expensive, yes, but like all brands there are places you can shop that have product all along the spectrum when it comes to price-points. It just takes a little bit of research to find that brands that you both enjoy and can afford (keeping these items in mind when it comes to Christmas and Birthday shopping is always an option, too!).

I have posts coming up sharing with you all about the sustainable and ethical clothing brands I’ve come across! I’m going to share these lists with you- both for international brands, as well as those that are made in America, so we can support our local businesses.

Check out the posts I linked in the intro to learn more about fast-fashion, and why it’s essential we all contribute to combating it.

Are you in the process of transitioning your closet to contain more, if not all, sustainable clothing? How have you been doing that, and what tips have you found helpful? Let me know in a comment, or over on my social media!