How to make your wardrobe more sustainable?

Sustainable fashion is the need of the hour. Having a wardrobe filled with the right clothing is something you need to be proud of. And this can only happen if you prioritise sustainability in your daily routine. Sustainable fashion is one of the ways you can make a difference just by modifying your clothing choices. Let’s discuss some ways using which you can make your wardrobe more sustainable.

How to make your wardrobe more sustainable?

1) Do your research work

One of the ways of having a sustainable wardrobe is by being more alert and informed about the various sustainable brands in the market. In today’s era, where there are so many brands operating, we need to do our homework and research well about these brands in order to be more sustainable in our choices. Social media is a quick way to judge a brand and know about its collection. When we understand a brand and its practices, we make better choices that reflect in the long term.

2) Think and buy

Whenever you buy from a brand, make sure that it fulfils your purpose and aligns with your values and choices. If you buy a piece that you do not wish to wear after 2 weeks, or doesn’t match your choices, it is a waste of money. That’s why, always choose the brands or the items that you feel are perfect for you.

Sustainable Tip: Every new item in the market has a carbon footprint attached to it. Vintage clothing makes your wardrobe sustainable and reduces the global footprint. 

3) Go for rental fashion

Another amazing way to make fashion more sustainable is the rental fashion. There are tons of unwanted clothes all across the world that are discarded by the owners. Make your wardrobe sustainable by sharing your wardrobe and reusing old discarded clothes. There are boutiques these days that let you rent clothes for a particular occasion and I think that is a brilliant attempt to make this industry more sustainable.

I have designer clothes that I have not worn more than once. It’s a waste of my money and energy. Renting out clothes saves you the money, energy and the storing space. Our condos are limited in size and there is no point hoarding stuff that has limited usage.

4) Do not season shop

One habit that all ladies possess is buying clothes according to the seasons. It’s good to buy clothes as per the season but some clothes have very limited usage. This goes against the norm of sustainable fashion.

For example, the autumn season in Delhi is for a few days. We transition to winters in no time. All my autumn wear/ full sleeves get redundant in usage. I no longer shop for this changing weather. Instead, I layer up my tshirts with a pullover when needed. It pains to see so many of my designer full sleeve t shirts go for a toss. Now they are all used under my jackets in winters. Another thought- why not buy clothes that you can wear all around the year? Example, t-shirts, classic dresses, jackets etc because these make sustainable wear. You can pair one or more items together to suit the weather need.

5) Plan your budget

Before buying a piece, ask yourself…..”Is it worth it?” If you think it is, go ahead! Another point to focus on is that spending a lot of money on a very fancy dress which you may not wear more than once or twice, should be out of the to-buy list. Instead, use the same amount of money to invest on more pairs of jeans or more pairs of other pieces which you are sure of wearing all around the year.  

6) Always prefer quality over quantity

In today’s fast fashion world, you will find a lot of brands or social media pages where you can purchase cheap stuff in an increased quantity. But stop there because it’s a trap! It is very commonly believed, “cheaper the items lesser the quality”, which is also true to an extent. Always invest in quality purchases even if it is a little pricey because it’s worth it. Extra money is for the planet.

Hope these tips helped you in realising the importance of sustainability and gave you ideas on contributing your bit to the fashion industry. Make small changes to get a big cumulative effect. Make your wardrobe more sustainable and planet friendly.

See you soon with another article! Do let me know your views on sustainability in the comments below. I would love to hear them.

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To help further, here are 10 Ways to Save Money + Dress Better. Happy reading!