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Deciding you no longer want to fund the fast fashion industry is one thing, but actually finding a whole new way of keeping your wardrobe up to date is a whole different story.
Here are some of the best ways to continue switching up your style favourites, without providing money to the worst parts of the fashion industry.
Shopping with independent retailers is a great place to start. Places like Ebay, Etsy and Depop often have a mixture of vintage, preloved and brand new items for sale, all without you directly paying any of the unethical places they originally came from.
Exploring the route of buying second hand and vintage items is also a great way to go. It has the downside of being more unpredictable than making new purchases, and it can take a long time if you’re looking for specific items, but can also be a lot of fun, and can surprise you with some really unique and one of a kind items.
These options also have the upside of often being more affordable, depending on the type of vintage items you’re going for.
If you prefer to be the first person to own your clothes, there are a few paths to explore.
The first is retailers stocking exclusively ethically made and sourced clothing, such as Lucy and Yak. These can be difficult to find, and since everyone involved in the creation of any items is being paid fairly, they can also understandably be a little pricier.
Option two is shopping at the sustainable ranges available in high street stores, such as H&M, and more recently, Asda.
This comes with a new set of issues, such as the controversial topic of greenwashing, and its difficult to ascertain exactly how sustainable all of these ranges really are, but its certainly better than buying exclusively from fast fashion outlets.
Finally, it may sound a little absurd, but you could always try making your own clothes.
It’s not overly common these days, but there was a time when a lot of people made their own clothes, and its not entirely unheard of today.
Although few people have an entirely hand made wardrobe, its not impossibly given how accessible learning the required skills has become, with youtube and a plethora of blogs ready to teach you anything you want to know.
However you choose to lessen your contribution to fast fashion distributors, the important thing is making changes that positively impact both yourself, and the planet.