So, you wanna get into sustainable fashion? Let’s get into it.
I first heard about how sucky fashion can be for the planet and people on the 2015 documentary The True Cost.
As a teen who spent her weekends and school-day afternoons surfing 2010s fashion blogs and wandering through any given Inditex-owned shop, learning about it made me feel icky about my shopping habits.
It also left me feeling powerless because what could I do about with my newly found and scary knowledge? What was the next step? Back then, sustainable fashion wasn’t a mainstream conversation and I was a broke college student. I couldn’t just buy a pair of vegan shoes from Stella McCartney or a responsibly-made coat from Filippa K.
The price tags on ethical brands felt wildly out of reach and I was frustrated because I kept learning about the problems but felt like the alternatives were out of reach for me – and for most consumers for that matter.
Then I started using this blog and social media to talk about sustainability and fashion (and to learn from many other people who were the same journey). I learned that there are more accessible ways to approach sustainable fashion. You can thrift, you can mend, you can swap, you can reimagine what you already own. Sustainable fashion isn’t just about buying new — it’s about shifting the mindset.
Read more: Where Can I Find Eco-Friendly Clothes? 7 Forms of Sustainable Fashion
In the process, I found a lot of answers… and I stumbled upon a truckload of questions. But what I did learn is that sustainable fashion, like anything we do in life, doesn’t have to be perfect and it certainly doesn’t have to happen overnight.
So if you’re in that confusing and frustrating spot I was in a few years back, ready to change the way you dress and shop but not sure where to begin, this one’s for you. I’m happy you’re here.
Keep reading for:
- A breakdown of key sustainability concepts in fashion
- Practical tips to kickstart your journey: from decluttering sustainably to redefining your style and shopping responsibly
- My favorite places to find second-hand gems online
- A list of resources to keep learning and growing
Understanding sustainable fashion: key concepts
Before diving into tips and tricks, it helps to have a good grasp of what sustainability in fashion really means. The term “sustainable fashion” gets thrown around a lot, but it’s not always clear what it involves.
Here are some of the main concepts you’ll come across on your journey:
- Slow fashion: In the most self-explanatory way, this is the opposite of fast fashion. It prioritizes quality over quantity, with a focus on well-made garments that are timeless and durable. Slow fashion brands often use eco-friendly materials, ethical labor, and mindful business models and practices.
- Circular fashion: This is about keeping clothes and materials in use for as long as possible. Circular fashion involves things like repairing, reselling, repurposing or recycling clothing so that nothing goes to waste. The idea is to create a closed loop, reducing the need for new resources.
- Upcycling/Downcycling: Upcycling refers to repurposing old or worn-out clothes into something of the same higher quality or value (like turning a pair of jeans into a bag). Downcycling, on the other hand, involves turning used clothes into lower-quality items (like shredding fabric for insulation material).
- Ethical fashion: This focuses on the people behind your clothes. Ethical fashion brands ensure that workers are treated fairly, paid a living wage, and work in safe conditions. Transparency in the supply chain is key here.
- Conscious consumption: This is the idea of being mindful of your purchasing decisions. It means buying less, choosing better quality, and considering the environmental and social impact of each item you bring into your wardrobe. That being said, this topic is a can of worms – can consumption be conscious in an unethical system? A topic for another day, bestie.
This is just the tip of the iceberg. Go over to our Glossary to dive deeper 
4 steps to kickstart your sustainable fashion journey
Now that we have the basics down, let’s take some steps:
1. Start by decluttering (but do it sustainably, pretty please)
Decluttering is a great way to clear space, both mentally and physically, before you start building a more intentional wardrobe. But before you start tossing out old clothes, consider how you can declutter sustainably:
- Sell or donate: For clothes that are still in good condition, try selling them on platforms like Poshmark, Vinted, Vestiaire Collective or Depop. You can also donate them to local shelters or second-hand stores.
- Repurpose or repair: Is there a beloved piece you can’t bear to part with, but it’s a little worse for wear? Get creative and find ways to repurpose it, or try your hand at basic repairs.
- Recycle: For items that are too worn out to donate, look for textile recycling programs in your area. Some brands and retailers, like H&M and The North Face, offer in-store recycling bins where you can drop off old clothes.
Be warned that some of these take back schemes have been unveiled in recent years for being greenwashy – if you want to learn more, that’s something I talk about on Substack! - Downgrade your clothes: You can downgrade your old, unsalvageable clothes into rags to clean around the house, for example. You can also turn them into pet toys or get creative in your own way.
- Use textile bins: As a last resort, if you really need to get rid of clothes that don’t have any other solution, find your closest textile recycling bin to dispose of your pieces.
2. Rethink your relationship with fashion
Sustainable fashion isn’t just about making better shopping choices — it’s about redefining your relationship with clothes. Ask yourself:
- What do I really need? Before buying something, take stock of your existing wardrobe. Do I really need another pair of black boots? Are the ones staring at me from the checkout at the other side of the screen really that different from the ones already in my wardrobe? Sometimes the answer will be “yes”, the tricky thing is learning how to stay firm when it should be “no”.
- What’s my personal style? Instead of chasing trends, focus on building a wardrobe that reflects your personal style. Timeless pieces will last longer and feel more ‘like me’ than a closet full of Tik-Toky fast fashion fads.
Read more: What Is Slow Fashion and How It Can Change Your Life
3. Buy less, choose well, make it last
Vivienne Westwood’s famous motto — “Buy less, choose well, make it last” — is as relevant as ever in sustainable fashion. Here’s how to put it into practice:
- Quality over quantity: Invest in high-quality pieces that will stand the test of time, both in terms of style and durability. Look for natural, eco-friendly fabrics like organic cotton, linen or recycled materials, and build your dream capsule wardrobe.
- Second-hand first: Thrifting is one of the most sustainable ways to shop. It keeps clothes out of landfills and gives garments a second life. Plus, you can often find unique pieces at a fraction of the cost.
- Support sustainable brands: If you do decide to buy new, look for brands that prioritize sustainability, transparency, and ethical practices. Some of my favorites include Patagonia, Reformation, and Everlane.
Read more: Where Can I Find Eco-Friendly Clothes? 7 Forms of Sustainable Fashion
4. Promote circularity and spread the word
Clothing swaps are a fantastic way to refresh your wardrobe without spending a dime or contributing to the demand for new clothes. Whether it’s with friends or through a local swap event, trading clothes is a fun and sustainable way to keep your style fresh.
Read more: Circular Fashion: the What, the Why and the How
My favorite places to find sustainable fashion online
Now that you’ve got the mindset, it’s time to explore the best places to shop. Whether you’re looking for second-hand steals or ethically made treasures.
Below, rapid fire of some of my go-to marketplaces – a small selection of some of my favorite brands can be also found here.
Second hand platforms
For the largest selection and every-day clothes:
For brand names, vintage gems and second-hand luxury:
- Vestiaire Collective – where I found the Reformation dress I wore at my civil wedding, thank you very much
- The RealReal
Sustainable fashion marketplaces
- Best Secret: outlet selling unsold stock from previous seasons. Disclaimer: BestSecret doesn’t exclusively sell products from sustainable brands, but I’m including it in this list as a better alternative to what has been known to happen to unsold stock.
- Otrium: other platform selling unsold stock from many brands. Same disclaimer as above applies.
- our Common Place: a personal favorite, it let’s you filter brands and products by value (e.g. woman-owned, sustainable, ethical,…).
- Etsy: go-to place for hand-made and artisan products. Just be careful, a lot of dropshipping happening in it lately.
- Reve en Vert: in the best way possible, the entire shop feels like the dream experience curated by the Scandi girlies, the perfect place for elevated sustainable basics.
- DoneGood: fashion is only a small part of their product offer, but it’s definitelly an amazing place where you can filter products and brands by values and sustainability features.
Resources to keep learning
Sustainability in fashion is a constantly evolving field, and there’s always more to learn. Here are a few of my favorite resources to help you stay informed.
Books
- Loved Clothes Last by Orsola de Castro
- How to Break Up with Fast Fashion by Lauren Bravo
- Fashionpolis: the price of fast fashion and the future of clothes by Dana Thomas
More book recommendations here!
Instagram and TikTok
- Sustainable Fashion Forum: the go-to place for news from the world of sustainable fashion with a businessy twist.
- Acteevism: Megan has this series where she tracks how many times she wears the clothes in her closet. I love a good Excel sheet, and when it’s about susty fashion — OMG.
- Climate Diva: Summer makes sustainable fashion and climate justice so engaging through her kind and witty tone and her aesthetics. She’s giving forest fairy and I’m obsessed.
Substacks and Newsletters
- Sustainable Baddie: this is one of the first Substacks I got hooked on and I can’t tell you how much I’m enjoying their well-researched and easy to read pieces.
- Sustainability Pulse by Vera Lovici: I love her takes on consumer culture. 10/10.
- Green Behavior: this one is more on the business side of things, but I 100% recommend it if you’re curious about consumer behavior when it comes to fashion and sustainability.
The post Sustainable Fashion Guide: Where to Start Your Slow Fashion Journey appeared first on Pretty Green Lily.
