Small ways you can make your wardrobe more ethical.

Earlier this summer Barnado’s released a study that estimated Brits will spend £800 million on outfits for a summer wedding that they’ll only wear once. They also calculated that this summer we bought more than 50 million items of clothing that we’ll only wear once. No wonder the fashion industry is responsible for 20% of the global waste water and 10% of global carbon emissions according to the UN.

So what can you do –

1. Love your clothes like the best friends they are and mend them or if that’s not your thing, take them to your local tailor when in need of some TLC. Dry cleaners do it for as little as £5.

2. Wash them less and at 30 degrees. Air dry clothes instead of washing them after each wear and use eco washing powder.

3. When clearing out your wardrobe, don’t throw away but take them to a charity shop, recycle or organise a swish clothes-swapping party. But most importantly, mindful of your mistakes. Why doesn’t that garment get a place in your wardrobe? Is there a jacket you only wore once because you realised it wasn’t really your style or a blouse that you always knew was never a good colour for you? Or maybe a jumper that was really itchy? Learn from these mistakes so you don’t make them again.

4. When considering any new purchase ask yourself – why do I want it? Do I need it? One positive reason for buying something new is if it really helps you develop your sense of style confidence and self image. But if not, perhaps you’d be better spending that money going to the gym or meeting up with a friend for coffee?

5. If you do need to buy new, buy less but well. Save up for something that will still look great in 5 years and that can be worn from season to season.

6. Before making a purchase, consider the impact on the environment. The largest impact of a piece of clothing is made at the production stages. Reducing the amount of new clothes you buy can have a significant effect on your personal fashion footprint. For the same reason, always try to buy second hand or pre loved where possible.

7. Change your habits, stop following influencers who are paid to push products and unsubscribe from mailing lists of fast fashion brands that are trying to tempt you all the time with must have purchases.

8. Borrow fancy clothes from friends, those pieces none of us wear very often. In life, there are many occasions where we want to wear something special and we might not wear it many times over. That’s where sharing clothes can help minimise consumption, not to mention save money.

Keeping our clothes in use for even nine months more will reduce the annual carbon, water and waste footprints of UK clothing by a massive 20-30%.

If you need any help making your wardrobe more ethical then give me a call!