The fashion Industry hides many truths. And before you say that you aren’t a part of this industry, let me tell you, we all are. We buy these clothes as a customer and hence automatically become the biggest stakeholder this industry is trying to please. These facts don’t impact us directly unless we have to crank up that car window when we cross a landfill or pay a few extra bills for the raised oil prices (synthetic fabrics require oil by the way).
Sustainable fashion, the alternative to fast fashion, is clothing, shoes, and other accessories that are manufactured, marketed, and used in the most sustainable manner possible, taking into account its environmental and social impact. In this article, we present to you 5 ways that will help you make the switch to Sustainable Fashion.
DISCLAIMER: This might look like quite a big read, especially if you are on the phone. If you arrived here just because you were curious about what this article is and don’t feel like reading the entire thing because there aren’t pretty (more like any) pictures, just read the headings 2 to 5 as a crash course. If you can spare the time though, we'll love to have you for the entire read...
1. Self-tested One month technique
I added this right at the beginning because it sure does help, but only if you are willing to blindly follow it. I learned this technique from a person who lives and promotes a zero-waste lifestyle and made my own extension to it. Imagine you went to a shop (in person or virtually) and wanted to buy this really pretty piece of clothing that you saw there. Ask yourself, “do I really need it?” Well, you are probably gonna say a yes at that point, so do not buy it. Take out your phone instead and set a reminder, one month from that day, describing this piece of clothing and the shop or website you found it on. Now walkout (or exit the app).
A month later you are gonna get this reminder. Think about the past month and how many times you actually thought about that dress described in the reminder. Most of the time it will be few or none. If it's more than 5 times, immediately go buy it (this is considering that it wasn’t an item on sale or if it was, the sale is still on). If it’s few or, even better, none, then you will know for yourself how ‘badly’ you wanted that dress. Forget it and move on.
2. Maintain your clothes
‘Ethical and sustainable brands are a bit on the expensive side’, that I completely agree with. Think about that expensive dress in your wardrobe. I’m sure all of us have at least one. Think about how carefully it has been stored in the cupboard or how lovingly it was washed before it was put there. Why can’t we do that for all our clothes? No one's asking you to dry clean all of them, just take that extra care to avoid spilling anything on it and fold it neatly. We generally tend to avoid these because A) it's quarantine and no one cares and B) they're nightclothes anyway. This mentality is not only bad for your clothes but also for you in the long run because you end up spending much more on just your clothes.
3. Donate your clothes
That is an easy way out, isn’t it? Just donate the clothes you don’t want and go buy new ones. But that is not what we are saying. You should first try to maximize the number of times you wear an item of clothing and then donate it. (For context, did you know that on average most people wear their clothes only 4 times before discarding them!) Before donating anything its only common decency to check whether what you are giving away is torn or even usable. If you have taken care of the clothes well, this should not be an issue at all. If you are wondering where you should go and donate, I had the exact same question. Hence, I literally searched up ‘Where can I drop off clothes to donate’ and got my answer.
4. Buy smart
Buy clothes that can be used in all seasons and only those that are really necessary. We tend to buy different clothes for different seasons, that mini floral jumpsuit for summer and that waterproof navy blue jacket for the monsoon. Now, you can’t use that jumpsuit in winter, but if you had bought a plain tee instead you could have worn it under those heavy layers as well. As for that expensive jacket, you could have carried an umbrella or used a raincoat, but that wouldn’t have been so ‘cool’, would it? Buying trans-seasonal clothing will not only help reduce fashion waste but also free up some of your closet space. Think about how many times you bought something that 1. you really needed, 2. wasn’t because the mannequin looked good in it and 3. wasn’t similar to something you already own? I’m pretty sure those were very few times, if they weren’t, you wouldn’t be reading this article for tips.
5. Give yourself some leeway
After all that (^), this is the last point? Yes, it is. Because it is crucial. Like in a strict diet or a hardcore training program, how there is always that cheat day or that well-deserved relaxation time, this is kind of like that. Metamorphosis is a slow process, as we mentioned in our description for indi.living. You can’t suddenly decide to jump and make the switch to sustainable fashion. With these little leeways, you can take it slow and make yourself like the process instead, which over time will reduce your cheat days. So, go ahead and buy that pretty dress or uggs that you badly wanted. But, make sure to not make it a habit.
Yes, so you read the article. Maybe fully or maybe you skimmed through it to reach the bottom quickly, who knows. If you fall in the second category, I hope you have read the titles for tips 2 to 5 as I mentioned in the disclaimer, because that’s all you have to do honestly. If you fall in the first, congratulations because you got to learn the most effective tip which is point number one, and hopefully have a little more incentive ‘to make the switch’. Now to tie up the last loose end, we also researched our Top 10 ethical and ethnic fashion brands in India for you.
Before you leave, let me remind you again that these problems are real. People are hungry, natural resources are depleting and the earth is tired of being our trashcan. As cliche as it sounds, YOU CAN MAKE THE CHANGE. Lauren Singer in her TED Talk said, “I want to be remembered for the things that I did while I was on this planet, and not for the trash that I left behind”.
Happy informed living!!!
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