Slow down, my friend, your wardrobe may be going too fast!

Alright, that was lame but it’s true!

Lockdown has guaranteed two things on social feeds: an endless stream of baked goods (yum!) and hauls! HAUL after HAUL after HAUL… With more time indoors and email marketing going full steam ahead, people, myself very much included, have seemingly found ourselves making more online purchases than ever before. Perhaps it’s to cope with the strange times or because we’ve got more time on our hands or rather it’s that we’re just plain bored! I get it – we can’t go out so instead we’ve opted for the ease of online shopping. I must say though marketers are working harder than Kris Jenner at the moment but I suppose they have to in order to keep their businesses afloat. However, I suppose my issue is with fast fashion brands having sale after sale and people willingly parting with their cash for clothes, which I’m not sure they even need, adding to the fast fashion cycle.

I, for one, am not partaking in the hauls or parting with my cash for another exclusive 80% off sale because I really – and I can’t stress this enough – really don’t want to. That isn’t because I can’t afford to fill my wardrobe with lovely shiny new clothes, because frankly lockdown has cut my expenses, I mean it’s probably the most money I’ve had for a while (for crying out loud Emma why did it take a pandemic for you to fix your finances! – I digress). I won’t partake because fast fashion is just plain B A D – and not the cool kinda bad.

I saw a fact on Instagram the other day which stated that there is currently enough clothing on the planet to clothe the next six generations – I actually can’t wrap my head around it. My great great great great grandchildren could be clothed just by what we’re producing right now – THAT IS CRAZY!

The planet is hugely affected by the trends that last all of six weeks; for fast fashion to come second to the oil industry as the world’s biggest polluter is shocking. We think of the oil industry as big, mean and nasty, but we’re very forgiving of the fashion industry and see it is as a necessity – we’ve found renewable energy and greener ways to keep us moving so why can’t we find alternatives to fast fashion?

Well, today I thought I would share small changes you can make to attain a much more ethical wardrobe. That’s not to say completely start over and bin your current wardrobe but instead keeping that wardrobe and making small changes now and in the future that the planet and your purse strings will appreciate.

Numero Uno: Shop Preloved / Charity Shops!

●        If you follow me on Instagram, you probably know that I love nothing more than a couple of hours in a charity shop, which has been sorely missed during lockdown. However, the wonderful world wide web guarantees I can still get preloved clothing! There are plenty of places to shop online to scratch your preloved clothing itch whilst supporting amazing charities such as Rewear Wolves, Re-Fashion, Oxfam, and Sense to name just a few! All of the listed companies sell preloved clothing for fantastic prices so your bank balance will thank you too.

Numero Dos: Shop Sustainable Brands!

●        If charity shops aren’t your thing, don’t worry they aren’t for everyone, but why don’t you try buying better quality items from brands that use sustainable or recycled materials. A great example for a higher price range is The People Tree, who care about the whole journey of their products from the quality their customers get to supporting the producer partners who make the clothing, ensuring they have economic independence. If, however, you’re working with a smaller budget, which I know I am during these unpredictable times, then why not try brands like ASOS and H&M? Yes they do subscribe to fast fashion in ways, but but but…each have their own environment-conscious ranges that use recycled materials, which during the items life cycle overall uses far less water than traditional ranges. ASOS also stock brands that are all for slow fashion, like Monki for example; they recycle wherever they can, plus they make it look really good too.

Numero Tres: Lost Stock!

●        Perhaps you want new items and to do good whilst you fill your wardrobe with lovely clothes? Well, Lost Stock are helping those in countries like Bangladesh that produce millions of items of clothing every year, who are struggling to cope during the Covid-19 pandemic. The clothing industry cancelled over $2 million USD worth of already fulfilled clothing orders due to Covid-19 leaving workers unpaid during a global crisis. Lost Stock will create a box of clothes that otherwise would’ve been sent to landfill for 50% off RRP. All you have to do is answer a few style questions as well as give your sizes, and that’s it – you help people who have been hit the hardest. Not only are you helping people feed their families, you are preventing millions of items being sent to landfill without ever seeing the light of day. Check out the Lost Stock Instagram to see even more of the amazing things they’re doing, plus they’ve even got some style inspiration!

Numero Cuatro: Shop Your Own Wardrobe!

●        I got this idea from @styledby.chloe on Instagram. Essentially, she is rewearing and restyling her own wardrobe – I know, easy right! Chloe is taking the things that have had less love and less wear recently and is restyling them! It’s important we wear the stuff in our wardrobes as much as possible, if it’s truly in an unfit-to-wear state then I get it, but maybe wear or style something as many ways as possible. If usually you tuck your band tee into jeans, why not wear it under a silk slip dress? It might make you fall in love with that band tee all over again. The possibilities are endless with a wardrobe you already own!

Sites are making it so much easier to shop with them: the sales entice us, and the ease convinces us we definitely need that slogan tee to complete the collection of eight or nine we already have. What I’m saying is, as I write this piece in bed whilst wearing a secondhand t-shirt, just consider your next splurge. Perhaps instead of scrolling on PLT you could check out my pals over at Rewear Wolves where you can use my discount code “Emma10” for 10% off or the good folk at ASOS – let’s look after our planet, the people that are on it and the wardrobes we create! (Disclaimer: I do receive £1 every time the code “Emma10” is used – thank you for helping keep me afloat.)

I hope this post has been helpful , let me know on Instagram if you’ve got any other suggestions of how we can all shop a little smarter. Think of me as the police officer on the side of the road with the speed gun, I’m here to keep you and your wardrobe protected…oh and the big blue thing we live on too – saving that would be amazing!