Shop your Closet: Building a Sustainable Wardrobe with What You Currently Have

A mindset shift starts with what feels good, sustainable and ethical to you.  In a previous blog post, I spoke about the mindset shift that enables you to make conscious decisions to support a sustainable business.

Now, this doesn’t just apply to how you should empower them, it applies to empowering you, too!  By making conscious decisions about what you wear, how you wear it and how it makes you feel. This is a form of empowerment in itself.

So, why not begin by shopping in your closet?  It may feel like taking the first that step towards a sustainable future is the start of an expensive journey.  However, it doesn’t have to be. When you start to make that switch to a sustainable life that will empower you for generations to come then you need to start with what you have and move on from there. 

Read on for a few tips on how you can turn your closet into your very own ethical boutique that everyone would want to shop at:

• Declutter  and reorganize 

Are you staring at your closet that is filled to the brim and thinking: “how do I even start?”  Well, start by making two piles; one to donate and one to keep.  When deciding on each item, think about the environmental impact, the quality of the garment, how confident you feel in it and whether or not it can be fixed. 

• Mend and care for what you already have

In your pile, there are probably tons of clothing that you love that needs to be fixed or reused.  Take a needle and thread and start stitching!  You will become more aware of the process of where your clothes came from and how they are made.

Buying durable clothing can be costly and that is why it is important that we take care of what we already have. Wash them in cold water and leave them out to dry, store them properly while folding at the seams and take care of stains immediately.

• Spend more, buy less

And if you end up with nothing in your “things-to-keep pile” then invest in sustainable businesses. 

“Fast fashion” is just that; fast. It gets made at a fast rate, it breaks at a fast rate and we get rid of it at an even faster rate.  How is that sustainable living if you are going to repeat that cycle every month? 

Break the cycle by doing your homework.  Choose ethical brands that have the principles of sustainability at their core.  This can easily be done by reading up and doing some research on brands that you plan to spend on. Ideally, you would choose ethical brands that create durable, quality garments that you can proudly wear for years to come.  Teach yourself how to be more selective as well as how to spot ethical brands that are all about sustainability. 

It is not ethical to buy clothing that you are going to have to replace in a few months.  Choose quality over quantity. So, instead of buying six cheaply made scarves, buy one scarf that will last you for six years. 

What are some of the most ethical brands that you support?