Beginners Guide to a Conscious Closet
The choices you make as an ethical consumer matter. Owning a conscious closet means implementing small yet sustainable practices in how you shop, upkeep your clothes and discard unwanted garments. By making some of the choices below, you can advocate for a world that promotes sustainable fashion.
Shop Consciously
When looking at your next potential wardrobe addition, ask yourself: “How often will I wear this?”, “What can I wear it with?”, and “Can I wear this next season?”. The newest trends, fast fashion, and retail sale indulgences feel good temporarily, but create a lasting addition to the millions of tons of global textile waste generated each year. The excitement of novelty wears off quickly, and you’ll soon be faced with a closet half filled with items you don’t wear, or even like. If you can’t wear it at least 30 times, keep looking. Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.
Another key element to consider is the environmental and social impact of the brands you shop from. The number of brands and designers that create entire collections from recycled fabrics, scrap materials, and natural textiles is increasing regularly, many of which provide affordable prices without compromising the quality of clothing.
When responsibly shopping, always check the item quality and materials. Scan the garment for loose or uneven stitching, holes, or stains, and reference material tags for natural fibers. Fabrics like Linen, Organic Cotton, Silk, Wool, and Cashmere are more durable, better for your skin, and easily compostable. However, not all natural garments are the same. Pieces that blend natural and synthetic fabrics are notoriously difficult to repurpose, so it’s best to shop for a shorter fiber content list. Choose “100% organic cotton”, over “60% cotton / 40% polyester” to keep the recycling process quick and productive.
2. Care For Your Garments
Clothing care matters. When washing, follow the garments’ specific care label instructions to ensure it gets what it needs. Prolong the lifespan of your items by handwashing and air-drying, and if you choose to machine wash, opt for cold or low-temperature water. We all have that one garment that’s missing a button or has a tear in the sleeve. Instead of tossing it, purchase up a basic sewing kit at your local pharmacy or dollar store, and mend it by hand.
Save the life of your favorite top, and learn a new skill in the process! If you’re not comfortable with a needle and thread, call your local dry cleaners and inquire about mending – it’s usually cheaper than you’d expect. Stains happen but can be avoided. The next time you spill some wine or splatter a little oil, choose to rinse and hand wash the area immediately with a drop of dish soap or laundry detergent and warm water. You might have to change your outfit for the night, but you can continue wearing the item for a lifetime.
3. Make A Retirement Plan For Old Clothes
When the lifespan of your clothes comes to an end, make sure you have their next destination planned out. The worst thing you could do is to throw them in the garbage. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimated that American landfills received 11.3 million tons of Municipal Solid Waste textiles in 2018. This was 7.7 percent of all waste landfilled.
By informing others about the impact of textile waste, we can all take steps to make a difference. Clearing out your closet without contributing to this number is possible, and we’ve listed just a few ways to do so in our “Clothing Retirement” post.
