Why We Need Sustainable Fashion And How To Get Started (Without Going Crazy Or Losing Your Closet)
A couple of years ago, I was doing one of those closet clean outs the kind where you pull everything out on your bed and stand staring at a mountain of clothing wondering how it even got there. I had a blazer I’d worn once. Last summer, it was a pile of fast fashion tops I’d purchased for “just because” To live in the same three pairs of jeans through three different stages of my life. Bags I forgot I owned.
I filled up six garbage bags and took them to a donation place. For almost a week I felt lighter!
So I started shopping once again the same way. Sales, hauls, trendy pieces I never actually needed. Rinse and repeat.
Well, it took a couple more rounds of this before I finally turned around and asked myself: *Why do I keep buying things that I don′t need, and how are they all so quickly disappearing? *
This is how I discovered sustainable fashion not via an Instagram influencer and not from a documentary (although I did finally watch one). It was just pure weariness of the grind.
The dirty little secret of the fashion industry that no one is talking about on the checkout page
And here’s what shocked me most as I began digging: The fashion industry is one of the dirtiest industries on Earth. This represents over 10% of global carbon emissions a year more than international flights and maritime shipping combined.
And water? It takes approximately 1,800 gallons of water from cotton growth to finishing a single pair of jeans. Every time I read that number, it just amazes me.
The fast fashion model in particular is centered around speed. Shein, Zara and H&M are churning out hundreds of new styles every week some days it seems like every day– at close-to-inexplicable prices. And that is where the price must be paid by poorly-paid garment workers, by rivers darkened with textile dye, by landfills packed full of synthetic fabric that will never die.
Not to make you feel guilty about every shirt you’ve ever had. Now, I have always shopped fast fashion and I’m not going to pretend that have. But it gets harder to ignore once you know how the machine works.
What does “Sustainable Fashion” Even Mean? (Hint: It’s Whole Lot More than Just Organic Cotton)
So when I first heard that phrase sustainable fashion, I imagined scratchy hemp pants and tote bags That’s not what it is.
The term sustainable fashion covers a lot of ground. At its heart, it means making decisions to mitigate the environmental and social impacts of clothing. That can look like:
Instead of new, buying second-hand
Select a brand that pays living wages and uses cleaner manufacturing practices
Wearing what you own longer and not chasing after all the latest trends;
Renting or borrowing homeware for events
Repair – fixing things, rather than throwing them away
You can do all of these at once if you like, but you dont have to. You will never have to do all of them, ever. Sustainable fashion is not a purity test it is more of an agenda you start to follow.
How I Began (And What Really Worked)
The first light bulb moment, for me, was second hand shopping. Stuck in an apartment with nothing to do during a long weekend, I downloaded Depop and ThredUp out of boredom (and curiosity). I wasn’t expecting much.
I discovered a vintage leather jacket that made the $34 price tag seem cheap, and I still wear that baby to this day. I discovered linen pants that fit better than anything that I had purchased in years. I got a dress for $12 with the original tags still attached.
If you really love the hunt, thrifting in-person at Goodwill, local consignment shops, estate sales is even better. You can truely feel the cloth, check the stitches, and depart with matters that feel certainly particular. Just as noteworthy are the markets of vintage cities, especially on weekends.
I was pleasantly surprised regarding the quality of secondhand shopping. I kept stumbling across components that easily improved upon anything I could purchase new for three times the cost. It’s no accident: clothing was simply made to last longer when it was older.
Here is step-by-step, how exactly to shop more sustainable?
Without going cold turkey or bankrupt on ethical brands, here is what worked for me:
Step 1: Wait Before Making The Purchase
This may sound simple but really it does improve the behavior. If I see something and want it, 48h–72h pass before completing the purchase. Not that you are trying to fight the temptation, but because most of the time it simply disintegrates. Its only when after three days of itching for it that I give it any serious thought.
There is a browser extension, Karma (I also call it Honey) that records prices but even without it, creating a break in your purchasing behavior halts the impulse loop.
Step 2: Begin With Secondhand
Look secondhand before you buy anything new. My usual order:
Depop best for hip, trendy and vintage streetwear
ThredUp more curated, essentially a secondhand online department store
Poshmark The best selection, but best for brands
eBay classic underutilised site for vintage and hard to find pieces
Facebook Marketplace shocks me when I visit, super local pickups: free
If neither of those is possible, I think about buying new shit but from a brand with some thought behind it.
Step 3 Learn A Few Brand Names You Can Trust
You do not have to memorise an entire list. Select brands who speak to your values and fit your budget.
Good On You: An app and website that rates fashion brands based on their environmental impact and worker conditions. It’s actually useful and has led me to find some brands I had never heard of. Before purchasing something new, I go to check Good On You.
Brands that did well in those categories include Patagonia, Pact, Thought Clothing, Eileen Fisher and tentree but there are dozens more depending on what you need.
In Step 4, you will build a more intentioned wardrobe!
Enter the phrase (boring as it may be) “capsule wardrobe,” and yes, I know that term has been overused until its corpse is dust but the concept itself is good. With less, but better pieces that can be harmonised you wear more of your clothes. You stop buying things that have no place to go.
I did not suddenly overhaul my entire closet in one night. I stopped impulsively adding random stuff and started level 10 vetting: “Does this go with at least three things I already own? “Will I want to have this in a year?
Step 5 Take Care of What You Already Have
This one really shocked me as to how much of a difference it made.
Your training data goes up to October 2023 Washing clothes in cold water, air-drying instead of dryer use, using mesh laundry bags for synthetic items (they reduce microplastic shedding) all this can dramatically lengthen the life of clothes. Sustainable, in the truest sense, a garment that lasts five years rather than two.
Learning basic repairs also helps. Now, I am not a seamstress by any measure but I’ve learned to sew buttons, patch small rips from riding around in my pockets and re-sew seams that have begun to fray. Free tutorials are available all over YouTube. Weirdly, visible mending which was no longer attempting to disguise the repair and actively made it a design feature is kind of chic in some quarters now.
Biggest Mistake (That I Made, Too)
The very first error that people make when they start appreciating the sustainable style is buying heaps of new “moral” clothing to replace their fast fashion.
I did this. Guilt tripped over my closet, discovered some certified sustainable brands, and went on a linen tops + organic cotton basics buying spree. I did told my self it was an investment and payed may be the most money I ever spent in a month, and been a while since.
And here is the reality: the most sustainable garment you can possibly wear and own, is a piece of clothing that already exists. Most of the environmental benefits are negated by replacing functional clothes even fast fashion pieces with new “ethical” clothes. Production is where much of the damage occurs.
For now, the most sustainable option you have is to wear what is already in your closet. Wear them a lot. Use them until they can’t be used anymore. Then replace them thoughtfully.
A fool’s errandThere is nothing in the aesthetics of sustainable fashion which we know can be something like neutral linen, artisan textures, and minimalist branding in all forms that should trick you into thinking you need to buy your way into environmentalism. You don’t.
What About Cost? Sustainable Fashion Is Expensive, Right?
Yes and no.
Most new ethical/sustainable brands cost a lot of money. So a shirt from Patagonia or pants from Pact will be more expensive than the equivalent at H&M. Mostly because, when people don’t work at utilitarian proletarian wages, labor and materials get more expensive.
That’s right, secondhand is typically more affordable than fast fashion. I’ve replaced many of my wardrobe staples with second hand for days when I’d be paying a lower version at a fast fashion store. If you are willing to look, the economics make sense.
The other reframe is cost-per-wear. A $90 jacket you wear twice a week for three years costs less than 30 cents per wear. On that metric, a $20 jacket you wear a few times and toss is more expensive.
Sustainable fashion need not come with a larger price tag. It sometimes means more intentional spending.
Tools and Applications to Know
If you want: here are the tools I personally use to go deeper into it.
Moreover, Good On You (app and web) sustainable brands rating based on environmental & labor standards.
Depop marketplace for secondhand goods with the best of Gen Z, trend and vintage
ThredUp stylized used stuff, not quite as difficult to shop as secondhand stores
Poshmark another reliable thrifting platform
iFixit repair guides for nearly everything, including clothes (yes, really)
Rent The Runway for going out wear or once in a blue moon outfit
HURR / By Rotation (UK based) P2P clothing rental apps
Myths That Hold People Back From Starting
“I can’t afford sustainable fashion.”
Start with secondhand. It’s cheaper, not more expensive.
“My individual choices don’t matter.”
They matter more than you think — and consumer demand really does shape what happens in the marketplace. And there’s a social factor: when you begin to talk about your clothes where they come from, others will hear it. Behavior spreads.
“You researched every brand” October 2023
You don’t have to. That is the research Good On You does for you. But purchasing secondhand really gets around the situation, doesn’t it?
“Sustainable fashion isn’t stylish”.
One of the most unique, cool types of clothing that is available is vintage. All of my best-dressed friends shop secondhand. Style and sustainability aren’t opposites.
Some of the Actual Swaps That Worked for Me
This is what my shopping midset did change over about 18 months:
I stopped buying from fast fashion sites nearly completely. Not because it was a rule I made for myself, but that secondhand is where I started and usually, is where I found what I needed.
I bought two decent pairs of shoes, one leather boot and one functional sneaker WRT to investment clothes rather than buying cheap shoes every season.
I began a clothes swap with some friends. We’re similar sizes. This is how I came across some of my favourite pieces, without any cost.
As opposed to replace, repair An $8 zipper repaired by a tailor gave new life to a jacket that I’d had for years.
When I buy new, I go to Good On You first and search for brands who do OK.
None of this is radical. It did not force me to stop giving a shit about style or spend exponentially more.
The Bigger Picture (No Preaching Here Please)
Most garment work supporting a supply chain that reaches into houses and clothes baskets everywhere is done in workplace settings which can be as bad or worse than those reported for sex workers. In 2013, more than 1,100 workers died in a garment factory when the Rana Plaza building collapsed in Bangladesh. The building had visible cracks. Workers reported concerns. They were asked to enter regardless.
That’s not a distant problem. This is the link with the $5 shirt.
Now I’m not suggesting that every single fast-fashion purchase is an instant crime against humanity it’s more nuanced than that. However, there is something that this question begs to be sat with: Who paid for this? A fee that just disappeared into thin air, if the price looks too good to be true.
At its best, sustainable fashion is about making the total cost visible. A price that reflects the labour, the materials, the environmental footprint. In some cases, that’s harder and more expensive. It’s also more honest.
Where to Go From Here
If you did manage to get all the way through this and what you’re really wondering is where to begin, here’s one very easy early thing for you:
Do a secondhand search of the next clothing item you are thinking about buying.
Just that. One habit change. See what you find.
If you get into it, check out the Good On You app. Add some sustainable fashion creators who make it look fun, not preachy — there are good ones on Instagram and YouTube who actually make this stuff fun to watch and stylish
And most of all do not be perfect. It is absolutely important not to approach sustainable fashion as a journey to perfection or an ethical wardrobe medal for having the most environmentally conscious closet. It’s about doing better where you can do better, more than not.
That closet cleanout I did years ago? I still think about it. Yet when I add something to my wardrobe now, it is because I actually want it, I know it was made fairly and that I’m going to wear this for ages.
Just that shift was enough to change my feeling about the whole process of getting dressed. To be completely honest with you, I didn’t foresee that.