Sustainable Shopping Tips
Fall is finally here! For some at least, where I live fall doesn’t arrive until late November :’). But for most people out there fall is coming in full force! The leaves are changing, the weather is getting chilly, and Starbucks finally brought back the pumpkin spice latte! As summer comes to an end and fall envelops our world it got me thinking, every time the seasons change it feels like a fresh start. We change our hair and our style, and we have new goals for the season.
Personally, my new goal is to be more sustainable with my shopping, especially clothes. I’m not a huge fan of supporting big corporations when it comes to shopping, I mostly buy from them because I’m broke and I truly cannot afford slow and sustainable fashion. I hate contributing to the problem fast fashion creates for our planet. But I have a cousin who owns a small business and I’ve learned a few sustainability tips, not just for fashion but a lot of other things too. :)
BUY TIMELESS CLOTHING
In today’s society trends disappear as quickly as they appear. One week everyone wants to dress like Malibu Barbie and the next week everyone wants to dress like a punk rock star, I’m all about individuality and personal style. Some people have been punk since the ’80s and their style hasn’t changed much throughout the years, there have been hippies since the ’60s and are still hippies now and not much has changed when it comes to their style either. Of course, who can forget classy fashion, this high-class style that’s filled with outfits that Audrey Hepburn would still wear today, it’s elegant and very beautiful and makes you feel wealthy. Fashion is always changing of course and there will always be something new and out of the box you’d like to try, but fast fashion has been negatively affecting our planet and us as a society. We are too engulfed in the concept of always being on-trend and it’s hurting our self-esteem. Try and find a timeless personal style that will last 50 years, that way you won’t have to spend money every season on something new and you won’t be contributing to harmful corporations that are responsible for the way fast fashion harms our planet.
SAVE AND BUY SLOW FASHION
Let’s be real, slow fashion is expensive. A crochet top can be $5 at a fast-fashion store and that same top can cost $30 from a slow-fashion designer. The reason for this is that these designers take extra time and care making these garments, and not only that the garment is catered to you. Which means it will fit you like a glove. Sometimes people truly cannot afford slow fashion, and that’s okay. Those circumstances are different and can be looked over. However, say you are well off. I certainly am. I’m not rich, but I can certainly afford a $30 top from a small business. Sure I won’t be able to buy as many clothes but I don’t need a lot of clothes, I just need one crochet top. If I can’t afford a nice dress from a slow fashion designer I will likely save money for this nice dress. It would be a good investment, it would fit me perfectly and I’m not further contributing to the problem that fast fashion creates. Speaking of slow fashion and crochet tops, my cousin is a slow fashion designer and has some of the most creative and beautiful crochet pieces for amazing prices, I mean seriously it’s amazing. She uses high-quality products and she makes high-quality work! Check her out! Here’s a link to her Instagram, she also does stuffed animals and sweaters!
Abigail Rojas
Founder of Abigails Yarn
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SUPPORT LOCAL THRIFT STORES
Goodwill and Salvation Army have their mission and if you choose to support them that’s great! Think about local thrift stores though, the local thrift stores I shop at have generally the same mission to help people who are struggling and in need of help. I also love how warm and welcoming they are, and the prices in local thrift stores are a lot lower than prices at Goodwill. And of course, to top it all off, you’ll find very unique vintage pieces that you didn’t even realize still existed! Local thrift stores have rare items that you’ll never find in a Goodwill store.
AVOID IMPULSE BUYS
When we go shopping we get all excited about what we’re going to buy. Then we see something we think we might need, and then we see another thing that we know we don’t need, but doesn't it look cool you’ve got to have it! Trust me I’ve been there so many times and I still have a hard time not buying things impulsively. What I do is I look at the cool thing and wait until the next time I have to go shopping, if I don’t want it or it’s not there anymore then it wasn’t meant to be. Or I’ll just tell myself “If I can find a way to wear three outfits with this thing then I’ll get it” It truly helps me save money and in the long run buy clothes I’ll actually wear.
LEARN TO SEW YOUR CLOTHES
Buying sustainable clothes can get expensive and stressful. Sometimes I see cool clothes that look perfect but the price tag is too high and I’m not ready to pay that amount for the garment. Well, I began taking up sewing for the fun of it and before I knew it I was sewing clothes that I saw on the internet that I could not afford. Don’t be fooled, my sewing skills are terrible compared to a professional seamstress, however, sewing is a slow learning process that I will one day get the hang of. If you have a sewing machine in your house for some reason and you feel like learning something new, definitely give it a try. Before you know it you’ll be making your clothes and you won’t even be worried about shopping anymore.
SUPPORT SMALL BUSINESSES
And finally, support small businesses! There are so many people out there who make good sustainable products! Those products may be expensive but invest in those products! You will not regret it! The quality is amazing and you will get products catered to your liking. Plus small business owners are so sweet and caring! They want you to love their products! One of my favorite small business owners is my cousin Abby (I am biased because she is my family but you gotta see her stuff it’s good). Abby does anything crochet, from sweaters to crop tops, from stuffed animals to purses and bracelets. Whatever your vision is, she can make it happen! Her stuff is very affordable compared to what other places would charge and she uses high-quality yarn so you know you’re getting something good! Check out her Shop!
Abigail’s Yarn
Handmade with love
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SHOPPING FOR SUSTAINABLE CLOTHING CAN BE HARD AT FIRST, IT CAN FEEL LIKE YOU’RE STUCK WITH VERY FEW OPTIONS. BUT THE MORE YOU LOOK INTO IT THE MORE YOU REALIZE ALL OF THE GOOD OPTIONS YOU HAVE THAT WILL HELP OUR PLANET AND SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS! EVER SINCE I STARTED SHOPPING SUSTAINABLY, I’VE FELT MORE CONFIDENT IN MY CLOTHES AND CONFIDENT IN MYSELF. I KNOW THAT BY BUYING SECOND-HAND OR SUSTAINABLE CLOTHES, I KNOW I’M DOING SOMETHING THAT’S HELPING OUT THE ENVIRONMENT JUST A LITTLE BIT MORE.
