By Carolina Piras and Carolina Pedrajas-Botella
A greener lifestyle is possible for anyone, regardless of your budget. The three Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle) are the formula for staying sustainable.
Lifestyle journalist and activist Sascha Camilli breaks down how we can approach sustainability in our everyday life through fashion: “‘Sustainable’ is an industry buzzword, and as there is nothing governing the use of the term, it can and has been applied to a range of different initiatives.”
The vegan writer has a notable background in second-hand fashion and sustainability which led her to found Vilda, the first digital vegan fashion magazine, an award-nominated publication that focuses on inspiring luxe cruelty-free living.
“Fashion is something that affects everyone. Even if it is not a particular interest or passion of yours, you still wear clothes. We all take part in the fashion industry, so it touches all of our lives,” she said.
Here are the three game-changing steps that you definitely need to take to make your wardrobe sustainable and of course, on budget!
Reduce
If you’re looking for a way to reduce your closet and landfill waste, you need to host or attend a clothing swap event. It’s a way to shop sustainably and confront fast fashion at the same time. By doing this, you’ll have a new wardrobe, and you’ll also be recycling someone’s old clothes.
Also: reduce plastic use! Although it can be near-impossible to be entirely plastic-free, consumers are powerful. Try to reduce clothes made with plastic and reduce its use on your daily basis as much as you can.
“So many plastic-based clothes are already in existence, and to avoid them going into landfill and minimise the ongoing overproduction cycle that constantly creates new polyester, nylon, acrylic and the like, the best we can do is shop second-hand,” Camilli said.
Credit: Unsplash
Reuse
Another way to have a large wardrobe is renting clothes for the occasion. Fashion rental has become more than just a sustainable way to indulge in fast styles; it’s also become an option to earn a little extra cash.
Another option is making a new garment with your old clothes. This has become very common nowadays. For example, some people reuse their clothes to create something new and then sell them for a low price on Depop.
Sadia Farley, a Fashion Promoting and Imaging student at West London University, said learning to recycle clothes changed her style to the core, as well as her finances. “If you learn to recycle your own clothes and you can get creative with it, you have everything to gain.”
The 24-year-old fashion student said: “Until two years ago I was a very compulsive shopping buyer, and shopping for new clothes was kind of my excuse for everything. I didn’t realise how damaging that can actually be for our planet and most of all… my bank account was on the edge.”
Farley explained the excess of shopping made her step back. “I seriously had to shift my approach, because I was not going to say no to clothes: fashion is everything to me, and building outfits is my way to express my own creativity.
“Then I turned socks into sleeves, trousers into dresses, t-shirts into tops, jewelleries became accessories of clothes… And well, I had to learn to sew,” she said.
“Not only you do something great for your planet, but you also can discover a different way to make your style authentic. I’d recommend it to everyone.”
Credit: Unsplash
Recycle
Second-hand shopping has undergone many changes. In the past, there was a stigma associated with wearing used clothing. Today, we think that you’ll have a unique piece of clothing by buying a vintage piece of clothing.
Have no clue where to start? Here are some of the best vintage shops in London to find hidden treasures… and they won’t make your wallet cry.
- Serotonin, Brick Lane
- Atika, Spitalfields
- Beyond Retro, Dalston
- Blue17 Vintage, Holloway
- Paper Dress Vintage, Hackney Central
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