A sustainable closet - 8 principles on how to create one
Why did I start a blog about sustainable fashion? I wasn’t someone who thought that there are no blogs about the social and environmental impact of the fashion industry, neither did I come from the fashion industry willing to change my work towards a more sustainable one. I was, and I am, simply a woman who wants to dress well without doing harm. I thought there was a lack of inspirational blogs taking an holistic approach looking at both comfort, style, beauty, environment, social aspects and the business perspective. From being so critical towards the possibility to create a style where you feel good on the inside and outside, the last years I have learned more and explored new ways to relate to my closet.
In this blog I share my tips, knowledge and the style I have encountered. In this post I’ll share with you what a sustainable closet is;
A closet with items you regularly wear
A closet suitable for your lifestyle
A closet with long-lasting items or circular clothes (I’ll explain this one in another post)
A closet with mixed clothes produced in a sustainable manner, being second handed or remade.
What people digging into sustainability normally forget is that nothing is sustainable if not used and highly valued. A shirt that you wear regularly for years might be more sustainable then a shirt in organic cotton you never wear. It’s not in the way we produce, that’s one part of it but it’s also the way we relate to our clothes.
So what should one start with when creating a sustainable closet?
Everything not being worn the last three months (exception if it’s clothes for different seasons) should not be in your closet. If you don’t feel like giving them away, let someone else borrow them and see if you miss them.
Evaluate the usefulness of the items you have. Is there a favourite skirt you’re not wearing because you don’t have a top that goes with it? Whenever getting something new, it should be to maximise the usefulness of the other clothes in your closet.
Find your style! Seriously, there’s no reason to buy second hand or any other sustainable brand if it’s not suitable for your style. How do you want to look? Whatever people call “must haves in your wardrobe” might not be must haves for you. You just need what you like to wear on a daily basis.
Circulate your clothes on a regular basis. That means that instead of throwing clothes away, can you exchange with friends? Instead of buying a dress you only use once, can you rent one? If you have a shirt you’re tired of, can you redesign it or make someone else do it for you?
Only buy what you need. Of course the concept of what you need is very subjective and for an environmental perspective that would be as little as possible, only clothes to keep you warm. From a social perspective this might mean other things, such as being comfortable when being pregnant, having clothes to wear when reaching your exercise goals or having something nice to wear at your new job.
Learn the art of buying second hand, rent or remake.
Explore more sustainable brands and stores.
Break up with fast fashion once and for all (instead of buying three tops, save the money and buy one of higher quality that will last).
I hope this post gave you something to reflect upon and please share your ways of creating a more sustainable closet in the comments below.