Sustainable fashion does not have to be expensive

We live in times where excess seems to be the name of the game - the more you have, the more valuable you seem to be. People even think they earn bragging rights just by having too much of everything. 

Rewearing clothes, going thrifting or just simply choosing to go sustainable sounds boring and basic for a lot of people.  Believe me, I used to find happiness in excess and I realised it was extremely wasteful financially and in a larger scale, a harm to the environment.

What is fast fashion and why is it harmful

The video above gives a comprehensive view on the large scale effect of fast fashion. All the waste of fast fashion end up in landfills that most of us never see so most of us never really care about.

Basically, fast fashion is the lifestyle of purchasing so much clothing and only using them once or twice.

 

It's the ideal of having a new outfit each time perhaps to impress people or just to feel good about ourselves.

Shein, one of the largest online clothing retailer was just recently reached valued at $100 billion USD - just the same value as SpaceX, Elon Musk's company. Imagine how many tonnes of clothing they could produce at that value and how much excess it could create.

Is sustainable fashion expensive?

Sustainable brands, yes, are priced higher than fast fashion brands. This is because they have different business models affecting the price. Factors such as sourcing, labour, ethical practices, etcetera all contribute to higher pricing. While there are fast fashion brands slowly adapting ethical and more sustainable practices, they still have a long way to go. Sustainable brands are also lesser known but a lot of times they are a lot better than the bigger brands we all come to know.

Sustainable fashion, however does not need to be expensive. If you have the money to support sustainable brands, then by all means go for it. However, I understand that this is a lifestyle - some people cannot due to financial reasons while other just simply are not willing to leave their excessive lifestyle.

I am hoping this would speak to those who are willing to go for sustainable fashion practices without breaking the bank.

There is no harm in outfit repetition.

As a matter of fact, your great fashion sense and creativity will actually be seen if you know how to reuse what you already have. Mix and match your current items to give off a different vibe each time you post something. Reuse what you have until they break or gift them to those you know will still make good use out of them.

It does not have to be a different set of products each time you go out.

Besides, I don't think people remember if you keep repeating your outfits. I don't think a lot of people care about what we wear enough to build a reputation.

There really is no harm in repeating clothing items. It does not make you uncool. It does not make you cheap. Never believe people who tell you that - they're just too wrapped up in their own little bubble to know any better.

Don't be scared of thrifting.

In my case, I never get ashamed if I tell people I am wearing thrifted clothes or ukay ukay. It's actually my first line of defence if I want new clothes especially if it's for occasions that do not come around quite often.

Thrifting is a great way for you to find treasures in other people's "trash". This way, even though you really are not buying the more expensive sustainable brands, but you are still doing your part in preventing those clothes from making their way into landfills.

Just make sure to clean them well though!

It's all about quality, not quantity.

There is no point of having hundreds of low quality clothes when 90% of them are just good for one to three uses. 

When it comes to sustainable fashion lifestyle, a person is more proud to have only a few pieces that they know they'll have tons of use rather than having one single item that only serves one purpose. 

You can still go for non-sustainable brands if they're the only ones that fit your budget and you are confident that they will last long.

Invest in your essentials.

If you know what kind of looks you usually go for, see what the basics are for that category and invest in great quality ones. The ones that you can wash and wear hundreds of times. A lot of clothes are cheap but they can only last a few washes.

Invest in what you know you will need and the occasions that you usually go for.

Going for a sustainable lifestyle in fashion is much easier said than done. However, I am hoping that those who read this will have even just the littlest amount of care for the harmful effects of poor fashion choices enough to make the change.

Again, it does not have to be expensive. You don't have to completely go for sustainable brands for this to work for you.

If we all care a little bit more, we could create a bigger wave of change in this industry.