Fashion is always changing, and sustainability around that realm may be, oftentimes, difficult to position. But practicing responsible or conscious fashion with the intent to minimize environmental impact can go a long way.
The fashion industry’s entire cycle—production, consumption, and waste disposal—results in environmental destruction. It contributes to about 10% of humanity’s carbon emissions, and when scrutinized, this is a devastating number. But not all hope is lost—shifting from fast to slow fashion, prioritizing secondhand and thrifted pieces, supporting local brands, and making the most of what you already have all minimize your carbon footprint. There is much fun to explore in the creative journey, and armed with wider resources from the internet, we have access to and are surrounded by fashion magazines, stylists, influencers, designers who can advise you on what to wear—including ourselves. However, not all fashion tools are created equal and no one knows our sartorial preferences better than ourselves, so we’ve narrowed down three ways to incorporate more sustainable practices into our fashion.
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Digitize Your Closet
With a push of a few buttons, curate your wardrobes in seconds and build your digital closets to catalog outfits. Shuffle them with a Clueless-inspired creator for a range of pairings and combinations you may not have considered and make the most out of your inventory. Additionally, stack all of your looks in one place and plan them in advance, make lookbooks to categorize your pieces, and save yourself the stress and time of deciding what to wear. Apps like Capsule, Whering, and Vestai all put your wardrobe at your fingertips—and help you keep track of your fashion footprint.
Donate to Stores Like H&M
When it comes to sustainability, nothing is more important than donating what you were about to throw in the trash because they don’t fit anymore, or they simply don’t suit your new preferences. So set aside an afternoon to recycle and make your clothes last longer and bring any unwanted pieces or textiles, by any brand and in any condition, to a store like H&M, and receive a thank-you voucher in return.
Buy Stylish Pieces Made with Repurposed Material
Discover unique pieces from local brands and support local artisans—they take the phrase ‘other people’s wardrobe decluttering is another fashion citizen’s treasure’ seriously. Nin & Yang makes clothes completely made of unwanted scraps and excess or discarded fabrics, and repurpose these into a wide range of ‘retaso’ clothing you can add to your closets. And Again Clothing’s materials are made from flour sacks that even celebrity Kathryn Bernardo was spotted wearing an upcycled flour sack polo and kimono in 2022. Rags2Riches or R2R uses deadstock and upcycled fabric for items that you can mix and match in different ways, and even better, is partnered with different artisan communities that empower Filipino excellence and art.
Photos and Featured Image: WHERING, CAPSULE, NIN AND YANG (Via Instagram), AND AGAIN CLOTHING (Via website)
