6 Tips & Ideas To Create A Sustainable Closet

Creating a sustainable closet responds to the world's collective discussion surrounding the fashion industry's practices. Fast fashion brands capitalize on consumers' constant want for the latest, trendy clothes. This further leads to the use of production processes that are harmful and unethical.

The industry utilizes 93 billion cubic meters of water yearly2, enough for five million people's water consumption needs.

Yes, fashion brands need to uphold sustainable practices; however, consumers play a role in making ethical and eco-friendly choices. So, you might be looking to build a more eco-friendly closet. Here's a breakdown of what a more sustainable wardrobe entails, a guide, and tips for creating a conscious closet full of more sustainable clothing.

What Does a Sustainable Wardrobe Entail?

Building a sustainable wardrobe is a conscious effort to make informed decisions about our clothing choices. This means educating ourselves on how sustainable fashion brands and retailers design, manufacture and distribute our clothes. From this, we better understand the carbon footprint of our clothing on the planet.

The ethical fashion model also considers the working conditions of everyone involved in the supply chain. This considers the welfare of workers in factories, stores, and across the supply and transportation chain.

We become conscious consumers by paying attention to these production and distribution processes. As a result, this creates the desire to build a sustainable wardrobe, which is an investment in what you wear.

Such a wardrobe contains carefully curated, high-quality pieces of value. A simple note is to consider taking care of products owned, choosing sustainable shopping with ethical brands and designers and buying local.

A Guide to Building a Sustainable Closet

Ready for a closet edit? Here are five tips for a sustainable wardrobe and eco-friendly dream closet:

1. Ask "Who Made My Clothes?"

Fashion Revolution made the 'who made my clothes?' campaign famous, sparking the requirement to request transparency and accountability from every fashion brand.

This simple question gives consumers the power to request information from a clothing brand on the behind-the-scenes production and supply process.

By asking, consumers are showing greater concern for all garment workers in the clothing industry. This includes how they treat their workers: if they pay fair wages and look after their safety. This question drives the switch to support sustainable brands that place importance on the safety and well-being of all workers.

Effect of the Rana Plaza Collapse

The Rana Plaza collapse in 2013 greatly influenced the prominence of 'who made my clothes?' There was an awakening surrounding the impact of the fast fashion industry on garment makers.

The building's collapse led to the death of over 1000 workers who were converting materials into clothing for brands.

Fashion companies have the responsibility of monitoring the entire life cycle and chain of supply of their products. However, this does not directly translate into sustainable and ethical ways and practices. The incident stirred a change in approach for some companies with more emphasis on how they protect workers. Many, nonetheless, still seek cheap labor to produce large quantities of clothes.

2. Mend Clothes with Faults

Mend clothes sewing machine
Photo by Roman Spiridonov on Unsplash

Fixing our clothes is another tip toward building a sustainable quality closet. By mending clothes with faults, we ensure that we use them and extend their lifespan.

Rather than consistently making purchases for new clothes to wear, buying less and owning for longer are more sustainable ways of clothing ourselves. In the first instance, paying attention to care instructions can help our clothes last longer.

Mending involves repairing other clothes with holes, tears, missing buttons or zippers, and noticeable stains. By so doing, we're acting so that our clothes last longer without dumping them in the trash.

Studies show that people in the United States consume more fabrics than any other nation. Around 85% of these materials and clothing are sent to landfills. This pollution harms the planet.

3. Buy Second Hand, Ditch Fast Fashion

Shopping with ethical brands may not be the most affordable option for everyone. These brands channel a good amount of money into paying wages and sourcing sustainable fabrics.

Secondhand, also known as thrift, offers a cheaper alternative to the price tags of clothes from ethical brands. There are online thrift stores in most parts of the world, and more and more online, where people can purchase second-hand and pre-loved items. Thrift stores offer unique items with affordable price tags. This also creates a new home for clothes and a chance to give them a second life.

Compared to years ago, the word 'second hand' does not have the same negative connotation it used to. Thrifting has now become a 'cool' activity. It is particularly popular among Generation Z and Y, who are reportedly the generations that are most concerned about climate change.

Further Reading: What is Fast Fashion?

4. Rent Clothes for Specific Occasions

Renting services offer clothes to wear for specific occasions. Instead of buying new clothes each time a special event comes up and keeping them year-round, why not opt for a rental service? This allows you to select items from your favorite brand while acquiring them at reasonable prices and only for the period they're needed.

In a world where we discard pieces almost as fast as consumption, renting becomes an attractive step to cut unnecessary spending. This is particularly relevant for clothes only used for specific events.

5. Be Intentional About Purchase Decisions

Buy Intentionally for a Sustainable Closet
Photo by cottonbro from Pexels

Intentionality goes beyond deciding to shop with ethical brands and stores. It also means considering the types of materials and fabrics you wear and slowing down to choose what you wear.

Someone who is intentional takes time to consider an item before deciding to purchase it. It entails choosing quality eco-friendly pieces over quantity, even if that means spending a little more on a brand. A conscious purchase is one that prioritizes long-lasting pieces in favor of chasing the latest trends. This is crucial when creating a sustainable closet.

Are You Intentional About the Fabrics You Choose?

Some fabrics are known to have adverse effects on the environment. These include synthetic fabrics such as polyester, nylon, and acrylic, from the large volume of water and chemicals needed to manufacture them to new energy resources and pesticides harmful to humans and the environment.

These fabrics have varying and often detrimental effects on the planet and people. Apart from reducing consumption and engaging in activities like thrift shopping, it's also a sustainable step to pay attention to certain eco-friendly materials and fabrics.

Organic cotton is known to be the most widely used organic material in the world1. Aside from organic cotton, other fabrics such as hemp, linen, modal, recycled polyester, and other recycled materials are some well-known sustainable options.

This means that the process of acquiring them for cloth making has fewer adverse effects on the environment. Such organic materials usually biodegrade, require less water consumption than other crops, and require little to no chemicals and pesticides.

6. Upcycling Pieces You Own

Upcycled clothing is a sustainable and creative way to convert old clothing materials into something new. This gives old and worn-out things a new life. It also helps to cut unnecessary spending by using materials readily available to create something new out of old styles.

Instead of throwing old clothing into the trash, we can modify and repurpose them into something useful. We can even turn those t-shirts and old clothes no longer wearable into cleaning rags for use around the home. This leaves us with items that we can use several times.

Conclusion

From a plethora of brands to choose from when shopping, we become spoilt with choices when building our wardrobes. However, making an effort to prioritize conscious consumption means deciding to be a part of the sustainable and ethical movement and choosing sustainable pieces over those that do more harm.

Building a more sustainable closet is not as daunting as it may appear. While asking a fashion company for transparency, we should also examine areas and the steps we need to take for change. Building a sustainable closet starts with a single thought about what you wear.

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