When we think of fashion, most think of high-end labels and designer clothes. But that doesn’t mean you can’t incorporate sustainable fashion practices into your wardrobe. You can reduce your fashion footprint from fast-fashion chains to department stores in many ways.
Incorporating sustainable fashion practices in everyday habits, such as what you wear, will help the environment and save money in the long run. Here are some easy tips to help reduce your fashion footprint.
Choose Frugal Over Fashion
Whether it’s a pair of $200 skinny jeans or a $40 pair of sneakers, spending money on things you don’t need will add to your overall expenses and the environment’s burden. So, instead of making purchases that are not necessary, try to make your outfits more affordable by using cheaper alternatives, such as an old T-shirt or dress that you no longer wear.
You can even try to find the most affordable brands around you to save even more money. A great way to do this is to attend a local fashion conference or trade show to learn about your area’s newest trends and affordable brands.
Be Proactive
When you’re about to buy something, you might want to change the color or size of the product to make it cheaper or more affordable. But when you do this, you change the product’s lifetime, causing it to be used less. And because the environment also depends on each product having a certain amount of use to sustain itself, this change will also hurt it.
Therefore, to make something cheaper, try to be proactive and change a few things, such as the color or size, instead of drastically changing the entire product. Doing this will help reduce your fashion footprint by avoiding the need for more materials that could have been used to sustain the current product.
Buy Secondhand
Buying secondhand might save a few bucks, but is it really good for the environment? When you’re trying to save money, it might be easier to buy secondhand clothes than new ones but think about how long it takes for that piece of clothing to go from being made to ending up in a landfill.
In 2014, the average American packed away more than 151 clothing items yearly. This means that if you’re like most people, you’ve got clothes in your closet that will likely not be worn again. Aside from wasting resources, this also means that those clothes could have been used to create new items and sustain future generations. (https://andeglobal.org/)
If you want to save money while reducing your fashion footprint, consider buying new, but try to buy less and reuse older items as much as possible.
Make It Yourself
There’s no better way to save money than making clothes or accessories, like bags or jewelry. Not only will you save money, but you will also be reducing your fashion footprint by creating something from scratch instead of consuming natural resources to sustain an already-existing product.
If you’re not very crafty, don’t worry. Plenty of DIY tutorials and craft ideas on the internet and in magazines can help you make anything from a simple scarf to a full clothes wardrobe. By making your clothes or accessories, you can be sure that you are not contributing to the destruction of an already-existing product. And you’ll also be saving money by avoiding the high costs of creating new products.
Don’t Rush the Trend
There’s nothing wrong with trying to be on the cutting edge of fashion, but there are times when it’s better to stay away from trends. Trends come and go so quickly that it’s easy to follow every trend, especially if expensive. Trends come and go so quickly that it’s easy to get caught up in trying to follow them, especially if they’re expensive.
Don’t feel pressured to buy things just because they’re popular or on trend, but also remember to keep a financial budget so that you don’t spend more than you can afford. Some trends might be sustainable, but it’s better to try to follow sustainable trends that are cheaper, such as reusing old items or making your clothes instead of trendy ones.
Protect Your Investment
When you’re about to buy something, whether it’s a pair of expensive sneakers or a new handbag, think about the long-term implications of the purchase. Sometimes, we want to buy the newest and coolest items trending to feel like we’re part of the in-crowd, but this will harm our fashion footprint and our wallet. Instead of buying gadgets, electronics, and other items that are popular right now but will soon become obsolete, try to buy durable and useful items like a durable backpack or a durable pair of hiking shoes.
This will help you save money in the long run. When trying to protect your investments, buy durable products, such as a durable backpack or hiking shoes, instead of buying smart objects, like a trendy smartphone case. This will help you protect your fashion footprint and your wallet in the long run.
Wrapping Up
Fashion is about what we wear, but it’s also about what we use to create those looks. So when you’re looking to reduce your fashion footprint, try to reduce your ecological footprint by consuming less, using fewer resources, and creating less waste.
A sustainable fashion footprint doesn’t have to mean spending hundreds of dollars on high-end clothing. Still, it can also be achieved by searching for less expensive alternatives in stores, online, and at secondhand shops.
