Style | 5 Ways To Build A More Sustainable Wardrobe

*This is a paid partnership with Columbus Express Laundry. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the companies that support bgbychristina!

                                                           

         

Hi, my friends!

  I hope you're doing so so well! It's been a long time since I've been here in this space and I really want to get back on the blog train. I can't think of a better time to start posting here again, because I love springtime and April is one of my favorite months! April is also Earth month and I want to kick it off right by sharing a few sustainable wardrobe tips. Curating a more sustainable wardrobe is a passion of mine and I’m always working on it. I am definitely not perfect at it, but I believe that a positive impact on the Earth can be made just by each of us trying to be more sustainable in our clothing choices. I’m the first to admit that I buy a lot of clothes! However, they are my passion and a huge part of my job so I do have way more than anyone needs. I try my best to give all my pieces new life through either donation, or reselling. 

 

*Before we get into my tips, I want to give a quick definition of sustainable fashion in case anyone is unsure of what it means. Sustainable fashion is a movement with the goal of being more eco-friendly and conscious of our textile production and consumption. And a little side note: the fashion industry is the second largest polluter in the world, second only to the oil industry.. yikes! :( 

 

Now let’s go ahead and jump into it the tips!

 1)   Spend Some Time Learning & Thinking About Your Personal Style

Okay, so I know you might be wondering what learning about fashion has to do with being more sustainable? Well, let me tell you my opinion! I think that the more we learn about our own personal taste and style, the more that we buy pieces we truly love. And when our wardrobe is full of well thought out pieces that make us feel confident then we end up being less wasteful and impulsive overall! If you want to try out a new style then tread lightly and dip your toe into the pool by first buying one or two pieces and seeing how much you wear them and how they make you feel. I definitely want to encourage you to have fun with and play around with your style, but there are conscious ways to do it!

2)   Love The Clothes You Have

They say the most sustainable item is in the one already in your wardrobe! If we love and take good care of the pieces we have, we can make them last longer. One of the ways that you can take better care of your clothes is by knowing when and how to wash them. 

 For all of my local friends, Columbus Express Laundry has a wash and fold pickup and delivery service! They’re an amazing laundry service near Columbus Ohio. Maintaining our favorite clothing contributes to a better earth and more sustainable wardrobe for us. I know it can be tempting to throw out a dress that has a big stain or even a rip in it, but there are ways to mend and restore our favorite clothing. 

 3)   Buy Less, With More Thought

I believe that impulse buying is one of the greatest enemies against a sustainable wardrobe. I try to avoid buying pieces impulsively that haven’t been on my radar or want list. Personally, I find a lot of my impulse buys are the ones that don’t last very long in my wardrobe. Taking inventory of your closet often and keeping a running lists of wanted/needed items really helps with this.

4)  Be An Outfit Repeater

Yes, you read that right! Contrary to what Kate Sanders says ;) being an outfit repeater is actually really cool. Who could forget that infamous scene in the Lizzie McGuire movie when Kate notices that Lizzie is wearing the same dress at graduation that she wore to the spring dance..

 

Kate Sanders: Only you would think that you could hide that powder blue, puffy sleeved, it’s kind of a peasant dress, but it’s really a questionable disaster of fiber content that you wore to the spring dance. Lizzie McGuire, you are an outfit repeater! 

 

Lizzie: Okay, I may be an outfit repeater, but you’re an outfit rememberer, which is just as pathetic! 

 

Also, can I just say that Lizzie’s dress sounds like a dream dress to me so maybe Kate is just hatin’!

Powder blue? Puff sleeves? Peasant dress? Where can I find it?! 

 Re-wearing your favorite pieces is actually an act of love towards to the earth and towards your closet! If you’re not a fan of outfit repeating then try to make a challenge out of it. Challenge yourself to find new ways to style your most loved pieces. 

5) Support Recycled FashionIf you decide that building a more sustainable wardrobe is important to you (and I really hope you do, because our mother earth is truly deserving of our love J) then looking for ways to support the mission will be your next step!

 I love to buy secondhand! It’s one of the ways that I personally support sustainable fashion. So much of my favorite clothing is recycled! I love to thrift and the Poshmark app has been my best friend recently. I also love Etsy and find a lot of unique one-of-a-kind vintage pieces there. 

& Another way that I support recycled fashion is by selling on Poshmark! I love to give my old clothes a second chance at life with a new owner. Donating old clothes is always a great solution as well!

 

I really hope some of these tips help inspire you to make some positive changes in your own wardrobe, or maybe you’ll try something new in honor of Earth month! I’d love to know one of your favorite sustainable wardrobe tips too, so please start a conversation in the comments!

Love, 

Christina xx