Green And Glamour: 10 Eco-Friendly Fashion Tips That Won’t Cramp Your Style

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Green And Glamour: 10 Eco-Friendly Fashion Tips That Won't Cramp Your Style
A green t-shirt hanging on a clothesline with the recycle symbol on the front, environmental or recycling theme

What if we told you there is a way to be fashionable without putting further strain on the environment? It’s fairly simple really, you just have to be conscious of what you buy.

You can cut down your carbon footprint by shopping from green Etsy stores, buying from eco-friendly brands, watching what fibers you buy, or just making your own clothes and saving the scraps so you always have material to work with.

Do these sound doable for you? In this article, we’re going to go over these and more eco-friendly fashion tips so you can save the world one cute top at a time.

  1. Shop and Donate to Thrift Stores

You don’t have to go to a department store to find nice clothes. Most of the time thrift stores have stuff that is just as good if not better. You could land on a goldmine.

By buying these donated clothes, you’ll not only help the environment but save a ton of money in the process, all while having an extensive collection of clothing and apparel to choose from. It’s a win-win!

Not only can you buy from thrift shops, but you can also donate to them. Go through things that you don’t want to wear anymore and take them to your local shop.

However, as thrift shops offer cheap, low-priced pieces, be careful not to overspend and buy too much as you’re defeating the purpose of shopping for the environment. Only buy clothes that you’ll actually wear often, and you can always come back if you need anything else.

  1. Buy Natural Fibers

Instead of buying synthetic fibers that hurt the environment, you should spring for all natural fibers. What counts as natural fibers you may ask? Well, we’re going to go over a few of them.

Linen is a fiber that is made of flax. It uses way less energy and pesticides to grow than cotton and is just as soft. It can also be easily recycled.

Bamboo uses almost no pesticides to grow and its fibers are extremely soft. The only problem is that sometimes the process of turning it into fibers uses a lot of chemicals. Bamboo linen doesn’t use as many of those but it can be a really rare find.

As bamboo fabric types like rayon and viscose are often a victim of fast fashion, it’s important to source your bamboo clothing from companies that don’t suppose such, as they’re the complete opposite of unethical fashion.

Aside from its eco-friendly advantages, natural fibers can provide more comfort given that they’ve undergone high-quality processes. When buying bamboo clothing, choose lightweight and soft-to-the-touch bamboo fabrics from Bamboo Underwear and similar brands.

You’re probably aware that silk is produced from silkworms. It is lightweight, comfortable, and makes surprisingly warm underwear. It also breaks down naturally over time. Some choose not to wear silk because sometimes it involves the death of the silkworms.

If you don’t condone silkworm murder, you can go with peace silk. Peace silk, also called vegan silk is created without harming the worms.

  1. Shop Etsy

If you do your shopping on Etsy you will be supporting artists who put passion into their handmade goods. Not only are the items unique because they are handmade, but there are also a ton of eco-friendly options. By buying from Etsy shops, you’re going against mass-produced goods that are typically linked to corporate capitalism involving exploitation of labor and resources.

You can research eco-friendly Etsy stores, or you can just type it into the search bar for over 200,000 results. If you have relatives, friends, and acquaintances who own an Etsy shop, buying their products and services would mean a lot to them, which will help them embrace their talents and pursue their passion.

  1. Repair Your Shoes and Clothes

Before you decide that your clothes are beyond salvation and tossing them, put in a little work to try and save them. You can do this one of two ways, save money by teaching yourself how to sew, or sending them somewhere to get fixed.

Take those worn shoes to an experienced shoemaker to have them resoled, patched up, and redyed. A local tailor can mend holes easily too. Reduce and Reuse!

  1. Teach Yourself How to Sew

You can do wonders for the environment by just making your own clothes rather than going shopping. This isn’t the easy route by any means but imagine the satisfaction you’ll get from receiving compliments on clothes that you made!

Not only can you make new clothes but you can turn your old clothes into something new. You can make old tee shirts into hoodies or turn a torn pair of pants into a cute pair of shorts for the summer.

Sewing is a challenging yet fun activity. For beginners, sewing by hand is an excellent start. Once you’re certain about making your own clothes, you’re free to make various wardrobe pieces with different colors, patterns, and textures with the help of these basic sewing equipment:

  • Sewing machine
  • Scissors
  • Chosen fabric and thread
  • Pins and needles
  • Fabric marker
  • Ruler
  1. Research Eco-Friendly Brands

To be honest, going green makes a company look really good in the eyes of customers so a lot of brands are jumping on the bandwagon. Some of them just want to give back to the environment.

You can do a Google search and find a bunch of them that you can shop from. They produce great stuff that’s made out of those environmentally friendly fibers we were talking about.One example is 8000Kicks, that produces eco-friendly clothing such as hemp socks, shoes, backpacks, etc…

  1. Use Your Scraps

If you do decide to make your own clothes make sure you save every bit of scrap cloth you have. Don’t throw anything out because what seems like garbage now can turn into a scarf or a pair of gloves later.

By keeping all of your scraps you won’t have to buy materials as often. This will help the environment and save you quite a bit of money.

  1. Buy from Local Sources

With the internet at your fingertips, it can be tempting to buy every bit of your clothes online. While it’s convenient, some places overseas don’t have the same health regulations we do so you might be accidentally supporting poor working conditions.

Also, a lot of fuel and plastic for packaging goes into shipping things overseas. Check out your local businesses first. They benefit highly from the support.

  1. Pull from Your Own Wardrobe

You don’t need to go buy a new something to make an outfit work, you can just pull from what you already have. You also never know what could work unless you experiment a little.

So, before you go out and get another purse to go with your spring wardrobe, look and see what color purses you already have. Do you have an old outfit that just isn’t doing it for you anymore? See if adding a necklace or accessory that you already have would spruce it up.

Speaking of accessories, you can also buy plastic-free razors and other things you use every day. Go here for more information.

  1. Bring Your Own Bag

There’s a reason why some countries are banning the use of plastic bags. They are really harmful to the environment. You can cut down on this by bringing your own cloth bag with you when you go shopping for clothes.

It helps the environment because it limits plastic and its also convenient for the cashier because plastic bags are a pain to work with.

2 Buy Shop natural fibers

Besides bamboo and linen there are more innovative natural materials available such as kraft paper and Pinatex (pineapple leather). These unique materials are used to create a wide range of vegan accessories, that are not only sustainable and durable, but also gorgeous and unique!

Look Good While Saving the Planet With Eco-Friendly Fashion

High fashion doesn’t have to butcher the environment.

You can look good and save the planet by watching what fibers you buy, using things in your closet you already have, buying from local sources, supporting artists on Etsy, or learning how to make your own clothes.

Use these eco-friendly fashion tips to make a difference.

 

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