Sustainability got cool! How *you* can be chic while still saving the planet

Sustainable fashion is the future

If you’re like me, you love scanning through the endless pages of fast fashion websites like ASOS, Pretty Little Thing and Boohoo, casually dropping things into your basket without a care in the world.

How many of us have bought a t-shirt, worn it once, then tossed it into the back of your wardrobe, only to throw it away weeks later.  Are you nodding your head by any chance?

If you are, what if I told you that the industry that provides you with the latest trends is also the world’s second most polluting industry after oil.

Sustainability is fashion's newest and trendiest buzzword, so what's it all about?

Sustainable fashion

David Attenborough's Blue Planet on the BBC gave us a true insight into the impact we’ve really had, making sustainability more mainstream. Here we’ve been made increasingly aware of the environmental impact resulting from the production and disposal of our clothes.

This can range from factory pollution to the amount of clothing that ends up in landfill every year. In all seriousness, the impacts are detrimental to the planet’s future, both environmentally and socially.

But don’t despair because I've got all the tips on how to be fashionable while also saving the planet.

How can you embrace a sustainable style?

Being sustainable while also being on trend can sometimes be tricky, however on my blog I'll strive to show you how to be stylish and sustainable, but also kiss goodbye to those ill-fitting items lying in the back of your wardrobe.

Here's what you need to know:

Create a capsule wardrobe

By mixing and matching the essentials that we love and wear the hell out of, we can avoid splashing the cash on the latest stuff that will probably go out of trend next month.

Here’s the basics…

Great seven blue denim jacket, £55, Weekday

'Gabri' black crepe tailored blazer, £119, House of CB

Ruched mini slip dress, £29, Topshop

Pimkie snake embossed cross body bag in black, £16.99, ASOS

Pebble pointed high block heels, £30, ASOS Design 

ReGAIN app

Move over landfill, this app is promoting a recycling revolution where you can package up new, used and damaged items to a local drop off point and you will be rewarded with access to discount codes online, including Boohoo and Missguided to name a few.

Best of all is that they encourage you to send your things in old cardboard boxes or reused online shopping packages so they recycle both your clothes and the plastic at the same time, genius!

Find more info on https://regain-app.com/ 

Explore the brands championing sustainability

• Primark ~ despite the cheap prices, Primark follow guidelines like cotton sustainability, using less water and reduction of CO² (a.k.a carbon dioxide) emissions.

•   Levi's® ~ used Water<Less® innovations in their products to save and recycle 3 billion litres of water.

• Stella McCartney ~ creates ethical and sustainable trend-led collections.

• H&M Conscious - a capsule collection made from organic and recycled materials 

H&M Conscious collection

H&M Conscious collection

 

Good On You is a website that is ensures you’re selecting the right stores to be sustainable. The website is incredible for finding out whether your favourite retailer is sustainable or not.

Reselling

Car-boot sales are so last season. We now live in an age where you can flog your stuff with the tap of a button.

Depop, is your go-to app for second hand/vintage items from sellers across the globe. Giving your garments a second life means they're not heading straight for the bin.

Bonus, you're earning some moola at the same time!

When wanting to sell on your prized designer items, markets and car-boot sales will just not suffice, after all its Prada dah-ling.

I recommend sites such as Vestiaire Collective, Bagista and Cudoni, all of which are perfect for buying and selling luxury goods.

Make do and mend

Whether you’re a professional seamstress, or just a gal with a needle and thread, a bit of ‘make do and mend’ is truly the magic trick we need.

H&M have launched a section of their website called H&M Take Care. Here they show you how take care of your clothes (if you’ve got no clue), with tips and hacks to repair and refresh your clothes to make them last longer.

Up-cycle

Who knew decorating your humdrum denim jacket could be fashion’s latest innovative. Re-inventing an item of clothing is a brilliant way of inject some much needed love back into your wardrobe and prevent you from throwing it into the bin.

There are so many popular ways to up-cycle clothing, from cropping a top, to turning your scarf into a bandeau, both of which require no sewing!