sustainable / slow fashion

[lust2hart]

I've been doing some research the past few weeks into sustainable / slow fashion and am wondering if anyone here has made the change. Do you have favorite companies? How about websites or books to learn more about this topic? 

I stumbled upon goodonyou.eco and have read several of the articles. There's a great "directory" feature where you can plug different companies into the directory and get their rating for the company, based on 3 factors: environmental impact, impact on animals, and impact on humans. I found the company Deux Mains through this and ordered a pair of sandals that I really love. 

[bluestreet]

Thank you! Their sandals are lovely!

[ssmjlm]

Still Being Molly is big into sustainable fashion. She doesn’t blog much, but still does her podcast. She was also a few years behind me in college and a fellow Greek.

Through her I was introduced to some companies:
Elegantees
Grace and Lace

The Flourish Market is a sustainable store in NC. All of their clothes are from sustainable brands.

I have clothes/accessories from all of the above. The quality and thickness of Elegantees tops is amazing. And they wash well.

I think Able is another one, though I haven’t ordered from them.

[wanderingback]

I don’t have specific company recs, but for the past several years I do 90% of my shopping at thrift stores. I thankfully live in a large city with tons of options for all body types so it makes it easy for me, which I know might not be available to everyone.

The reason I decided on this is because even "sustainable" companies aren’t always fully transparent and in general fashion contributes a lot to pollution/climate change even if "careful."

I also don’t buy much stuff. I shop approximately 2 times per year and that’s it. I really try to emphasize the reduce in the phrase "reduce, reuse, recycle."

Otherwise for things that I do have to buy I do try to buy local (I rarely rarely shop online, maybe once a year, I think shipping is wasteful) as a lot of their items are made locally so also reduces waste from shipping and packaging.

Hope some of those tips help!

[lust2hart]

wanderingback, I'm a fan of consignment shopping as well! I'm not sure when was the last time I bought bottoms brand new. I find shirts can be a little worn/pilly. I'm also a little grossed out by buying used shoes, so I get those new. But I've had some really great luck with consignment over the years.

[omglol]

Another huge thrifting fan.

I’ve tried a few of the “sustainable” companies and was honestly pretty disappointed in the quality of their clothes for the price (specifically pact and happy earth and particularly wool&, which was extremely misleadingly marketed).

I get about 95% of my things and my @ toddlers @ things thrifted/consigned. Almost all of my furniture is secondhand. All my antique dishes and kitchen stuff.

Underwear, bras, socks, and shoes (I mostly wear Birkenstocks and I don’t want someone else’s foot imprint) are the only things I buy, unless I need something super specific that I can’t find elsewhere. It is a challenge because I’m plus size, but I make it work.

[mysteriouswife]

Jul 16, 2021 12:38:37 GMT -5 lust2hart said:

wanderingback, I'm a fan of consignment shopping as well! I'm not sure when was the last time I bought bottoms brand new. I find shirts can be a little worn/pilly. I'm also a little grossed out by buying used shoes, so I get those new. But I've had some really great luck with consignment over the years.

Used shoes can cause foot pain and issues too. The shoe forms to the person who previously wore/owned them.

DD is huge into thrift shopping now. I had no idea until a few weeks ago when we started the back to school talk. We have hit up three thrift/consign shops. Apparently, this is the trend for her age group. I purchased American Eagle jeans for $3 a pair. No complaints here!

[missva]

I really like Mata Traders dresses.

www.matatraders.com/

[Bernadine]

I’ve started shopping on Poshmark. Know your measurements, and ask for them if they’re not listed. I get clothes for me and dd there, and I’ve been pretty happy with everything. We don’t have a lot of consignment shops in my area.

[af1212]

Jul 16, 2021 13:52:25 GMT -5 mysteriouswife said:

Jul 16, 2021 12:38:37 GMT -5 lust2hart said:

wanderingback, I'm a fan of consignment shopping as well! I'm not sure when was the last time I bought bottoms brand new. I find shirts can be a little worn/pilly. I'm also a little grossed out by buying used shoes, so I get those new. But I've had some really great luck with consignment over the years.

Used shoes can cause foot pain and issues too. The shoe forms to the person who previously wore/owned them.

DD is huge into thrift shopping now. I had no idea until a few weeks ago when we started the back to school talk. We have hit up three thrift/consign shops. Apparently, this is the trend for her age group. I purchased American Eagle jeans for $3 a pair. No complaints here!

Are there ones targeted to young people? I am used to shopping at ones for kids but they seem to stop around size 10 and then I’m also familiar with ones for adults.

[lust2hart]

Jul 16, 2021 14:03:45 GMT -5 Bernadine said:

I’ve started shopping on Poshmark. Know your measurements, and ask for them if they’re not listed. I get clothes for me and dd there, and I’ve been pretty happy with everything. We don’t have a lot of consignment shops in my area.

I bought from ThredUp for the first time a few weeks ago. I looked for items marked as new / almost new, and they were great! 

[lust2hart]

Jul 16, 2021 14:04:56 GMT -5 af1212 said:

Jul 16, 2021 13:52:25 GMT -5 mysteriouswife said:

Used shoes can cause foot pain and issues too. The shoe forms to the person who previously wore/owned them.

DD is huge into thrift shopping now. I had no idea until a few weeks ago when we started the back to school talk. We have hit up three thrift/consign shops. Apparently, this is the trend for her age group. I purchased American Eagle jeans for $3 a pair. No complaints here!

Are there ones targeted to young people? I am used to shopping at ones for kids but they seem to stop around size 10 and then I’m also familiar with ones for adults.

I have a Plato's Closet near me that skews younger. I tried to consign a shirtdress there a few months and it was rejected as being too "professional", LOL! 

[mysteriouswife]

Jul 16, 2021 14:04:56 GMT -5 af1212 said:

Jul 16, 2021 13:52:25 GMT -5 mysteriouswife said:

Used shoes can cause foot pain and issues too. The shoe forms to the person who previously wore/owned them.

DD is huge into thrift shopping now. I had no idea until a few weeks ago when we started the back to school talk. We have hit up three thrift/consign shops. Apparently, this is the trend for her age group. I purchased American Eagle jeans for $3 a pair. No complaints here!

Are there ones targeted to young people? I am used to shopping at ones for kids but they seem to stop around size 10 and then I’m also familiar with ones for adults.

Plato’s closet is the only “chain”‘I am aware of. We have done two local ones.

[heygrey]

I focus on buying second hand and buying less overall. Honestly, a lot of the sustainable/slow fashion brands aren’t great quality, have questionable marketing, and are often really expensive.

When I do buy new, I get the best quality for my budget and try to buy in person at a locally owned store.

[icedcoffee]

I’ve been trying to think through how things will wear a little more. Like a few days ago I tried in a dress that was super cute but I just knew it would shrink and pill and be donated within a few months so I didn’t get it. I try to focus on things I’ll have a long time and more timeless.

[omglol]

Jul 16, 2021 14:08:08 GMT -5 lust2hart said:

Jul 16, 2021 14:04:56 GMT -5 af1212 said:

Are there ones targeted to young people? I am used to shopping at ones for kids but they seem to stop around size 10 and then I’m also familiar with ones for adults.

I have a Plato's Closet near me that skews younger. I tried to consign a shirtdress there a few months and it was rejected as being too "professional", LOL! 

There’s another one called My Best Friend’s Closet - not sure if that’s a national chain or regional.

Not sure where you live, but there’s also a few pop up/fashion truck type of used boutiques around here (Denver) that tend to skew young/trendy, so maybe there’s something similar in your area.

[omglol]

Oh oh and another thing I haven’t personally tried because I found out about it during covid, but there are meetup clothing swaps for all types! I was specifically following a plus size one, but there are all kinds.

[minzy]

I too am concerned about this from an environmental perspective. The fashion industry is responsible for 10% of global emissions worldwide - that’s a huge amount! Fast fashion is a major contributor to the problem. And making a single cotton T-shirt uses over 700 gallons of water.

After talking with a friend who did a capsule wardrobe and only shopped for used clothing (less underwear and shoes) for a few years, I challenged myself to go for a year without buying anything newly manufactured. I wasn’t exactly perfect (i.e., was given a shirt from a race, I bought one made of recycled plastic, I was given yoga pants for my birthday) but I got pretty close. It wasn’t that hard. I’ve also hosted a few parties where a component of them includes a clothing/accessories swap. I have purchased some new things since then for a variety of reasons, but I try to be mindful of the full cost. All of our kid clothes go to two families, or are used as rags (we hardly ever use paper towels) or textile recycled if they’re in bad shape.

I’ve gotten stuff from ThredUp and Patagonia’s Worn Wear and Rent the Runway. I’ve been on a leadership team for a race and cheerlead sustainability efforts, and praised their decision to offer people the chance to decline the race T-shirt.

[lo]

I buy a huge portion of my 4 kids’ clothes and shoes (I get lightly worn) on either FB marketplace, specific BST Facebook groups or Poshmark. It’s totally turned into a hobby for me (ok that is a little sad, but true) to find specific items and the brands I prefer.

[heygrey]

Jul 16, 2021 18:38:50 GMT -5 lo said:

I buy a huge portion of my 4 kids’ clothes and shoes (I get lightly worn) on either FB marketplace, specific BST Facebook groups or Poshmark. It’s totally turned into a hobby for me (ok that is a little sad, but true) to find specific items and the brands I prefer.

I love the game of this. Between FB and a local thrift store, my son is outfitted in the best quality stuff for less than I would pay at walmart. It's durable and still able to be passed on or sold again after he outgrows it. 

[lust2hart]

Jul 16, 2021 18:38:50 GMT -5 lo said:

I buy a huge portion of my 4 kids’ clothes and shoes (I get lightly worn) on either FB marketplace, specific BST Facebook groups or Poshmark. It’s totally turned into a hobby for me (ok that is a little sad, but true) to find specific items and the brands I prefer.

I can totally see how this could turn into a hobby! It’s kind of a treasure hunt.

[lo]

Jul 16, 2021 19:29:59 GMT -5 heygrey said:

Jul 16, 2021 18:38:50 GMT -5 lo said:

I buy a huge portion of my 4 kids’ clothes and shoes (I get lightly worn) on either FB marketplace, specific BST Facebook groups or Poshmark. It’s totally turned into a hobby for me (ok that is a little sad, but true) to find specific items and the brands I prefer.

I love the game of this. Between FB and a local thrift store, my son is outfitted in the best quality stuff for less than I would pay at walmart. It's durable and still able to be passed on or sold again after he outgrows it. 

Yes, same. The clothes I like are $$ but way less secondhand. And if I do splurge for an item new I don’t feel bad since all my kids are girls so it will get worn by 4 people. I’m not having anymore kids so I need to purge all the grown out sizes and most are ready to be worn again.

[Gato]

For outerwear, Patagonia has its own website:

wornwear.patagonia.com/shop/womens

I haven’t ever used them, but REI has one too. Looks like they have quite a good selection of workout clothes:

www.rei.com/b/rei-co-op


I also deliberately limit my wardrobe to 50 pieces (not including workout stuff and sleepwear, but that’s limited too). When I buy something brand new, it’s with the eye for it lasting 10 years and getting 100s of wearings, so I am comfortable paying more for sustainability. I bet I still pay less for clothes per year than 90% of American women, but it doesn’t look that way because my closet is not full of junk.

[stemmie]

I'm not stylish. I tend to buy more "classic" styles which I wear forever and eventually wear clothing out. There's an elementary school PTA locally that does fabric recycling as a fundraiser each year and I try to off-load really worn out stuff there.

I have a raincoat that's 30ish and dresses that go back 10-15 years. I also sew a small percentage of my wardrobe. One thing I have tried to get away from is shopping as entertainment; I try to have a sense of what I need rather than going into a store without a plan looking to treat myself after a rough week.

My mother loves to hit the thrift and consignment stores. A few years ago she bought me a $30 Burberry balmacaan raincoat with a "bonus" silk scarf in the pocket. I never get that lucky.

[ste]

Jul 16, 2021 14:04:56 GMT -5 af1212 said:

Jul 16, 2021 13:52:25 GMT -5 mysteriouswife said:

Used shoes can cause foot pain and issues too. The shoe forms to the person who previously wore/owned them.

DD is huge into thrift shopping now. I had no idea until a few weeks ago when we started the back to school talk. We have hit up three thrift/consign shops. Apparently, this is the trend for her age group. I purchased American Eagle jeans for $3 a pair. No complaints here!

Are there ones targeted to young people? I am used to shopping at ones for kids but they seem to stop around size 10 and then I’m also familiar with ones for adults.

My H has bought me a few things on Facebook marketplace (all from AE, which I still think of as a “young people “ store even though I’m 40 and wear their clothes 🙃). It was all nearly new. We also don’t have much in terms of thrift/consign in our area.

[cinnamoncox0]

Jul 16, 2021 12:24:41 GMT -5 wanderingback said:

I don’t have specific company recs, but for the past several years I do 90% of my shopping at thrift stores. I thankfully live in a large city with tons of options for all body types so it makes it easy for me, which I know might not be available to everyone.

The reason I decided on this is because even "sustainable" companies aren’t always fully transparent and in general fashion contributes a lot to pollution/climate change even if "careful."

I also don’t buy much stuff. I shop approximately 2 times per year and that’s it. I really try to emphasize the reduce in the phrase "reduce, reuse, recycle."

Otherwise for things that I do have to buy I do try to buy local (I rarely rarely shop online, maybe once a year, I think shipping is wasteful) as a lot of their items are made locally so also reduces waste from shipping and packaging.

Hope some of those tips help!

I love thrift and consignment shops! Also I have been seeing a lot of videos on Pinterest or taking thrift clothes and making them fit and or into something else. Like a L men’s dress shirt into a skirt, or making a skirt from jeans/pants, etc. Really creative stuff and some places you can get a men’s dress shirt for like $3 then it becomes a new skirt!

So that is my next level up in thrifting I think, if I can’t find something that fits but I like it I’ll just make it fit.

[basilosaurus]

Jul 16, 2021 14:08:44 GMT -5 mysteriouswife said:

Jul 16, 2021 14:04:56 GMT -5 af1212 said:

Are there ones targeted to young people? I am used to shopping at ones for kids but they seem to stop around size 10 and then I’m also familiar with ones for adults.

Plato’s closet is the only “chain”‘I am aware of. We have done two local ones.

There's also buffalo exchange. I've seen a few, but I don't know how far reaching they are.

I still have shirts I wore in middle school, so I think I've got the slow fashion thing down. I just don't care about fashion, and I hate shopping.

I wear pretty basic things. Half of my professional wardrobe is from 2003. Black pants. Solid sweaters and blouses. I started adding shift dresses when I worked in the heat. I wore my first pair of danskos until the rubber literally disintegrated. So, I'll buy new usually, especially since I'm on the smaller end of clothes which is hard for thrift. Non professional is just usually jeans and basic tees/tanks, most from uniqlo, some 15 years old that still look new, that I wear until they go into the rag bin. 

If your fashion is more interesting than mine, consignment and thrift. I haven't tried the things like poshmark and thredup, so I can't speak to those.

[doctoranda]

Another vote for thrift stores! Only recently started and love the "treasure hunt" aspect plus I found such good stuff. I also have bought from Thredup.

[pooh8402]

The most sustainable way is to use what you have, alter/mend what you have, or thrift clothing then alter it to fit you. Keeps clothing out of the landfill. Could also thrift fabric then make something new that way. I've got some old linens and tablecloths from estate sales for practice fabric. My husband gets a lot of his clothes from Plato's Closet, and my kids get a lot from Once Upon A Child. Also Mercari, ThredUp, and Poshmark. All of that is cheaper too.

I haven't had much time to scour thrift shops or garage sales for fabric. I've bought most of my fabric new and make much of my own clothing now. I don't like much of what are in stores lately, and stuff never really fits me right (I'm really long waisted) so I prefer to sew my own. I get clothing that I love, that fit me well and in colors and fabrics that I like.

[ssmjlm]

Bumping - Elegantees is doing a buy one, get one free to clear stock for fall

elegantees.com/

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