Conscious Consumerism

Regardless of budget, everyone should take steps to be a more conscious consumer. I'm not advocating that people don't go shopping, nor that everyone should downsize to a minimalist capsule wardrobe. These are things are don't even want for myself. Being a conscious consumer is about stopping impulse buying, caring for the items that you have to improve their longevity, and putting more effort into rehoming or recycling garments that are no longer a good fit for you.

1. Impulse Buying. Ever been bored and started scrolling through your favorite online store's list of never ending products? Have you ever bought a garment without trying it on and said "eh, if it doesn't fit I'll just return it" and then while it doesn't fit amazingly you just hold on to it because it's too much of a hassle? Do you have clothes in your closet that still has tags on them that you are holding onto for a special occasion that has yet to be scheduled? Perhaps these weren't the best purchases.

According to AI, the global fashion industry was estimated to be worth around $2.5 trillion. Trillion, with a T. And supporting this industry is just a given in this generation. No one has the time or skills to make their own clothes-- I certainly don't. But clothes shopping doesn't need to have that big of a focus on our lives. Shopping shouldn't be a mindless activity, nor should it be the weekly reason to get out of the house. There's a way to love clothes without constantly acquiring more. And when you do purchase items, focus on making sure they are ones that you love and will get use out of.

Here is a short list of things to consider before pressing "check out":

• Does/will this piece fit me? For pants, this you should consider the rise, the waist, the inseam. For tops, you should consider the bust and length at a minimum. Is this something that should be tighter fitting or should it have a loose drape? Can I comfortably live my life wearing this garment or am I going to have to constantly be adjusting the straps on it? Are you someone that fluctuates in size? If you truly are considering the longevity of a piece, it could be more useful to per se find trousers with an adjustable waistband (elastic, drawstring, belt loops, etc.) instead of a one that merely clasps with a button.

• Is this a style that I already wear or is it flattering on my body type? For me, I know that I love the peplum shape for tops as it draws attention to my waist and adds some volume over my narrow hips. I don't wear yellow. I also know that I am transitioning away from low rise pants. And for tops, I know that I like a more conservative fit and feel uncomfortable is something is too low cut or shows off some scars I like to hide. While I do think it's okay to evolve your style and reach out of your comfort zone, it never hurts to consider the use that you will get out of the item.

• Do I already have a similar piece to this? I used to fall into the habit of finding a shirt I loved and buying it in every color and then only really wearing the one I picked out first. Sometimes it's okay to buy duplicates, but you should go into the purchase know that doing so will take away from the use of similar items you already own.

• Do I have pieces that will coordinate with this? I own a yellow skirt that matches nothing, and I have never worn it. Terrible purchase, regardless of the fact that it was on sale. Not everything in your closet needs to be a neutral, but it is worth a look through of your closet to know if a piece you are considering acquiring will fit it. Particularly when buying sets, like suits for example, look over every piece and see if the trousers and blazer can be work individually or it's just a "one look wonder" that you will rarely wear to obvious mere repetition.

• Does it look cheap? Look closely at the stitching. Does it look like the fabric and construction will hold on wash after wash? Is this the type of garment that pills? Will it need to be ironed in order to look presentable?

• Was this made in a sustainable way? Ethics of the clothing industry are far from perfect but some brands are more committed to others to providing goods that were made under sustainable practices. If a brand is "sustainable," it mostly likely advertises that it. Fair wages, hours, and working conditions. Recycled quality materials. And avoiding mirco-trends than do nothing more than just fill up landfills.

• What is the fabric composition and care instructions? Natural fibers tend to be more resilient. They don't get stretched out when wearing them all day, they don't always need to be laundered after every use, and they sustain their longevity after washing. For jeans, I like them to be at 95% cotton, if not 99-100%. If they are more elastane, they merely don't look as polished at the end of the day because they are stretched out in the waist and will sit lower than it prefer. I personally don't mind some synthetics for cool summery tank tops, but for winter clothes, warmth is almost always dependent on composition. Yet, some wools are itchy and will require a tank top underneath them. Nothing is off limits, but it's worth checking knowing the fabric content of an item before purchasing to get a better idea of how the clothing will drape, whether it will shrink, or whether it is dry clean only.

2. Clothing Care. This is something I really am working on. When I lived alone last year, I did not separate my colors from my whites, nothing went into a garment bag, everything went into the dryer, and it'd let it sit in the dryer for days on end until I got around to folding it. Let's just say that the underwire of my bras did not like me for this.

If you truly love your clothes, you should care for them. Investing in quality or luxury pieces merely isn't worth it if you don't take the extra steps to care for the items. Maintaining the quality of clothes is important for the longevity of the garment when it is in your closet as well as the the future of a item and the the possibility of it belonging to someone else's closet.

I'm planning to go more into detail for clothing care in a future article but here are the basics:

• You can maintain all items, but starting with quality items is obviously best. This doesn't mean expensive. The second hand market is a great place to find quality built pieces without splurging and is also a great way to reduce your fashion carbon footprint. Older and vintage pieces were often made with natural quality fabrics and were not skimped on construction and attention to detail-- intricate embellishments, full lining, durable stitching, etc. They were often made in smaller batches and were focused on design and longevity as opposed to modern day clothes that often cut corners to make clothes inexpensive. Vintage clothes often make great timeless staples in a wardrobe that can be styled in many different ways and tied together with more trendy pieces to modernize a look.

• Tailor when necessary. I feel like tailoring is a clothing lover's best kept secret. A good seamstress is invaluable. Whether you are a petite woman who finds that pants are simply a little too long, or you lost a few pounds and your favorite trousers no longer fit, a talented tailor is able to make clothes fit your body like a glove. One of my most successful tailorings recently was a light pink/purple short suit. The shorts fit great in the waist and I loved the pleats, but they just were a hair too long and everytime I would previously try them on, I knew something just wasn't perfect. Now the shorts are so versatile that I love the look of them even without the matching blazer. Best $15 I have spent in a while.

• Be practical with your outfit based on that day's activities. This may be common sense, but avoiding wear and tear on your clothing is highly dependent on how it's worn. While I like to look cute everyday, there are occasions where it maybe best to wear the black matching athleisure set instead of the off white cotton co-ord. Darker fabrics are less easily stained when doing outdoor or cleaning activities and more athletic or looser fabrics tend to be more resilient to sweating and movement.

• Determine if every wear requires laundering. Oftentimes, jeans can be worn multiple times before laundering is necessary and the same can be said for cardigans and winter sweater when worn over a layering piece. If you are sweating in an outfit or it is stained, obviously cleaning is important, but avoiding unnecessary laundering is key to keeping clothing looking new.

• Spot treat before washing. Nothing is worse that having a article of clothing ruined by an unsightly mark. Working in a prewash into the fabric prior to laundering is the best way to guarantee that a stain will be removed. I typically recommend letting the spot treatment sit for a few minutes and visibly checking to make sure the stain in going away before placing it in the wash with other items.

• Delicates go into garment bags. At a bare minimum t's an easy way to remember that these items do not go in the dryer and best case scenario it reduces the agitation of the fabric while in the wash.

• Machine wash cold. This is something that I am starting to do. Assuming normal daily soiling of clothes, the washing machine doesn't need to use warm water, which is more likely to muddy the coloring of clothing. Opt for cold water insead.

• Be selective about what goes into the dryer. If I was really good, nothing would go into the drier. For now, I am trying to avoid the extra heat on bras, exercise garments (as the elastic properties determinate in the heat), and anything I have with cashmere or wool (as they lose their fit).

• Empty the drier as soon as it is done. Not necessarily to extend the longevity of clothing, but it's a good practice to get into as it reduces the need for ironing. I know I am way more likely to wear a garment that is ready to go from the hanger and doesn't require the extra step of ironing.

• Some garments can be hung to dry and others must be laid flat. Look at content composition to determine. My general rule of thumb is that I can hang exercise clothes and bras to dry but that my natural fiber seaters must be laid flat to avoid the fit to be misshapen.

3. Rehoming and Recycling. Bodies fluctuate in size and what we are looking for in our clothes doesn't need to be stagnant. It's not realistic to believe that what your closet is currently is exactly what it will be like five or ten years from now. We will buy more things and we downsize. Hopefully, our clothes will outlive our usefulness and will continue to be garments for future users. When purchasing items, we should be cognizant of the quality of the item. Ideally an item should be made of a quality that it can be resold, giften, or donated when it done with its life in your closet, whether that is only for six months (for example an maternity shirt) or ten plus years (for example a pair of classic Levis). Purchasing items that disintegrate after a few washes is a poor economical choice and just contributes to waste.

I used to think rehoming gently used clothing was really easy and that I could just stick everything I wasn't loving anymore into a box, ship it off to my local goodwill, someone else would buy it pennies on the dollar, and they would love and make use of the article of clothing. Turns out this is a bit of a fairy tale. I was just listening to a favorite Youtuber of mine Christina Mychas's Sustain This Podcast (Episode 17 | How to handle style & sustainability with a changing body) and was stunned to hear that a majority of donated items were not actually repurposed but rather recycled or placed into landfills. They quoted a 2018 CBC article (Here's where your donated clothing really ends up) which revealed that only 50% of clothing that is donated to thrift stores even ends up on the store floor for resale and only about 25% of clothing is resold locally for future use. The article included an infographic that stated that 25% of donated items are resold abroad to Africa, India, and Central America for second hand use (quite a bit of which just ends up in their landfills), 30% is cut down into industrial rags, 20% is ground down and reprocessed into uses like car-seat filling, and 5% is completely unusable and sent straight to our landfills.

So while donating items is much better than just trashing it, it's far from a perfect solution. Here are some alternatives:

• Gifting to family or friends (clothing swaps, Buy Nothing)

• Selling online through resale sites like Poshmark, Depop, Ebay, Facebook Marketplace

• Selling to local consignment stores like Clothes Mentor or Plato's Closet

• Selling to online consignment stores like ThredUp

Gifting directly to family or friends is a great option. You are finding a home for items where you know they are likely to get future use. The same can be said about selling directly to a person on a resale site like Poshmark. People are on these sites because they are wishing to purchase items they are going to wear. Although these platforms will rarely let you recover the initial cost of an item, knowing that you are selling an item as opposed to giving it away for free actually more likely guarantees that it will be used. Lastly, selling to consignment stores is a more sustainable alternative than thrift stores because they are selective about what they are willing to purchase. They know their clientele and what is likely to sell and therefore, a much higher percentage of the items are rehomed. Donating items to a thrift store should really only be a last resort.

Of course, with many garments of clothing that are available for purchase nowadays this step isn't even possible. But being conscious and selective with clothing consumption goes a long way.

If you are interested in become a more conscious consumer or are interested in following my journey as a curate my closet in a mindful manner, please subscribe below!