Second Hand First

There are plenty of reasons to buy more clothes. Perhaps you have a special occasion coming up like a wedding to attend. Maybe your weight has fluctuated, and you need to purchase a few items in a different size. You may have even items that are past their prime and had to be discarded due to overuse or stains. Or... sometimes you just need something fresh in your closet.

Being a conscious consumer doesn't mean you never go shopping, but it does mean that you should be more mindful as you expand your closet. One of the best ways to be mindful when purchasing new items for your closet is to shop second hand first.

Here are a few reasons why you should shop second hand first:

Shopping second hand is the opposite of supporting fast fashion. Sure, MOST of the brands that are available on the resale market are fast fashion brands. Almost any large label nowadays can fall into a fast fashion category. But when you are not buying directly from a retailer, you aren't funding the production of cheaper disposable clothing items. Fast fashion is only profitable because people are purchasing it. People want inexpensive clothes and are willing to compromise on the quality of the items and the fair treatment of the workers creating them. By shopping second hand, we (as a whole) limit the profitability of fast fashion and dismantle the concept that clothing items are one-time use.

If you have ever been to a consignment store, thrift store, or one of the online varieties (think theRealReal or Depop), you are aware of the sheer volume of items that are available for resale. Some items are brand new with tags, some have just been worn once, and others had a whole life in someone's wardrobe but they are built so well that they have years left in them. Especially for vintage luxury and miditier brands. But even if you are purchasing a "cheaper" item that you only intend to wear a few times, there are really no good reasons to buy it new. It makes ethical sense, if you are going to purchase items anyways, to give such items more use and to keep them prematurely out of the landfill or go through the expensive process of recycling into textiles.

I am not vegan, but I am becoming more mindful of my consumption of animal product when it comes to my wardrobe. I am a firm believer that the use of animal products in clothing, shoes, belts, and bags should not be a willy-nilly decision. I quite simply only like to buy leather and suede products second hand because if an animal is going to die, we might as well make the best use out of that product. If a comparable animal-based item is available both great condition like-new and also new from a retailer, it's the ethical decision to buy second hand.

Lasty, it would be foolish to not elaborate on the financial component of buying clothes second hand. Most clothing, shoes, handbags and like accessories are almost as bad as cars when you look at the new vs. used price discrepancy. Simply put, you can almost never expect to get your money back on items once they are purchased (tags or no tags). Looking today, for example, on Poshmark it's easy to find a new basic 100% cashmere sweater for $40-$70. The same thing can retail for $200+ brand new.

I really try hard to limit my consumption of clothing directly from retailers. It's a way to create a unique closet of things I love rather than what is simply in style at that particular moment in time, it's more cost effective, and it's a way of putting my money where my mouth is and telling fast fashion that I don't support the lower level of ethics necessary to whip out new trends everyday.

Here are first stop places to shop:

• Locally from individuals (LetGo, FB Marketplace, OfferUp)

• Thrift Stores (Salvation Army, Goodwill, St. Vincent de Paul)

• Consignment Shops (Plato's Closet, Buffalo Exchange, Clothes Mentor)

• Online Thrift/Consignment Shops (Poshmark, Depop, Mercari, Ebay, Tradesy, theRealReal, Vestiaire Collective, Fashionphile, Queenly, Carousel, Vinted, Rebag)

Unfortunately, thrift stores are beginning to by flooded by cheap fast fashion brands and it does take some scoping out to find good quality items. Online resellers and curated consignment shops tend to be more reliable nowadays.

Here are some ethical companies to buy from if you decide to buy new:

• KOTN

• Tentree

• Doen

• Reformation

• Patagonia

• Lucy and Yak

• Everlane

• Looptworks

• Someone Somewhere

• Burton

• Goodcloth

A very limited list of which there are hundreds. If a company is ethical, it will let you know. Just a quick Google search or scope of the website is typically enough to find things like supply chain transparency, labor practices, animal welfare, environmental responsibility, and certifications.

And here is a list of the least-ethical places to buy from (to stay clear from):

• Shein

• Amazon

• Boohoo

• Fashion Nova

• Uniqlo

• Forever 21

• Zara

• H&M

• Pretty Little Thing

• TopShop

• Aritzia

This is a very abridged list. Note that price is a poor indicator of whether a company is really contributing to fast fashion. If they are popping out new trends every month and are not properly caring for an reimbursing their workers, they ultimately are not brands to look for directly from retailers.