Ivy Boudreau

Ivy Boudreau May 2019 So, a little recap from ​last time​: Polyester, acrylic, rayon, spandex fabric are essentially plastic. Plastic = bad for the environment, all the way from its production to the hundreds of years it takes for it to finally disintegrate, causing even more pollution the entire time. However, there are a couple more factors to consider when buying clothes in an environmentally friendly way than just the fiber content. Let’s start by talking about the concepts of fast and slow fashion. Fast fashion​ refers to clothing, usually cheap, that are made to quickly follow trends. These clothes are usually made from man-made materials, wear out quickly, forcing you to buy more and more, and are almost always made using exploitative labor practices. These companies also often massively overproduce and a lot of their clothes end up in landfills without ever being worn. Brand examples include H&M, Forever 21, Zara, Primark, etc. Slow fashion​ refers to clothing made with sustainable materials by people who were paid a fair wage, usually made-to-order or in small batches to avoid overproduction. Slow fashion also refers to shopping second-hand, which prolongs the lifespan of garments. Options in this category include shopping from small businesses, Etsy, thrift stores, and resale apps. If you looked at the list of fast fashion brands and your heart sank a bit because that’s where most of your clothing is from, I feel you! Fast fashion is so tempting, especially when you’re on a budget, and buying slow fashion made from natural fibers generally isn’t cheap. But don’t worry – I’ll share some ways to make it a little easier on your bank account, and also the reasons it’s so very important to try to make the switch. So, fast fashion is terrible for the environment, as we have established. Did you know that the fashion industry is ​one of the most highly polluting industries​, especially since it involves many of the other major polluters like oil, transportation, and agriculture? And in addition to harming the environment, it also harms people. Most fast fashion is made in sweatshops where workers aren’t paid a living wage, and sometimes aren’t allowed sufficient (or any) water and bathroom breaks. The factories and housing are known to be completely unsafe, but workers are often forced to stay anyways, as was shown when ​a garment factory collapsed in Bangladesh in 2013​, killing over a thousand people. Colonialism also plays a role in the problem, as Western capitalism has entered many countries and destroyed the existing and functional infrastructure, forcing people to either work in these awful conditions or face homelessness and death. If you read this, agree that something needs to be done, but aren’t sure how to make it work with your budget, I completely understand! I struggle with this too! However, the good news is that thrift shopping is your friend. Buying ​any​ brand from a thrift store helps because you’re keeping more fast fashion garments out of the landfill. Plus, thrifted clothes made from natural fibers will be cheaper than if you bought them new. And finally, you’re financially supporting individuals and small businesses instead of big businesses that are causing so much damage to the environment and peoples’ lives. Here’s a few tips, in no particular order, from someone who has shopped thrift stores out of financial necessity for most of her life: Go during the week, preferably in the morning​! Thrift stores can be overwhelming enough as it is with their jumble of different colors and textures, so don’t make them even more challenging than they need to be by adding crowds of people to the mix! Figure out how location affects thrift stores in your area​. When I lived in small-town WI, the clothes in thrift stores were plentiful and cheap – I could easily replenish my wardrobe for a new season for about $35. However, even though I scored a few gems, the clothes tended to be several years out of style and usually showed some visible signs of wear. I had to go to bigger cities like Milwaukee to find clothes that were still in style, but they still tended to be fairly inexpensive. However, thrift shopping is a little more expensive now that I’m in DC (which, admittedly, is notorious for not having a good thrift store scene). It’s still a lot less expensive than shopping new – for example, I recently found two 100% cotton dresses for about $15 each – and everything is much more stylish than what I could find in WI. From my experience, the best deals seem to happen at stores that are near a city, but not right in it. Get on the email list for sales and coupons​. Savings on savings, ya know? Find out when they restock and shop on that day!​ The racks will be full and not picked over. Use apps like Poshmark, Depop, or ThredUp​, especially if your local thrift stores have a selection of clothes that’s not to your taste. Have a plan.​ For years, I bought clothes simply because I thought they were cute, and since they were also so cheap at the thrift stores near me, I ended up with a huge collection of clothes that didn’t really go together. Try to keep your existing clothes in mind so you can build a wardrobe, not just a clothes collection. Be patient, give yourself lots of time, and go in with an open mind.​ Thrift stores are totally luck-of-the-draw, and even though that can be fun and exciting, you might not find exactly what you were looking for every time. It helps to give yourself lots of time, both when you’re at the store and when you’re planning to buy something specific. Let me know if you have any other tips! And remember, imperfect actions from many will make more of a difference than perfection from a few.