No New Clothes - Clothing Sustainability

I ran onto the subway train as the door was closing. I sat down in the first empty seat. A woman came over and told me she thought I sat in something. Sure enough, there was some kind of clear liquid and black residue all over my pants. First, I was frustrated. Then, I was worried about this mystery substance on my clothes and skin.

As soon as I had the chance, I went to the closest Goodwill and found a pair of jeans for $8.99. While in line, I did some research and found out that it takes about 1,800 gallons of water to make one pair of jeans. And one mistake on the subway to ruin them.

As a kid, I used to cut all of the plastic drink rings before recycling them. I took tons of environmental classes in college. I've gone vegan more times than I can count. But I never seriously took clothing into consideration when thinking about my impact on the environment until recently.

I have a long history of hand-me-down's and thrift shopping but have often called myself the queen of sales. I've purchased clothing items only because it was a good deal. I've kept clothes with tags on them for years at a time. I've knowingly bought into fast fashion.

I finally decided to make a real change towards sustainability and minimalism through no longer buying new clothes.

Alternatives to buying new clothes

Hand-Me-Down's

My sister is four years older than me which means when she grew out of clothes or got over a certain trend, I inherited hand-me-down's. This was the case when we were kids and still happens today. She's a bit of a shopaholic so anytime she gives me clothes, it's usually in bulk. I'm talking Ikea bag amounts. It's one of my greatest thrills in life.

When I moved in with Mady, my best friend, I finally had someone to give things to that either didn't fit me, weren't quite my style, or were the straw that broke my closet rod's back. So here's how the hand-me-down's from my sister work now: Samantha to me - me to Mady - Mady to other friends. I love seeing other friends getting use out of the clothes and making it their own! It genuinely makes me so happy that we have this system in place and nothing is going to waste.

Speaking of inheriting clothes, I also own pieces from my mom, uncles, family friends, etc.

I love hand-me-down's! Hey Google- play "Thrift Shop" by Macklemore.

Thrifting

So I'll start here- I was obsessed with Tumblr. One trend that genuinely had a big push from hipster blogging was thrifting. It wasn't super popular, at least in my hometown, until Tumblr made it all the rage. It forces you to be creative, think outside of the box, and step out of your element.

We had a Goodwill a couple of miles from my mom's house so that was my only thrifting spot. When I'd get rid of clothes (or just about anything else), I'd bring it to this Goodwill. It was kind of cool buying and later returning pieces to the same place!

At first, I mostly loved finding oversized sweaters and cardigans. Then I started finding cool pieces to wear to Outside Lands. Then I found another thrift shop a town over that had shorts in my size. When I moved to Chico, I didn't really thrift much. When I moved to the Bay Area, it was rare that I actually bought things, as thrifting is expensive there, generally. NYC thrifting though, is a gift from above.

L Train Vintage is hands-down my favorite thrifting chain. Their prices are unbeatable and their pieces are all unique and in great condition. This store is the only one I truly miss from being in the city. Fair warning, L Train- I am raiding all of your stores the second I'm back and it's safe to! The jeans in the photo below were only $20!

Thrifting Apps

I used to buy and sell clothing online every single day. Not kidding, not exaggerating! I had something arrive in the mail every day and made trips to the post office at least twice a week. I started with selling on Instagram. My account racked up about 1.5k followers, completely organic. I ended up moving my operation to the Mercari app and occasionally sold locally through Facebook Marketplace.

Mercari was easy to understand and I was able to make a buck here and there! It wasn't profitable all the time, mostly just when I had Brandy Melville to sell, but at the time, I was so broke that I couldn't even afford to buy groceries besides noodles and 99 cent pasta sauce- that college life. Even making $2 from a sale then helped me out.

I've also purchased on Depop and Poshmark previously but I never really got a grip on selling via those platforms.

Warehouse Sales

I love a good warehouse sale. I don't say that lightly, though. To this day I am subscribed to three different email newsletters which tell me where all of the SoCal, NorCal, and NYC warehouse sales are. I can't remember the name of it but there was also an app for NYC warehouse sales that I obsessively refreshed for a while.

Warehouse sales are where brands will sell outdated, damaged, or surplus clothing that won't be sold in stores. It's where you'll find the cheapest deals imaginable. No matter how much you leave with, someone will absolutely buy more than you.

I've gone to Tom's, Adidas, Dolls Kill, Lulu's, 4 different Brandy Melville sales, and probably a few others I can't remember. My first draft of this section took up the majority of this post so I've decided to dedicate an entire separate post to warehouse sales- stay tuned on that!

I love warehouse sales, and surplus/ resale outlet stores, because I'm buying clothes that will otherwise be destroyed or end up in a landfill. Speaking of those stores...

Lulu's Outlet Store & Urban Outfitters Surplus Store

I mentioned that I'd been to a Lulu's warehouse sale. I'd like to clarify that I've been to two of their warehouse sales, a total of 5x. I went back multiple times because I couldn't get enough. The best part was that they donated the proceeds to fixing the local skatepark in Chico! How could I say no?

Lulu's had tremendous success from the sales and they later decided to open up an entire outlet store in downtown Chico. This was the greatest news. I can't tell you how often I was in this store when I lived in town. Everything was usually under $10! The items sold are mostly returns that cannot be resold on the site so this is a perfect alternative. Not to mention, I love supporting local businesses! The store only operates a few days a week and I'm on my knees, begging the universe to let me shop there while I'm currently in town.

The Urban Outfitters Surplus Store in Sherman Oaks is something out of a dream. Totally organized, incredible prices, and all in perfect condition. These are items they accidentally made too much of and will not sell in their regular stores. I've gotten tops for as cheap as $2 here! Though these are technically new clothes, these are items that are on their last selling cycle. I also called recently and found out that the clothes they don't sell there will be donated! I haven't purchased clothing here in a couple of years but definitely think it's a great alternative.

Upcycling

Giving your current clothes new life is absolutely getting more popular through TikTok and Youtube tutorials!

In Utah, I realized I hadn't packed properly for quarantine. I thought there was no way we'd be gone from NYC long enough for me to have to pack warm-weather clothes. Boy, was I wrong. I cut up one pair of jeans into shorts and one of my tees into a crop top. I painted the pocket of another pair of jeans. If my sister didn't send me some summer hand-me-down's, I would've ended up cutting everything else to shreds.

Upcycling is all about resourcefulness and creativity!

Sustainable Clothing Shopping

Now, this post starts with the title of No New Clothes because that's currently where I am in my sustainability journey. In no way do I mean to demonize shopping, I only mean to point out the ways that I and others choose to not contribute towards negative environmental and habitual shopping impacts. If you do choose to purchase new clothing, here are some sustainable suggestions.

Buy sustainably and ethically

Sustainable brands are a fantastic approach if you aim to buy new clothes. However- it’s not always an affordable option. Because the materials and labor are ethical in sustainable brands, shopping ethically can often come at a higher price tag.

I genuinely believe that nothing is free. In fast fashion, you pay a few dollars but sweatshop laborers are paying with their health and wellbeing. In ethically sourced and produced fashion, you pay more upfront for the tradeoff of not contributing to corrupt systems.

It's definitely easier said than done to commit to only sustainable and ethical fashion but I think it also plays into buying what you need over what you want. If you need a new shirt, there might be more value in that object through saving up for it and knowing exactly how it was made and where it came from. This is not realistic for everyone, I know this. I've never had the money, time, or dedication to shopping this way. But for some, this could be an option now or a goal to reach someday.

Trends

Remember when those fabric print bell bottoms were all the rage on the music festival circuits around 2015? Do I have to remind everyone about "swag" in 2011? Let's go back even further to 2006 and blush at mini skirts with leggings underneath. Completed look would usually be accompanied by long layered necklaces and Uggs or worse- flats.

Trends do come back around sometimes! Who can ignore the 90's being relived today through bucket hats, hair clips, jelly shoes, and tight mini skirts and dresses?

All considered, trends can last anywhere between a season and a lifetime. Stay true to your style above all else. Trends are one of the biggest contributors to fast fashion and a dime a dozen.

Fast Fashion Websites

I will not name them but you know who I'm talking about! Typically they exist overseas. They're starting to partner with influencers. They're featured in haul videos. They also get turned into memes for being misleading and some poor soul hoping to wear their products ends up with a dress the size of a toothpick but because they play into trends and keep their prices low (and have recently implemented payment plans), they continue to thrive.

I'm realizing that all of these facts might actually drive traffic to their pages but here are the questions to keep in mind- if they have consistently been able to keep their prices low, why? If they are spending a solid amount of money on shipping orders across seas, what do their employee wages look like? If the quality of their items is mostly rated as, "good for the price," how are their materials sourced?

How I shop now

The truth is that even in a bind, I've always seemed to find opportunities for more sustainable clothing options.

I've learned to shop for what I need before what I want.

And I have taken those fast-fashion websites off of my bookmarks and favorites.

There is no right or wrong way to shop for clothes but I hope this post helps you remember that each choice has an entire industry behind it. Supporting the most ethical ones is how you can help create waves of change.

In the words of Macklemore, "coppin' it, washin' it, bout to go and get some compliments."

#sustainability #ethical #ecofriendly #green #fashion