Issue 01: Sustainable Styling
An invitation arrived at Susan’s house; her best friend was having a high school graduation party. But unfortunately, she did not have a lot of money to spend on a new outfit at the mall. She was devastated, until one of her friends had a great suggestion, about checking out the second- hand vintage shops that were local to her.
Susan stepped up on the wooden step, paused and looked up at the shop window, peering back at her was a fashionably dressed mannequin, wearing a textured black and red mini skirt, cool Baby Doll t-shirt, a funky black felt cloche hat accessorizing with black rocker boots. With trepidation she opened the shop door, not knowing what she would find inside. A delight it was indeed! Fun clothes, great accessories, shoes, boots and at the prices she could not believe and could certainly afford. This was her first experience in a vintage secondhand shop. Yes, you guessed correctly, Susan was sold and has never looked back. Over the years I too have found many treasures that have personally been added to my wardrobe. Love swapping out clothes and accessories with friends and family.
Sustainable styling has been around for more than thirty plus years, emerging from several different movements, the hippie, the punk, eco fashion, that lead into today’s fair trade and sustainable fashion. The main three things that you should focus on in the fashion Industry is what impact does your clothes have on animals, is the designer thinking about not using animal hair, leather and fur. Are people being paid fair wages. What about the environment and the distance of where the fashion is being produced and where are the factories? How transparent is this commercial enterprise about being ethical with fair trade and is it reducing carbon footprint? Did you know that 10-15 percent of all fast fashions are sold, and the rest is never used? One has to take many different factors into consideration if you want to support sustainable fashion. The meaning of the concept is the buying, recycling, reusing, shopping at vintage and secondhand shops. There are amazing pieces that you can pick up at these wonderful shops. Why not shop at your local boutiques and favourite couturiers?
There are many grass root designers, that would love your support. It would be so amazing and brilliant if more designers started creating their pieces of art by re-using existing materials.
As a person that likes to shop until they drop, I have become a conscious shopper. Have tried to combine sustainable fashions into my lifestyle by changing up my wardrobe. It is great fun upcycling your clothes, turning them into a new look. Invite your mates around to have a fun day giving your old clothes a second life.
Let’s do a challenge together for the next four months. It is called the No New Clothing Challenge. No buying new clothes for the duration of the year. Except for your lingerie, we all need new bras and panties. You can wear all the clothes in your closet, create some fab styles, try to buy second hand and you can exchange your clothes with friends, family and strangers if you like their look. Have a blast upcycle your outfits. If you buy anything, tell us why, where and what motivated you. Let’s share each other’s styling journey with photographs and your own personal clothing challenge.
It is important to do something small every day to help the world!
