Ethical Fashion III

Hi girls,

The last couple of blogs have been all about ‘ethical fashion’ and I told you that this time would be about planning your wardrobe. This is really important if you want an ethical wardrobe. It means NOT buying on impulse, without any thought, poor quality clothes that quickly get chucked out.

Rather this is buying where each piece is important, valued and looked after, (even mended rather than thrown away). Buying this way is buying less and better quality. (Many of the more expensive clothes for sale will not have been made for fair wages BUT you can be sure that really cheap ones guarantee unfair pay).

This is buying thinking of the lifespan of the item and shopping with a plan and budget in mind. It’s a reason discovering your personal style is helpful so you can build up a wardrobe of things you actually like in a style you feel comfortable in.

A few ideas on planning your wardrobe:

Consider the way you spend your time and how much of your wardrobe is dedicated to each. It makes sense to have more clothes for things you spend more time doing. Make two pie charts with the following:

Time you spend:     

At work

Socialising

Hobbies/ sport

At home/ other

Etc.

Business wear

Formal/smart

Sportswear

Casual clothes

Etc.

You could consider building your wardrobe by collecting groups of clothes that can be worn in a number of different combinations for each of the categories you have identified that you need to dress for. For example, 2 jackets, 5 tops and 3 bottoms would make a month of different combinations if they all went together!!

Planning is a consideration but so is caring for our clothes to help them last. Here are a few suggestions:

Wash low (many clothes can be washed at 30 deg), spin fast, tumble less. You can cut up to 40% of the energy bill created doing laundry. 70,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide are churned out by tumble driers in the UK each year. That’s the same as 20,000 return flights from London to New York each week. If you use your washing line, you can save £60/ year!

If you look after your clothes properly, they’ll look better and last longer. Put your clothes away clean and then dust and clean your wardrobe regularly and air clothes (especially if they smell smoky) before you put them in.

Wire hangers are not the best for clothes. Coats, jackets and shirts all benefit from shaped wooden hangers. These space themselves naturally which prevents over crowding. Hangers with clips or clamps are good for skirts and trousers. Hang skirts from waist and trousers from hem (helps creases drop out). Use padded hangers for light blouses and dresses. Knitwear, t.shirts, scarves, jeans and sports clothes can all be folded. Hang belts on tie racks or over hook of hanger—avoid rolling them. 

Love
Anna