How to Start a Sustainable Wardrobe in 6 Steps

Photography by @vessmess_create

What is a sustainable wardrobe exactly? Is it a capsule wardrobe? A minimal wardrobe? A wardrobe only comprised of sustainably produced, DIY, secondhand, or expensive pieces? When you define a sustainable wardrobe strictly by those parameters, a lot of people are left behind. Not everyone has the time, energy, resources, or skill to make their own clothes. Not everyone can afford or fit into sustainable brands. Not everyone can find their size or style in thrift shops. In my quest to make the sustainable fashion movement accessible to everyone, I offer you a guide on how to curate your own sustainable wardrobe regardless of background and/or circumstance.

1. Replace the fast fashion mindset with a sustainable one.

I strongly believe that the only thing you need to create a sustainable wardrobe is to have a sustainable fashion mindset. While the fast fashion mindset encourages you to buy based on price, convenience, and quantity without questioning who made your clothes, the sustainable fashion mindset encourages you to value fashion based on quality, ethical and environmental impact, and how much joy it brings you. It’s about questioning why you want or need something, how it was made, and what and how much you will use it. You don’t need to shop sustainable brands to have a sustainable fashion mindset. For example, it’s far more sustainable to shop fast fashion with a sustainable fashion mindset than it is to shop sustainable brands with a fast fashion mindset. Less is more. Quality over quantity.

2. Forgive your unsustainable purchases.

It’s easy to become swept up in the guilt of your past purchases when you first learn about the impact their production has had on the planet and the people who made them, and it can be tempting to let go of them and start anew buying from more sustainable brands. If you do this, you will have completely missed the point on what sustainability is really about. Yes, you might have bought all these things that you may or may not need or use from unsustainable brands, but that’s okay. It’s in the past, and now that you’ve educated yourself, you can shop smarter than ever before!

3. Find your personal style.

Usually a change in the way we think about fashion will also come with a change of personal style. When we free ourselves of the fast fashion mindset, we also free ourselves of the trends we bought into for the sake of being on the bandwagon. Without the crutch of fast fashion or the mindset associated with it, we’re forced to re-evaluate what it is we want to wear and why we want to wear it. Even if you think you are well-acquainted with your personal style, you might be surprised by how little you know it. When I first got into sustainable fashion, I realised that my style was all over the place. Larme kei and decora and lolita and fairy kei and party kei and pop kei and more. Items rarely matched each other very well, and many items I barely wore, if ever. By re-examining and getting to know your personal style without the influences of the fast fashion mindset, you’re already well on your way to a sustainable wardrobe. Learn how to find your personal style here.

4. Declutter your wardrobe.

Now that you’ve begun to familiarise yourself with your personal style some more, it’s time to declutter your wardrobe. You could use the KonMari method, or you could read my article ‘6 Tips to Declutter Your Wardrobe’ to find out what worked for me when I was still finding my style. Get rid of the clothes you don’t like, don’t wear, that don’t serve a purpose, or don’t fit your style. Pay attention to what you keep. Do you notice any commonalities? Are you learning anything new about your personal style? When I decluttered my wardrobe, I discovered just how little of my clothing mattered to me. I was left with a sliver of what I once had, but a clearer headspace and a chance to rediscover my style.

5. Research sustainable fashion options and trends.

When someone declutters their closet, they sometimes still have enough left for a well-rounded wardrobe, but some people are more easily able to see what’s missing from their wardrobes. Now that you’ve resolved to have a more sustainable wardrobe, you’ll need to research your sustainable fashion options. If your style is anything like mine though, you might struggle to find things that suit not only your values but your style as well. You’re probably not going to find many results searching up “sustainable alternative fashion” but you can research different sustainable fashion trends that you think could work for you. For example, upcycled fashion is a favourite of mine and one of the most sustainable options out there. You can upcycle items yourself using the multitude of DIY resources out there, or you could search for brands that create garments using bedsheets and/or fabric scraps. For a list of alternative brands to browse, check out this resource list.

6. Set your own standards for sustainable fashion.

Sustainable fashion, like all fashion, favours the privileged, and thus engaging in any kind of sustainability is a responsibility based on one’s privilege. That’s why you should never worry about being perfect or meeting the same standards as your peers or role models. Make sustainable fashion work for your circumstances. Make it work for you. If you are someone who has to rely on fast fashion for whatever reason, read this blogpost about how to be sustainable when it’s your only option. If you are someone with a disability that prevents you from hand washing and repairing your clothes, find durable clothing that can be machine washed. If researching the supply chains behind your potential purchases is overwhelming or negatively impacts your mental health, use a shopping guide like Good On You and allow yourself the slack to take things at face value. There are ways to work with the cards you have been dealt.

The core of sustainable fashion, in my opinion, is and always will be available action based on intent. If you are someone who is fortunate enough to access, afford, and fit into sustainable fashion, embrace that privilege. If you are someone who lacks certain privileges, forget the changes that you can’t apply to your wardrobe, and focus on solutions that work for you. Even if your priority isn’t solving the global fashion crisis, I can guarantee you that sustainability will transform your wardrobe for the better. If you’re someone who cares about fashion, why wouldn’t you give sustainability a try?

If you’re interested in learning more about sustainable fashion from an alternative fashion perspective, join the Alternative Fashion Lovers for Sustainability Facebook group. We answer questions, recommend brands, share inspiration, host community discussion, and more!