A few years ago, when I first went vegan, I faced a lot of backlash, oftentimes in the form of; ‚You care about animals but aren’t even doing anything for humans, you’re such a hypocrite.‘ The first couple times I just wrote it off as other people’s insecurity around veganism and didn’t worry about it too much. Cause I was already doing enough, being vegan, wasn’t I? So I kept up my mindless consumerism. A few years later tho, something just clicked for me. Fast fashion is the second most polluting industry in the world. It forces people into horrible working conditions. I just didn’t want to support that anymore. So besides (mostly) ditching brands like H&M and Forever 21, I decided to generally adapt a much more more minimalistic approach when it comes to shopping; anything to minimize the pollution and suffering I’m causing. I’m still nowhere near perfect and don’t exclusively buy ethical, eco-friendly clothing, but I still thought it might be helpful to share some of the things that have helped me personally on my fair fashion journey:
- Take your time.
Change takes time. Don’t force yourself into anything you’re not ready for. Take it step by step, and you’ll get there eventually.
- Get educated.
Every difficult, possibly life-changing decision comes with a ton of challenges. That’s why I find it incredibly important to get educated first; that way you’ll always be able to remember why you’re doing this and you won’t get discouraged as easily. It’s also gonna make the process itself so much easier! Read blogs, watch ‚The True Cost‘(it’s on Netflix!), watch Youtube videos, theres actually tons of resources out there!
- Don’t buy things just because they’re cheap.
Falling into the ‚sales trap‘ is easy, but it will make you end up with a closet full of stuff you don’t only have no need for, but actually don’t even want. A piece you don’t love is not even worth the wasted closet space.
- Find some ethical designers and stores you truly love.
The thing is, a lot of ethical clothing is kind of, well, meh, in my opinion; most of the time it’s just either veeeery ‚eco’ or super expensive. I honestly haven’t found that many stores myself yet, but much like the hunt for new vegan food, the hunt for fair fashion can be super fun!
Here are some resources to help you out:
Anna Laura Kummer’s Fair Fashion Guide
Kristen Leo’s Fair Fashion Guide
DariaDaria’s Fair Fashion Guide
- Before buying something, ask yourself: is this making me happy?
Is this bringing real value to my life? I don’t think everything necessarily needs to be practical, a dress you simply, truly love can bring value into your life even if you don’t ‚use‘ it every single day. (shoutout literally all my maxi dresses haha)
- Minimize ‚special occasion‘-purchases.
I have sooo many useless outfits just lying around in my closet that I’ve only worn once and probably never will again. Waste of money waste of space waste of time. So, I’ve simply started to re-wear things I already have instead of getting something new for every single upcoming party. It’s okay to wear the same dress twice! You could also try renting or borrowing:) (especially with halloween costumes!)
I really hope this helps you out:)
Much love,
Mira xx