FA S H I O N S H OWC A S E
Green, with enviable style B Y S O N YA L E U S I N K S L A D E N
Take a good hard look at your present wardrobe, your lifestyle, personal style, body shape and complexion...
G
reen is the new black in fashion – or so the spin on sustainable fashion goes. And while there’s nothing especially new about having an environmental conscience around what we choose to wear, the ‘new green’ is at last becoming fashionable in its own right. But what does this mean exactly? Is the home-spun, organic-cotton, op-shopping hippie stereotype suddenly cool, or is there more to it than that? Actually, there’s a lot more to it than that, and it doesn’t have to mean depriving yourself of new and beautiful things. More sustainable fashion is about making better choices and taking a longer-term approach to your wardrobe. For instance:
local boutiques that stock top-quality labels, in preference to fast-fashion chain stores. You will also be supporting your local economy.
Educate yourself. Making good choices is trickier if you’re not too sure what a good choice for you actually is. This might mean taking action to learn what you need to know to confidently answer questions like, ‘What do I really need?’ ‘What suits me?’ and ‘What will make a great investment for me?’. Take a good hard look at your present wardrobe, your lifestyle, personal style, body shape and complexion, and develop a shopping strategy that will provide you more style for less money and environmental waste.
Buy less, buy better. Buying less is not about doing with less, necessarily. It’s about spending a little bit more on quality and making better choices to avoid excess and waste. Aim for a smaller but refined and higher-quality wardrobe. Support 54
Look after your stuff. Clothing care and repair might not be very sexy, but as well as preserving the look of your clothes, it can result in less waste. Take pride in carefully washing, ironing,
de-pilling, polishing and repairing the clothes you love. This, in combination with investing in higher-quality garments, can significantly reduce the amount of resource and energy wastage.
Support local. Buy from local designers and makers. You reduce the carbon footprint associated with overseas production, and you support local business. Get to know who the designers are, what they specialise in and those who resonate best with your personal style.
Recycle and restore. The number of second-hand charity and re-sale clothing stores has grown steadily over the years. As a result, a plentiful supply of affordable, pre-loved clothing can help to satisfy that urge all fashion-loving women have from time to time – to shop for something new. In place of chainstore ‘retail therapy’, consider getting your ‘fix’ by buying pre-loved clothing.