If you’re striving to live a more sustainable and environmentally healthy lifestyle, it can be hard to know where to start, especially if you’re on a budget. According to an annual survey by Slickdeals, 64% of US adults reported an increase in their impulse spending in 2022, and 35% of impulse purchases are spent on clothing. Your clothing buying habits can be a good starting point.
Recent attention around the dangers of fast fashion has spurred more people to change their shopping habits and start living more sustainably by avoiding the industry altogether. Here are some ways you can avoid fast fashion while sticking to your budget.
What is fast fashion and why is it bad?
Fast fashion describes the mass production and sale of cheap and fashionable clothing items to meet consumer demand and follow fleeting fashion trends. Companies like Shein, H&M and Forever 21 are considered fast fashion brands. A relatively new term, fast fashion contributes to overproduction and waste and, in many cases, can involve unethical business practices as well as unfair and unsafe labor practices, according to a University of Alabama at Birmingham research paper titled ” Fast Fashion: Unethical and Unsustainable”.
According to Fashion Checker, a campaign of the Clean Clothes Campaign, funded by the European Union, 93% of brands do not pay their workers a living wage. The Los Angeles Times found that Forever 21 paid its factory workers a mere $4 an hour.
In addition to contributing to unethical work practices, fast fashion can also be bad for the environment. It is estimated that the fashion industry accumulates 92 million tons of waste per year. A study by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe found that the fashion industry is the second largest user of water in the world, producing 20% of global water waste. Producing a lot of cheap products requires the use of toxic dyes, dangerous chemicals and microplastics that pollute clean water, according to Business Insider. The factories where these garments are made also contribute to air pollution, deforestation and energy use.
Consumers have the purchasing power. Here’s how to avoid the fast fashion industry, even if you’re on a budget.
Start by having a shopping budget
Having a specific budget for clothing can clear up any doubts about what you can and cannot afford. Jamie Ebersole, a certified financial planner and founder and CEO of Ebersole Financial LLC, says clothing budgets vary based on the individual and her needs.
“First, we need to cover basic living expenses like rent, food, insurance, transportation, student loans, technology, etc,” he says. “Then we look at savings, funding an emergency reserve, and retirement savings. Once all of these areas have been paid for, we can look at what’s left and divide it among the various remaining buckets, such as shopping, entertainment, dining, etc. This will give us a good idea of what we can afford to spend on new clothes.”
You can create your own clothing budget at home using budgeting apps or spreadsheets to make it even easier to track. Regulating your spending habits by sticking to a budget is a great way to take responsibility and learn how to save and spend your money in the best way.
work with what you have
If you want to start shopping more sustainably, it’s best to start with what you already have in your closet, says Tachelle Ting, biologist and author of “Fast Fashion: Wearing Out the Planet.” The pieces you already own are the most sustainable items you own.
“It would be more wasteful to throw out all the things in your wardrobe and buy a whole new, sustainable wardrobe. Start with what you have and really look at the value of each item,” says Ting.
Sit down and take inventory of your closet, noting which clothes you wear regularly and which you wear less often. If you don’t get much use out of a certain piece, then it may be time you gave it to a friend or donated it. The goal is to get the most value and use out of every piece of clothing you own, even if you bought most of your wardrobe from fast-fashion outlets.
Buy only essentials and basics
The best strategy for establishing a timeless and enduring wardrobe is to invest in essentials, rather than buying trendy clothes. Trends are fleeting and continually keeping up with what’s hot contributes to the fast fashion industry.
Instead of shopping for cheap, trendy clothes, shop around for better-quality essentials like solid-colored t-shirts, simple pants, and versatile shoes. If you have quality basics in your closet, then you won’t need to shop as often, saving you money in the long run.
go saving
Thrifting is one of the easiest ways to avoid fast fashion and save money. From Goodwill to Plato’s Closet, there are plenty of store options for consumers who want to buy second-hand clothing. These days, you don’t even have to leave the house to go shopping; Online savings services like ThredUp make shopping easier in a sustainable way. You can even download apps like Poshmark and Depop to buy and sell your own clothes online.
Avoid going to shopping malls
If you are trying to save money and stop buying clothes from fast fashion brands, avoid going to the malls, even the outlet malls. It’s easy to overspend at the mall, even if you go there with no intention of buying anything. The amount of products and merchandise available makes it difficult to navigate through a mall and leave without a new wardrobe item. If you have trouble spending too much on clothes, try to avoid the temptation by avoiding the malls, which mostly have stores that contribute to fast fashion.
Research before you buy
While fast fashion clothing brands make shopping accessible, it only takes a little research to find more sustainable options and businesses to patronize.
Michelle Chavez, a sustainable fashion influencer and co-founder of The Tote Project, a small business against human trafficking, says researching ethical businesses is easier than people think. “The next time you need an item of clothing, take a couple of extra minutes to Google ‘ethically made dresses’ or whatever it is you’re looking for,” she says. “You will discover that there are more options than you think.”
Ethical fashion is becoming increasingly accessible, especially as small businesses gain traction on social media. Doing research before you buy may seem like it prolongs the buying process, but a few simple Google searches are all it takes.
Buy better quality clothing from small businesses
One of the problems of fast fashion is the low quality of the products, and therefore the need to keep buying new clothes.
“Fast-fashion fabric snags very easily; holes sometimes rip after a wash, and it’s often sewn with a thread that’s meant to tear and fray. A shirt might cost $15, but you’ll have to replace it four times a This costs more in the long run than buying a $50 T-shirt that will last you years,” says Chavez.
However, smaller companies that typically spend more time and better resources on products tend to create much higher quality clothing.
If you choose to invest in higher quality items, it may cost you more up front. Buying a $50 shirt can be painful at the time, but higher-quality, more durable clothing will help you save money by not having to buy replacements as often. Just make sure you keep your budget in mind.
Be creative
Who says more is better? Instead of buying a new wardrobe every year, get creative. Reuse different pieces in different ways, borrow clothes from your friends if you need a specific item, and spice up old pieces by reworking them and adding accessories.
Don’t be embarrassed to wear your favorite outfits repeatedly or combine unique outfits by drawing inspiration from Pinterest or Instagram. It doesn’t have to be difficult to shop sustainably and avoid fast fashion while staying on budget. The key is simple: just do your best to be creative and mostly work with what you already have.
Source: money.usnews.com