How to buy better
Something I
really like about the DIY culture is how it is often focused at improving
things you already own. For many of us it is a necessity as clothing often need
to be changed or repaired due to bad quality or is deemed out of style far
quicker than it should.
The way the
majority of the fashion industry is run nowadays is focused at pumping out as
many trends as possible in order to sell as many garments as they can, at any
cost. As a result fast fashion has killed personal style and individuality but
more importantly it’s killing the earth and people on it. Sadly this is nothing
new, we all know this and yet we all literally buy into it. Watching the
documentary “The True Cost” last summer made me realise something I already
knew, this has to end and we are the ones in control. Mindless shopping is not
cool, luckily there are plenty fabulous alternatives.
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This
amazing infographic was made by Elizabeth from the blog The Note Passer (Link!)
and her post does a wonderful job at explaining how to shop better but here is
the main gist of it:
- Before buying something think about whether you really need it. Is there a way you could use something you already own? Could you borrow it off somebody? If you are just wanting something new maybe you could update something you already own with a fun DIY. Not buying anything is always the more sustainable option.
- But if you do really need to buy something try finding a secondhand item instead of buying something new. I personally love going to thrift shops as it is like treasure hunting to me but I understand that it is not for everybody so I’ll come back to this topic soon with tips in another post. Buying second hand is great because instead of producing new things to fill a need, you are using something that has already been made and served a purpose. You are therefore cutting out on using more of earth’s resources and non-humanitarian factory work, good job!
- If you really can’t find what you need in a used condition, try and find it sustainable, of good quality and from an independent producer. Locally owned shops do so much for our communities and are not rated high enough in my opinion. Living in Brighton I am a very lucky girl as there is a plethora of indi shops here, but as always think quality not quantity.
If you are
interested in learning more, or need a bit of motivation, I really recommend
the book “To Die For” by Lucy Siegle or the documentary “The True Cost” which
is available on Netflix. Don’t worry about them being too depressing, both the
book and the documentary are eye-opening yet humorous and definitely worth your
time. A fun way of becoming more aware of your shopping habits is by doing the
free fashion challenge, I attempted it a few years back and would happily do it
again.
Apologies
if this post came across preachy, next week I’ll be back with a fun post!
Edit: I came across this video by a former classmate of mine and thought it explained things beautifully, enjoy!
Edit: I came across this video by a former classmate of mine and thought it explained things beautifully, enjoy!
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