How to Be a More Conscious Consumer

Consumers of this moment are chasing a more environmentally conscious cycle of consumption. It's better for our Earth, it's smarter consumer behavior, and it makes for a more functional wardrobe. This blog post will delve into how you can be a more environmentally conscious consumer overall before we go in depth on the innovations being made in sustainable fashion. These four questions will help guide you through your clothing habits and lead to a more thoughtful way of consuming materials.

1. What purpose does it serve you?

I believe that moving towards a more conscious closet starts with smarter shopping. Before you make a purchase, ask yourself if the item has an actual function within your closet. Will it be worn once and tossed into a corner, or will it be used in a variety of contexts on multiple occasions? Buying pieces that have a short lifespan in your closet only contributes to further piling up the mountain of wastage that comes from fast fashion choices. Smarter shopping means considering if the piece will be used with your lifestyle, if it has the proper fit and materials for you, and if it can be paired with other items that will complete your outfit. 

2. What is it made of?

The next step in making more sustainable clothing choices is looking at the materials that your clothing is made of. This step takes a small amount of literacy in how clothing is made and the amount of waste that comes from certain fabrication techniques. For example, common practices of denim washing uses intense chemicals that have polluted rivers in China with over 2.5 billion gallons of wastewater that is contaminated with heavy metals (EcoWatch). It is vital to those who actually produce our clothing that we choose companies who make environmentally sound manufacturing choices so that we can drive change in the industry with our consumer behaviors.

3. Where did you buy it?

Another aspect of consumption to consider is where you spent the time and money to purchase your items from. Smart options are thrift/secondhand shops and online reselling apps where you can buy clothing that has been lightly used. This will help keep the item in a cycle of use instead of being dumped in the trash. You should also consider whether or not the regular retailers you frequent are considerate of environmental conditions in their production processes. Brands such as Stella McCartney, Patagonia, Everlane, and People Tree redeem themselves on their ethical and sustainable practices and demonstrate the growing need for environmentally conscious collections.

4. What else can you do with it?

All it takes is one beginning level sewing class to transform every item in your wardrobe. The most creative option for continuing the life expectancy of your clothing is to upcycle it into something new. Upcycling is when you tweak the design of the item to give it a different style, such as taking a thrifted muumuu and making it into a fit and flare dress. In this way, you can give a personal touch to your clothing as well as give it a new life in your wardrobe.

These four steps are just some small ways you can convert your closet into a more consciously consumed collection of clothing. 

*This post was originally published on thoughtfully-made.weebly.com