Darcy's tips for a more Eco-Friendly wardrobe
1. Shop sustainable fabrics. Understanding what your clothes are made of and how they are produced is the first step to building a more sustainable wardrobe. It’s helpful to hone in on certain brands that prioritize ethical natural fabrics like organic cotton, linen and silk. These garments will often cost more than fashion fashion alternatives, but if quality and fair wage practices are important to you, it’s worth it—and you can always shop your favorite sustainable brands secondhand (Featured: Eileen Fisher and Eileen Fisher Renew) 2. Get to know your Certified B Corps. A certified B Corp gets high marks on everything from employee benefits and charitable giving to supply chain practices and ethical materials. Fortunately for all of us, there are enough certified B Corps in the fashion/retail space that if you ONLY wanted to shop at those stores, you could. (Featured: Athleta, Cotopaxi and Cariuma) 3. Reuse and recycle. In fashion, we often call this "up-cycling” and there are some companies doing some really cool things with recycled materials. (Featured: Deadwood Studios and Rothy’s). 4. Plug into online ethical shopping. I’m very excited about a great online resource called WearWell, which curates sustainable accessories and clothing size XS-5X. There’s an option to work with a stylist and an online quiz to point you to the products and styles that most align with your values. (Featured: Shopwearwell.com) 5. Thrift! When most people think of thrifting, they imagine digging through the racks at a Goodwill, they don’t necessarily think about brand new designer, high quality merchandise, but The RealReal offers an incredible selection of authenticated, high quality previously owned items at a fraction of their original price. And you can browse and search on their app just as easily as you would on any other fashion site. (Featured: The RealReal)
Anything else we can all do to be more sustainable?
We can all do a better job taking care of the clothes we own. Our landfills are full of clothing that is wrecked and unwearable, simply because someone washed it incorrectly. So! If everyone could pledge to read the care label before they buy any item and internalize/commit to the care of that garment, we could make a huge impact. Taking care of your clothing allows you to wear it longer, and consign or donate it to someone else in better condition.
Darcy’s “Take Better Care of Your Clothes" starter kit:
Travel Garment Steamer (LINK)
Woolite Dark (LINK)
Sweater shaver (LINK)
Vodka spritzer
Tom and Sherri’s Iron in a Bottle (LINK)