how to join the circular fashion movement
Most people want to look cute when they leave the house, sometimes even drop-dead gorgeous when the occasion calls for it.
And while styles are seasonal and trends come and go, there's a big elephant in the room when it comes to being a fashion consumer. The environmental impact of our wardrobe choices can kill our shopping experiences when we think about what it takes to manufacture these garments.
We all want to be fashionable, but at what cost?
Delivering fast fashion to consumers comes at a high cost for the planet, as well as the garment workers who sometimes risk their lives and well-being for us to be able to buy a cute shirt to wear on a weekend outing.
But that doesn't mean shopping has to be depressing. There are so many ways to make your wardrobe more sustainable. It starts with bringing circularity to our wardrobe choices.
What is Circular Fashion?
Circular fashion is a movement dedicated to reducing fashion waste, promoting conscious style choices, and finding new ways to repurpose secondhand clothes.
Traditionally, the fashion industry has followed a linear lifecycle for garments.
Clothes are produced, sold, worn for some time, and often thrown away.
This creates waste because the garments end up in landfills when they could still be useful to someone else. It also creates more demand for new garments, creating additional waste in manufacturing.
Circular fashion aims to change this by creating a more sustainable circular system. The idea is to keep resources and materials in use for as long as possible, reducing waste and environmental impact.
Instead of the traditional linear approach, circular fashion focuses on three main principles: reduce, reuse, and recycle.
Let's break it down:
Reduce:
This means reducing the amount of clothing waste we create. We can do this by buying fewer clothes and being mindful of our purchasing decisions.
It's about asking ourselves if we need something before buying it and avoiding impulse purchases.
By reducing our fashion consumption, we can reduce the demand for new clothes, which helps conserve resources.
Reuse:
Reusing clothes is an essential part of circular fashion. Instead of throwing away clothes, we can find new ways to use them.
For example, you can participate in clothing swaps where you can bring your unwanted clothes and swap them for something new to you.
You can also get creative and upcycle old garments, turning them into something new and unique. By reusing clothes, we extend their lifespan and reduce waste.
Recycle:
Recycling clothes is another crucial aspect of circular fashion. When we can no longer wear or upcycle our garments, we can recycle them.
Many brands and organizations have collection programs where you can donate your old clothes for recycling. These clothes are then transformed into new materials or products.
Recycling helps reduce the need for new resources and minimizes the overall environmental impact of fashion.
How Consumers Can Become Circular Fashion Leaders
While the fashion industry works on incorporating circularity into the lifecycles of new garments, there are things we can do as consumers to take a hands-on approach to circular fashion right now.
Here are 7 ways we can become leaders in circular fashion:
Shop vintage and resale whenever possible:
Shopping vintage or resale means buying secondhand clothing instead of brand-new items.
By doing so, you're extending the lifespan of garments that have already been produced. It reduces the demand for new clothing, which in turn reduces the consumption of resources and minimizes waste.
Shopping vintage and resale is a great way to embrace circular fashion principles of reusing and reducing.
Upcycle garments and fabric waste:
Upcycling is a creative way to give new life to old garments or fabric waste.
Instead of throwing them away, you can transform them into something new and valuable.
For example, you can turn old jeans into a denim skirt or repurpose fabric scraps into accessories like bags or headbands.
Upcycling promotes the reuse of materials, prevents them from ending up in landfills, and showcases the concept of circularity.
Swap, donate, or sell clothes:
Swapping, donating, or selling clothes are all ways to keep garments in circulation.
When you swap clothes with friends or participate in clothing swaps, you're exchanging items you no longer wear for something new to you without buying new clothes.
Donating clothes to charity or selling them extends their lifespan by allowing them to be used by someone else.
It's a way to practice reusing and reducing waste.
Purchase quality garments that will last:
Investing in quality garments made to last aligns with the circular fashion principle of reducing.
Fast fashion often produces low-quality clothes that quickly wear out or become unfashionable.
Choosing well-made items reduces the need for constant replacements and minimizes the waste generated by disposable fashion.
Quality garments have a longer lifespan and can be passed on or resold, contributing to circularity.
Clean, mend, and remove stains instead of throwing clothes away:
Instead of discarding clothes with minor issues like stains or small tears, embracing circular fashion means caring for them.
By cleaning your clothes properly, you can remove stains and keep them looking fresh.
Additionally, learning basic mending skills allows you to repair minor damages and extend the lifespan of your garments.
By opting for cleaning and mending instead of throwing clothes away, you're reducing waste and embracing the circular fashion concept of reuse.
Recycle garments:
Sometimes, garments are too damaged to bring back to life. In this case, consider recycling them so that these materials can be used to make new garments.
Spread awareness:
Talk to your friends, family, and classmates about circular fashion and its importance. Encourage them to adopt sustainable practices, too.
By incorporating these practices, you're actively participating in the circular fashion movement and contributing to a more sustainable and environmentally friendly fashion industry.
Fashion resale, upcycling, and vintage shopping are growing year after year.
Joining the movement now will help you lead others to make their wardrobes more sustainable.
Over time, this will pressure manufacturers to get with the times and make new clothing as sustainable as possible. It also helps to support local designers and fashion brands.
The overall effect is a more sustainable future for your personal style.
