How to Shop Sustainably

The fashion industry is one of the world’s biggest polluters and notorious for it’s low wages worldwide, all to keep up with fast fashion trends in an age of immediate gratification. 

LA CAUSA, THE CAUSE

Recently the word sustainability has been thrown around by different brands and influencers and become a “buzz” word.

I’ve been doing some research and looking into sustainability and what it means to shop ethically, and came across some great documentaries educating people on the Fast Fashion industry and how it plays into our world. This is going to be a long (but worth it) post to read.

I sat down for brunch on Saturday with my friend Sarah who exudes knowledge and awareness for all things sustainable and ethical and has inspired me to make simple changes to my lifestyle and shopping habits (AND she has a Youtube Channel with almost 1M subscribers)! We wanted to give you some tips & tricks to be more aware and learn to take steps to adopting a sustainable lifestyle.

What does being sustainable look like? Sustainability to me means making an effort to help the environment and others in some way. It might look like bringing your own coffee mug to Starbucks before work in the morning or bringing your own bags when grocery shopping. In fashion, shopping at thrift stores and getting the best possible usage out of your garments.

How can I shop more sustainably? Make yourself aware of brands and stores that are consciously making an effort to better the environment. Before adding to cart, go to the company’s “about us” page and read up on them! Find timeless pieces that can be used in the long run and you can pair with multiple items, therefore overtime creating a capsule wardrobe.

Where are your favourite places to shop? I have started to really enjoy shopping local and building relationships with store owners and I find it so much more enjoyable having unique pieces that not everyone has (throwback to grade 10 when every girl at school would come in the same blue American Eagle sweater post Christmas Break). Sarah and I were talking about the stores we love and came up with this list:

• ARC Apparel -local to Vancouver
• Nettle’s Tale– local to Vancouver
• Montrose and George -local to Abbotsford
• Spruce Collective -local to Abbotsford

All these stores have done the research for you and only carry brands whose products are created with sustainable materials and not producing as much waste or using as much water as other brands. Ethicality (ethicalness?) often comes hand-in-hand with sustainability, and the people who work in these clothing factories get paid fair wages and earn proper breaks. A few brands we love include:

• Kotn
• Levis
• Matt & Nat
• Vivo Barefoot
• Mate the Label
• Alternative Apparel
• Reformation
• Groceries Apparel
• LACAUSA
• Divinius
• Everlane

How can I shop sustainable/ethical without breaking the bank? Honestly, before I started shopping consciously, I was afraid because I thought everything was going to be SUPER expensive and I am a fashion student in Vancouver on a Walmart budget. Sarah said she gets this question all the time too and we agreed that thrift shopping is such a good option and fun to do with friends! Check out a local MCC, Plato’s Closet, Value Village or even shop other people’s closet sales. Most of the brands listed above aren’t break-the-bank worthy either, trust me. I also buy pieces that can be worn with multiple outfits instead of buying 5 white shirts in different styles I do not need. I admit, my wardrobe is probably made up of 80% sustainable clothing and 20% last minute impulse items from my local mall. I’m not perfect but I am trying, and we all have to start somewhere.

I hope this inspires you to shop consciously and take one step forward in being aware of the things that go on behind the scenes in the fashion industry. I recommend watching documentaries (The True Cost) and videos on the fast fashion industry and why to shop slow/sustainable. Watch Sarah’s video here on Why YOU Should Quit Fast Fashion.

Thank you so much for reading and listening to me pour out my passion for slow fashion 😀

xx Marley