Where fast fashion goes to die

[Anonymous]

This article was so disturbing:

https://www.ecowatch.com/chile-desert-fast-fashion-2655551898.html

The older I get, the more selective I become in what I buy and figuring out where it came from. I also recently got taken by a drop shipper with a clever website designed to appear to be a small business working with "artisans" (ahem, chinese mass merchandise crap) and I'm now very careful about any social media brands.

The catch is I'm not particularly well off and already have a very conservative budget for what I can afford. What brands do you buy from that aren't super expensive but are environmentally conscious?

[Anonymous]

OP, can you just do some online searching for the best thrift stores in your area? “Old” things tend to be better made as a very general rule, and there’s pleasure in finding things in person that goes away with online stuff.

[Anonymous]

Yes, OP, this is a big deal and I'm glad you're bringing it up.

Now that I"m aware of this, I never buy from fast fashion brands at all and also avoid mall retailers unless they have a very specific item I know I'll wear for a long time and I look closely and can see the quality is there.

I avoid trendy items altogether. Chasing trends is a good way to feel like you need an all new wardrobe every few years. Buying more clothes in neutral colors and classic shapes means you should be able to wear those clothes for longer. Some brands I've found to be good for this are Everlane, Quince, & Other Stories, Sezane. Also like the website Amour Vert, which specializes in more sustainable brands and sells a lot of classic shapes, colors, and patterns that won't go out of style in a year.

Rewear clothes more. See if you an get away with 2 pairs of jeans instead of 10.

And whenever possible, buy on consignment. I don't shop often but when I do, I almost always start by looking at local consignment boutiques or websites like Thred Up or the The Real Real. The nice thing is that because I shop less often and am focusing on quality on longevity, I actually have much better brands than I used to. I now own some pieces from Theory, Banjanan, Rag & Bone, and Reformation that are a step up from what I used to buy. All bought in good condition on consignment.

The worst part of transforming your closet in this way is figuring out what to do with old clothes that are falling a part and bad quality. It's taken some work to find places that will recycle fabrics for use in other materials -- a lot of clothing donation places wind up just sending it to landfill also. I wound up cutting up some of my old clothes to make a rag rug for my daughter's room, and others that were the right material to use for cleaning rags. I consigned what I could and also gave some old party dresses and professional clothes to local organizations that help provide prom dresses and interview clothes to women who can't afford to buy things for these events. But it takes work to get rid of those old items and it really hit home for me how irresponsible it was for me to accumulate that stuff to begin with.

[Anonymous]

Fast fashion is not completely to blame. It's the consumer who is buying way too much. For example, I am in a Lululemon lovers group on Facebook and multiple women will post their 30+ scuba hoodie collection. Who even will get through 30+ hoodies in a year? You can't possibly wear each more than a few times. This world is going to be on fire in a few years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Fast fashion is not completely to blame. It's the consumer who is buying way too much. For example, I am in a Lululemon lovers group on Facebook and multiple women will post their 30+ scuba hoodie collection. Who even will get through 30+ hoodies in a year? You can't possibly wear each more than a few times. This world is going to be on fire in a few years.

I feel like I would just post one of the above photos to someone who writes about their collection of 30 hoodies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This article was so disturbing:

https://www.ecowatch.com/chile-desert-fast-fashion-2655551898.html

The older I get, the more selective I become in what I buy and figuring out where it came from. I also recently got taken by a drop shipper with a clever website designed to appear to be a small business working with "artisans" (ahem, chinese mass merchandise crap) and I'm now very careful about any social media brands.

The catch is I'm not particularly well off and already have a very conservative budget for what I can afford. What brands do you buy from that aren't super expensive but are environmentally conscious?

The problem with the people in the article, though, is that, because they arrogantly refuse acknowledge the idea that regular people’s wishes matter, they refuse even to suggest any solutions that involved love making fast fashion more sustainable. They simply say that fast fashion is bad and should go away.

So, they’re a perfect illustration of why the Green Party/Venezuela type approach fails.

Those folks may have identified the problem, but they think the solution to a problem is just forcing people to change. They aren’t humble or flexible enough to come up with workable compromises.

[Anonymous]

I've had a few life changes in the last few months - losing about 20 pounds and leaving my job - and am going to do a big closet cleanout and see what I need to buy. Thanks to this thread I will look at some consignment stores! Are there any people can recommend especially for non-work clothes? Jeans, fun shirts, nice bags?

[Anonymous]

buffalo exchange on 14th Street has nice stuff.

[Anonymous]

I’m buying second hand as much as I can. I’m starting a new job soon that is mostly in person and needed to buy some office appropriate items. Most of it I bought on ThredUP, new with tags. Technically secondhand, but unworn.

[Anonymous]

Anyone have recommendations for consignment/secondhand shops in DC and nearby?

[Anonymous]

You can buy new, just avoid synthetic fabrics.

[Anonymous]

Really, it's about buying less. How many sweaters do you really need? How many pairs of pants? Buy vintage and consignment. Buy local and when you travel, so that the pieces are more special. Learn to mend garments. Have them altered so they fit better. Do clothing swaps.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Really, it's about buying less. How many sweaters do you really need? How many pairs of pants? Buy vintage and consignment. Buy local and when you travel, so that the pieces are more special. Learn to mend garments. Have them altered so they fit better. Do clothing swaps.

Yes! I wish we had talk about this at home or school when I was younger. I loved/ love clothes and have certainly done my part to aid this but as I have gotten older I have become so much more aware of the part I play. I even discuss with my dcs to consider buying an 80$ shirt that is made in US by a small artisan and will last years vs buying 5 tshirts from old navy. ( this is just an example as we were in a store in Portland Maine that had locally sourced clothing but it was expensive!)

This is obviously a luxury of how to spend money that most people do not have, I understand. However, the mind set of consumption is one we can all understand and so I really wish we would all start this dialogue with children when they are young, and before they build bad habits, as they are the ones who are going to suffer.

A number of years ago my dh and I agreed to stop shopping for entertainment. Considerably pre- pandemic when we would go to the mall to “ get out of the house” with toddlers. Now it is more watching the online shopping.

Such an important topic. I have already shared this with a few people so thanks to OP for posting!

[Anonymous]

About half of the clothing I buy now is used.

I'm a hard-to-find size, and so I can't buy everything used, but I can get basics in my size new, and then more fun pieces from places like Poshmark.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This article was so disturbing:

https://www.ecowatch.com/chile-desert-fast-fashion-2655551898.html

The older I get, the more selective I become in what I buy and figuring out where it came from. I also recently got taken by a drop shipper with a clever website designed to appear to be a small business working with "artisans" (ahem, chinese mass merchandise crap) and I'm now very careful about any social media brands.

The catch is I'm not particularly well off and already have a very conservative budget for what I can afford. What brands do you buy from that aren't super expensive but are environmentally conscious?

I go to thrift stores & Poshmark.