It's scenes like this that have inspired me to do a year of "no buy" this year. No clothes, accessories, makeup etc...

Realized it's going to take me at least a couple years, if not more, to work through what I already have before I need to buy more.

This is why it drives me nuts when people say that the clothes in thrift stores are only for low-income people, and that you're taking away clothes from them if you are not low-income and shop there - there is no used clothes shortage! (This is real twitter discourse). We are drowning in clothes, thrift stores aren't going to run out.

Anonymous wrote:also blame the "returners". There are people who return way more than they should, or return used things etc.

Be more selective when you purchase and do not return. Many returns get chucked. Donate your returns or consign them.

+ a million on trying our best not to return. I have a cousin who will order a lot of crap or buy it at Costco, then return most of it. She especially likes to wear items, then return to Costco or Nordstrom, other places that have generous return policies.

I never buy clothes. Why? Because they are all trash using synthetic fabrics. Cotton lasts much longer and breathes well but it's hard to find clothes made out of 100% cotton anymore.

Honestly, my recent “new” clothes are items I got from my Buy Nothing group. I find lots of nice things there, and give away many clothes that way too.

Anonymous wrote:Pudgy middle aged mom here who has been living in the same 3 north face fleeces and 2 flannel shirts for the past 3 years. Thank you for making me realize that my poor sartorial choices are in fact saving the world! Eco-conscious never felt so cozy.

This cracked me up. Hate shopping and so behind the times on trends. But now I can feel good about it!

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.

+1 whether it's "fast fashion" or otherwise the issue is pur consumption - how much is bought and disposed of.

I have some relatively inexpensive items that I've had and used for a long time.

I like that H&M both takes clothes for recycling and uses recycled cotton in a lot of its clothes while maintaining really affordable prices.

Pudgy middle aged mom here who has been living in the same 3 north face fleeces and 2 flannel shirts for the past 3 years. Thank you for making me realize that my poor sartorial choices are in fact saving the world! Eco-conscious never felt so cozy.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:also blame the "returners". There are people who return way more than they should, or return used things etc.

Be more selective when you purchase and do not return. Many returns get chucked. Donate your returns or consign them.

Lol thrift stores put stuff in landfills.

What’s the giggle for? Thrift stores do landfill a lot, but a lot of it’s the fast fashion/regular but cheaply made clothes that people donate. You can’t blame thrift stores for throwing away what won’t sell.

Fast fashion comes in for a lot of blame but I don’t think fast fashion is the biggest culprit; I agree with the people who say that our cultural addiction to more more more is probably worse. We all know people (and some of you are the people) who own 30-100 pairs of jeans, another 30-100 pairs of jeans, etc. for all their clothes. It’s literally unsustainable and the true costs to the planet and the people who live on the margins are invisible to the overcomsumer.

I think the insistence on “capsule collection” wardrobes drive away people who might consume less but don’t really want to be mentally limited to an arbitrary number of articles of clothing.

Colorful Standard offers clothing in two dozen colors but they’re made in Portugal and they ask right on their website - do you really need that? I haven’t bought from them yet so I can’t say what the quality is.

Anonymous wrote:also blame the "returners". There are people who return way more than they should, or return used things etc.

Be more selective when you purchase and do not return. Many returns get chucked. Donate your returns or consign them.

Lol thrift stores put stuff in landfills.

“Avoiding the mall” is silly.

Focus on the fabric and quality. Some fabrics simply last longer.

I still wear black flip flops I bought at J Crew in the 1990s.

Ditto for a black trench coat I bought at the Gap in 1997.

My husband’s flannels from Abercrombie and Gap from the early to mid 90s are still in great shape. Ditto for Ralph Lauren items. (I have a handful of boys, and they’ve been wearing Polo hand me downs for decades.)

My suits and certain blouses/shells have held up for decades.

The key is to assemble a wardrobe that has mix and match pieces for work and play. I follow an Instagrammer who highlights minimalist fashion capsules, and her pics show how you can essentially cover all bases with just a few pairs of pants, tops, a blazer and shoes.

Take care when laundering the clothes you already have so they last longer. Wash clothes less often, turn garments inside out to avoid snags and protect color, stop using dryer sheets and fabric softener, use white vinegar and wool dryer balls instead.

We have a global economy built on production and consumption that results in products being discarded when we’re done with them. It’s a fundamental fatal flaw. It’s admirable for individuals to reduce their consumption, but realistically it doesn’t change anything.

also blame the "returners". There are people who return way more than they should, or return used things etc.

Be more selective when you purchase and do not return. Many returns get chucked. Donate your returns or consign them.