Sustainable trends are on the rise, especially when avoiding fast fashion and purchasing eco-friendly clothing and accessories.
Fast fashion now contributes to more CO2 emissions than the shipping and aviation industries combined, so it is more important than ever to opt for sustainable clothing and accessory alternatives wherever possible. However, fast fashion brands have recently seen their sales plummet; UK-based brand ASOS has witnessed first-half losses of over £290 million. As a result, shoppers are cutting back, with UK sales dropping 10% and US sales by 7%.
Luckily the market for preloved, vintage and handmade clothing and accessories is becoming more popular than ever before. However, sometimes it is hard to know where to start when shopping sustainably, so we have compiled three easy alternatives to avoid fast fashion and make more ethical shopping choices.
Handmade Clothing
If you’re looking for a new hobby while avoiding fast fashion brands, knitting and crocheting clothing is perfect for you. These crafts are gaining popularity on social media sites, such as Instagram and TikTok, due to the rise of ‘cottagecore’ and ‘grandmacore’ trends. Knitwear and crochet clothing are currently a huge style trend that is more accessible than ever due to the vast amounts of tutorials that can be found online.
Not only does handmade yarn clothing act as an alternative to fast fashion but it is also labelled as a healthy addiction due to its vast benefits on your well-being. For example, the crafts can help relieve symptoms of anxiety and depression, reduce stress, create a sense of purpose and help with insomnia, among other benefits.
Plus, many people have turned their passion for crafts into full-time careers by selling their clothing online using sites like Depop and Etsy. For example, @yarnstrulytreasures has over 33k Depop followers and has sold over 2500 handmade knitted pieces to buyers on Depop. So, if you’re struggling with creating pieces yourself or lack time in your day-to-day life, another option is to purchase these handmade pieces online from preloved fashion sites.
Preloved Luxury
Often with luxury fashion, it feels like there are no alternative and sustainable options to buy the pieces you love and ensure they are 100% authentic. However, the luxury fashion and accessories industry has seen a considerable rise in the selling of preloved luxury items as a way to appease Gen Z buyers with an interest in sustainability.
By 2027, the luxury clothing and accessories industry is forecasted to see second hand sales take up 5.7% of the market. Many items are sold online in fantastic condition for nearly half the price of brand-new items; for example, second-hand luxury timepieces have seen a massive boost in sales for this reason. The industry is forecast to reach over 2,200 million dollars in revenue by 2027, which is no surprise as watch enthusiasts are investing more and more into vintage timepieces.
Rolex is a popular brand increasing the accessibility of preloved watches as they have recently moved into the second-hand market. It is now easier than ever to purchase a professionally certified Rolex watch for a great price. It is often difficult to buy luxury watches, especially from brands like Rolex, with extensive waiting lists due to their high demand and low supply, so buying second-hand can be the perfect option to avoid waiting lists.
Luxury watch experts have offered some tips you should consider when purchasing a second-hand timepiece:
- Make sure to research and find a reputable seller with certification from the watch brand you’re buying. Try reading reviews on trusted websites, like Trustpilot; looking at the seller’s website alone can be risky as they could easily falsify these reviews.
- Gain a good idea of the average price range of the timepiece before purchasing it. If the price is low, it could be too good to be true and may lead to you buying an inauthentic product.
- Always ensure the watch comes with official papers and the original packaging where possible. This will provide reliable certification and can help if you ever decide to re-sell your timepiece.
Shopping From Small Businesses
Purchasing quality over quantity is one of the simplest changes you can make to impact the sustainability of your wardrobe. This can often be done by purchasing from small businesses as they take care when producing clothing and use ethical processes. Unfortunately, most chain stores will produce overseas, adding to pollution through shipping processes.
Although some small businesses have hefty price tags, in the long run, it works out cheaper as good quality clothing lasts ten times longer than poorly manufactured fast fashion items. Purchasing quality over quantity can be a great way to cut down on buying habits and waste, reducing the amount of clothing ending up in landfills.
In 2021 it was reported that 73% of clothing ends up in landfills; this is an astonishingly high amount of waste that can be reduced with these simple lifestyle changes.
Furthermore, purchasing from small businesses is great for making capsule wardrobes by simplifying your closet and having a small number of high-quality and interchangeable pieces.
Start by clearing out your wardrobe, ensuring pieces are discarded sustainably to second-hand stores, sold on preloved sites or given to friends and family. Then choose a colour palette to work with and ensure all your pieces are interchangeable. Finally, it is important to be 100% in love with every clothing item to ensure it will be consistently worn.