Just how sustainable is my wardrobe? - Celebrating Fashion revolution week

It’s fashion revolution week and it’s really got me thinking just how sustainable is my own wardrobe? 

Am I living my own values?

And where could I make small changes for the better?

When I think about the problems we face collectively, I often come back to how much things would change if everyone just got happy with having and using less - investing in quality over quantity and truly looking after the things that we do have. 

It's the counter narrative to our capitalist, throw away, keep up with the latest trends, exponential growth obsessed, western culture and its an interesting one to reckon with, being a creative small business owner!

 In light of this, I’ve decided to make some personal commitments this fashion revolutions week. I’m going to:

Learn how to create a capsule wardrobe! 

I have been wanting to do this for literal years!

I LOVE the 'use less' and creative concepts behind this approach and can't wait to put it into action in my own life, although as a bit of a secondhand collector / creative hoarder, I know I am going to have to unlearn some very ingrained habits! 

I will be sharing videos on our socials as I embark on learning how to do the capsule thing well for myself.

Firstly, what even is a capsule wardrobe??

A capsule wardrobe is a thoughtfully curated collection of essential and versatile clothing pieces to suit your lifestyle, that can be mixed and matched to create a variety of outfits. 

The concept emphasises quality over quantity and focuses on timeless style not keeping up with the latest trends. The core principles of a capsule wardrobe are versatility, quality, and cohesion. 

To get me started, I grabbed this list off wikipedia as a guide and added some extra bits that I learned along the way -

• 1. Assess Your Current Wardrobe - Before you start building your capsule wardrobe, take a look at what you already have. I emptied my entire wardrobe out and then made 3 piles - 1. Keep 2. Maybe 3. Compost / opshop / gift away. Make sure you remove any items that don't fit! This will make a HUGE difference to how you feel about yourself each day when you are getting dressed.  You can store them away if your really attached to them and think you may wear them again someday but my advice is to let them go to new homes.

• 2. Define Your Personal Style. After making my piles I looked at what went with what. Choosing / defining or even discovering your colour palette is a really helpful thing to do at this stage. 

• 3. Make a List of Essential Items. This list can then help you determine which of your 'maybe' pile items are essential and that you need to keep. You can also make a list of things that you may need to collect too. 

• 4. Invest in High-Quality Pieces. In my wardrobe I discovered that since starting making our clothing, I now have a collection of staple pieces that are quality, comfortable and versatile. My particular style then loves to pair them with earthy over shirts, scarves, bandanas and black boots or leather sandals. 

• 5. Shop Second-Hand or from Sustainable Brands. I am so lucky to be Clarey's partner! My wardrobe has gone from a mess of only secondhand clothing that I have hacked at with scissors to change the fit or style to now having a fun combination of both ethical and opshop pieces. 

• 6. Mix and Match. I had a fun session of mixing and matching things up to see how many outfits I could make with what I had. I added a few more pieces to my essentials list at this stage. 

• 7. Care for and mend your Clothes. This is the ultimate step in creating a more sustainable wardrobe. Extending the life of your garments will not only reduce your impact by using / needing less, it will also save you lots of cash! 

Creating my capsule wardrobe feels like a really positive step in minimising my impact in this one area of my life. 

Just to go a little deeper on a few things that will take this change to the next level, and that are also simple powerful choices in themselves to begin your personal journey toward being part of a new fashion paradigm are - 

1. Look after your clothes. 

I know it sounds obvious, but this one is so important. Your of to a good start buying higher-quality clothes as they are likely to last longer but their longevity ultimatley comes down to how well you care for them.

Follow the care instructions on your garments, wash them inside out, dry them in the shade, store them away from mould or heat and apply the care rule to everything in your wardrobe.

The more you care the less often you will need to replace things. Our G-mas, were totally onto this one! 

2. Learn how to repair your clothes (or find a local tailor) 

Mending has become a whole creative movement.

I LOVE seeing creative ways to turn a problem into a beautiful solution. Mending also gives you a deeper connection with your clothes.

Through taking the time to mend you learn to understand the pieces and fabrics better which leads to wanting to take even more care of them. 

3. Invest in quality over quantity 

When buying something new, take the time to research the brands ethics and commitments to the environment.

You need to be extra careful of buzz words and hollow statements and look deeper. Most brands who really do care and that are doing their best will likely share their story and choices around their production methods, offsets and social ethics on their websites.

Working in thoughtful ways definitely requires more time, effort and money so you can assume that they want to show this side of their business as a part of their brand story. 

4. Invest in trans-seasonal pieces. 

 Look for items that are versatile and will work across multiple seasons using layering and different styling ideas. 

5. Donate or gift your unwanted or surplus clothing.  

Once you have your wardrobe full of all you need, you could adopt a one in, one out approach.

I can see how this one will be essential in maintaining a capsule wardrobe (Especially for me as half of a clothing design team!) 

 What are you going to focus on this Fashion revolution week? Remember, one small change at a time can add up to huge social change! Lets support each other to learn some healthy habits around our clothing!

Much love! xx