10 Tips for an Eco-friendly Wardrobe

You know the feeling of getting dressed in the morning and wondering if you’re making the right choice? From what shirt should I wear to what shoes should I wear. What looks good with my outfit? To find the answer to these questions, you end up reviewing your entire wardrobe for at least a couple of minutes every day. This stress-inducing routine can be avoided by creating an eco-friendly wardrobe that is also stylish - good for you as well as nature. In this blog post, we’ll give you 10 quick tips on creating an ecologically friendly wardrobe.

1. Repair your clothes for longevity & Sustainability

Let’s start with the most obvious tip. Why buy new clothes when you can simply alter old ones? If your pair of jeans is stretched out, or you are bored of wearing your favorite shirt, then it’s time to give it a new lease of life by altering it. You can make a pair of jeans last longer by patching the holes with denim scraps, or you can make shirts last longer by altering the collars. Darning of a timeless dress or a saree is better than throwing it away. Tailors in India are not expensive and are greatly skilled to help you make minor alterations and darning and give a new lease of life to your garments. Also, it's always great to keep a set of sewing kit at home to sew a jacket or a shirt button or do other minor alterations. Small initiatives go a long way.

If you want to take your eco-friendly wardrobe game one step further, try 30 wears test. This challenge was coined by activist Livia Firth and Lucy Seigle in 2015. In this campaign she encouraged people to give up overconsumption of fast-fashion apparel and have a slower approach to clothing. The idea is to buy few quality garments than purchasing multiple cheap ones. In the world where people don't want to wear a cloth twice, '30 Wears Challenge' dares the participants to wear each purchased cloth at least 30 times, before disposing it. This challenge is very helpful, especially for people who are just starting their eco-friendly wardrobe journey.

Invest in pieces that you can wear all year round, instead of replacing every piece periodically. Good for you, good for nature! Some of the trans-seasonal clothes can include pieces like jeans, t-shirts, timeless coats, formals, classic dresses, and jackets.

Many times we fall in love with something new and pretty, only to find out that it doesn’t fit our budget. This is where second-hand clothes come in. These clothes have been worn before, perhaps by someone who has a different lifestyle than you do, and so you can get them for a fraction of the price. Also, it’s great for the planet as you are not buying new garments. Each new garment manufacturing takes hundreds of liters of water and probably a non-sustainable fabric type is being used. 

There are a number of online platforms where you can sell your used clothes and buy them as well. You can also sell your clothes to thrift stores in your area. 

Here are some websites from where you can purchase second hand clothes in India:

https://bodements.com/

https://bombayclosetcleanse.in/

https://zapyle.com/

https://confidentialcouture.com/

https://www.kiabza.com/

https://vintagedesi.com/

Swapping your clothes with friends and family is a great way to add life to your wardbrobe. You can swap them for special occasions or after wearing them for a couple of times when you are bored of it. There are websites like BorrowMyClothes where you can swap clothes with a group of people all over the world. You can choose the days when you want to swap clothes and then they’ll send you the clothes on those days. It’s a great way to expand your wardrobe and give someone else the chance to make money. 

Before you start your journey on point 4. And 5. above, do a little investigation about your wardrobe. What kind of clothes do you wear? What fabrics do you prefer? What color do you like? How many times do you wear each piece? You need to ask these questions to educate yourself, so that you can buy / swap better. Do not thrift blindly. The idea is to spend on pre-loved items you need and want. If you won't be satisfied with your purchase, you will give up on this habit. This habit needs to be sustained to create an eco-friendly wardrobe.  

With the amplification of concern voices, multiple brands have decided to re-design the way their clothes are being produced. And there are brands that use sustainable methods of production. Support the brands that are trying to be better and the brands that are leading in the Eco-friendly clothing space. These brands opt for natural fabrics, recycled materials, or are making pieces in small batches. You can support a brand to become eco-conscious as well. 

If you give up your dryer, you are helping yourself and the environment in two ways. Firstly, you will be saving your energy bill, as a dryer can use up to 1800 watts to 5000 watts of energy. Secondly, dryers are harsh on your clothes and can damage the texture. Therefore, you will be forced to dispose your clothes sooner than required to. This will not only impact your wallet but also the planet. Because the idea of eco-friendly wardrobe is to reduce the waste and increase the longevity of garments.

Your local tailor can be your friend in your journey of sustainability. You can purchase natural fabrics from local artisans / designers and get your garments stitched from your local tailor, instead of buying from expensive brands. You will achieve your eco-friendly goals and will also be able to bring authenticity to your style by tailor-making your garments. And a huge plus side to this will be the support you will be able to provide to small businesses. 

An eco-friendly wardrobe is at its best, when cleaned using eco-friendly detergent and we can help you with that. We bring to you Ethiek's Concentrated Detergent Powder with eco-heritage of 50 years, formulated in USA. It costs you only Rs.12 per wash load and is 3 times more powerful than other detergents. As it is in concentrated form, it also requires less packaging material, therefore reducing the carbon footprint.