Recently the world has started to wake up to the negative impacts that fast fashion has on the environment and I realized I needed to make a change to shop more consciously. I refused to downgrade my closet for the sake of the planet and went on a mission to find the best ways to shop sustainably. My goal was to source quality used clothes to divert them from going to a landfill and save myself money in the process.
Here are a few reasons why fast fashion is a problem for the environment:
- The fashion industry accounts for 10% of global carbon emissions
- Of the 100 billion garments produced each year, 92 million tonnes end up in landfills. (That is the the equivalent of a garbage truck full of clothes going to a landfill every second)
- The average US consumer alone throws out 81.15lbs of clothes every year
Thankfully, you no longer have to choose between planet and style. Here are 5 shops that allow you to have it all:
Nuuly is a clothing rental and vintage shop that lets you rent 6 items per month for about $95 all-in-all. If you love something, you’re able to purchase it at a discount. I’ve been using this service for a few months and absolutely love it!! Everything I’ve rented has been stylish, good quality and gets me tons of compliments. Additionally, unlike shopping in stores and hoping the item will hold up or hoping I’ll continue to like it, I get to try the piece for a month and see if something is really worth purchasing. There have been a few pieces I realized I couldn’t live without and purchased for a discounted price.
ThredUp is an e-commerce thrift store. Not only do they have a huge selection but you can also send ThredUp clothes you want to get rid of for them to sell. ThredUp will pay you for the items they can sell or give you credit for their store. When shopping on ThredUp, I love how you can filter for quality, such as “like-new” or “gently used.” This allows me to buy items that are much cheaper than they would retail for but they don’t look or feel used at all. You can also return most items if they don’t fit right.
Looking for unique, designer items? The Real Real offers high-end fashion that is easier on your wallet and the planet. You can also resell your luxury clothes and accessories to The Real Real.
Depop is a thrifting marketplace. You can search for the perfect pair of thrifted jeans or set up a shop to resell your own items. I’ve found some really trendy and good quality pieces on Depop for great prices. I’ve never set up a shop on Depop but many sellers look to be quite successful on this site.
Similar to Depop, Poshmark is a thrifting marketplace. I like this site particularly when trying to find a specific item. I’ll often search for a specific brand and style of shoe or purse and find it being resold on Poshmark for much cheaper than what it retails for. I find many of the items are near brand-new because people often buy things ‘final sale’ and realize it’s the wrong size or it doesn’t look good on them. Getting myself a brand new pair of shoes for
30-50% off what they are selling for in stores makes me silently cheer in my head “scored!”
No longer are we living in a world where thrifted means something dusty and worn out from ebay. Now there are amazing options to rent and buy vintage without compromise. Ready to level up your closet while saving money and the planet?
Warmly,
Anna