Discover British Independent Shops Online
Shopping for clothes can be eco-friendly and sustainable. There are ways to have a gorgeous wardrobe and be conscious of the planet and social impact.
I have 4 ways for you to easily shop for clothes that can make a real impact on the growing destructive impact that fashion is having on our world.
More and more information is coming to light about what the fashion industry is doing to our world. The environments it is destroying, the social injustice of the workers involved in the fashion industry and the amount of waste fast fashion produces. All so scary.
Sustainable Fashion ways to buy clothes eco.
I for one have started thinking more and more about what I am wearing from a sustainable fashion perspective.
But what can we as individuals, do to contribute to the sustainable fashion movement? How can we each make our own little impact on this growing problem?
Digging into the facts is scary. Watching the many fashion industry documentaries is even scarier. We all need to start making changes now.
We can all do our bit.
At the end of the day, if we don’t buy (or at least buy much less) fast fashion and if we think about where and what we buy, retailers will have to take note.
We should all buy what we need and stop the buying because it was a bargain mentality. Only buy clothes that are good quality and will therefore last.
Decide what you need. Buy only what you will be happy to wear over and over again. That small difference will slow fashion down and stop this ongoing conveyor belt of cheap and environment destructive clothing. Let’s face it, we don’t need all this awful clothing any more. So let’s stop buying it.
Colmers Hill Fashion Boutique – Marble skinny jeans and scarf & top set.
The independent fashion boutiques of both the online world and the high street, tend to be a much better place to shop. They choose pieces that are well designed, good quality and ethically sourced.
Colmers Hill Fashion Boutique advocates slower fashion. They encourage people to make the most of their wardrobe by buying clothes they are happy to wear over and over. The clothes they stock are well made from quality materials. The brands they stock do their bit to make sure they create clothing ranges that are sustainable and eco.
Penny, who runs Colmers Hill Fashion Boutique, has written a brilliant blog post about sustainable fashion. So many useful tips and reasons for choosing to shop at a boutique, a must read.
Belle Modelle animal print jumper.
Another gorgeous independent boutique is Belle Modelle. The lovely Leila, who owns it, is always looking to source clothes you will want to wear a lot. Pieces you can adapt for different occasions and will sit well in a capsule wardrobe.
The range is colourful, and suitable for a range of ages. Belle Modelle take care in pulling together their collection. You can go direct to their website Belle Modelle to see their fabulous range.
Daffodowndilly hoodie. British designed, British made.
There are many symbols to help the fashion industry convey how ethical and environmentally conscious the makers are. Which is brilliant.
One way to buy from a sustainable fashion source, is to buy those designed by a small British designer. There are very few now who do not have a sustainable fashion brand and they are proud to tell you. So they are easy to spot.
Clothes bought this way are unique. It may sound an expensive way to shop, but actually it isn’t.
Daffodowndilly have a great range of scoop neck T-Shirts and hoodies. All with brilliant designs created by Becky the designer and owner behind Daffodowndilly. Each top you order is made in the UK to order, using organic materials from renewable and responsible sources. This is so good on so many level; unique, sustainable fashion at such great value.
You can find the Daffodowndilly shop here.
I have lots of womens fashion inspiration over on Pinterest.
Small independent businesses who hand make clothes to order. Such a brilliant way to buy clothes. Unique, handmade, good quality and made to order. No waste, no unethical treatment of the workforce and sustainable. Win win!
Children’s clothes are a perfect example.
Beyond Measure sewing bag. Make your own, repair and customise.
As we all start to think about where our clothes are coming from, there is now a movement towards making our own. Making our own clothes is starting to make a come back.
I grew up in a family where my Mum made lots of our clothes, altered them, repaired them and even customised them. Luckily she taught me to sew too and so I am excited to see this buzz for making our own, repairing and customising our clothes returning.
To help with this there are some brilliant independent shops selling all that we need to create our own fashion. One such shop is Beyond Measure who sell an amazing range of tools and accessories for folks who create. They also sell a brilliant range of patterns for clothes you can make really quickly and are very easy to customise and add your own hacks. Grace, who has created this brilliant shop, has chosen the range with care and has sourced her items from talented craftspeople and small companies both in the UK and further afield. You can go direct to Beyond Measure online shop to see more.
I have a brilliant Pinterest board with lots of sewing and making inspiration.
I was listening to a documentary a few months ago about fashion. It was interviewing one of the high street clothing stores (can’t remember which) about fast fashion and the impact this was having on our world.
There were lots of things that they said which were scary and so wrong. But the one thing that stood out to me was; years ago, they made 4 collections Summer, Winter, Autumn and Spring, with a few mini collections thrown in.
Now they released them weekly, because apparently that is what the consumer demands. If we all stopped demanding, they would have to go back to fewer range releases. This would have a massive impact on sustainable fashion, slowing the fashion world down. Plus I am sure it would be a massive boost to creativity of fashion too. Designing 52 collections is not being creative, it is a process, a system.
Good luck with your sustainable fashion contribution.
Barbara
I am always sharing lots of Shopping Inspiration. Join my lovely list if you want to be one of the first to know about giveaways, offers, new shops or what I am up to. I will be more than happy to send you some lovely updates via your email.
Sustainable Fashion and how we can all shop eco for clothes.
All opinions in this blog post are mine. At the time of writing all shops mentioned are members of my shopping directory. Though I mention lots of shops here, you must form your own opinion as to whether the shop and their products are for you.
Tags: Clothes & Fashion Online Boutiques, Shopping Inspiration