Fast fashion houses have been growing at an alarming pace over the last 5-10 years, along with constant consumer appetite to be ‘on trend’. The latest scandal in the fast fashion industry is the activity of ‘Greenwashing’ (a practice taken on by a brand to label their products as sustainable eco-friendly and/or conscious etc).
Greenwashing is a performative label to deceive consumers about how harmful their purchases really are. I can vouch for myself falling victim to products in the ‘New In’ section that have a huge green tag slapped on the front that reads ‘ALL NATURAL’ without actually asking first; how and with what are these products made, and who makes them?
Now, I am not saying to shred your debit cards immediately to live an unmaterialistic life in the woods foraging for berries and wearing leaves to cover your modesty, but with the lockdown in England slowly coming to an end, it could be the perfect time to re-evaluate our needs.
As a fashion and lifestyle influencer, I can understand how this can sound a little hypocritical, which in some cases I suppose it is, however, it is all about the little changes we can make to live and shop in a more ethical way. A few activities I have stopped over the last 12 months is creating haul videos (unless it’s a charity shop/Depop haul) and thrifting has become my new favourite pastime – in both home renovations and fashion!
A couple of concepts that I have been experimenting with on my Instagram (@ameliawbrown) whilst non-essential shops are closed are ‘Shopping My Wardrobe’ and ‘7 Ways To Wear’ which, as the titles suggest, involve me pulling together the pieces I already own to see me through each season of the year and styling a staple piece 7 ways.
This could be a midi dress intended for Spring but paired with a pair of knee-high boots, a jumper and coat et voila, it makes the perfect A/W outfit. To accessorise my outfits, I have been turning to Depop and eBay for inspiration – essentially when I see something I like on someone else I’ll try to find it first from a second-hand website, which is usually cheaper anyway!
I guess what I am trying to say in this piece, is that unfortunately, a lot of us, for a whole host of reasons and myself included, do not have the luxury of shopping high-end, sustainable and slow fashion pieces. This article isn’t intended to guilt the reader but instead to push you to find excitement in your current wardrobe and how you can style the beautiful pieces you already own and loved at one time.
Happy styling!
