Are you looking to start shopping more ethically when it comes to buying clothes?
Here are my top tips for avoiding fast fashion and rethinking your shopping habits.
Switching to shopping more ethically can be tricky. It can take a bit of a mindset shift and I know some people find the idea of shopping without having lots of choices when it comes to colours and sizes hard.
But once you get the hang of things, avoiding fast fashion does start to come naturally.
While it might not be possible to avoid fast fashion 100% of the time, there are lots of ways you can avoid it when you feel the need to update your wardrobe with some new pieces.
8 Top Tips For Avoiding Fast Fashion
1. Prepare Yourself
Deciding to shop for slow fashion does mean preparing yourself. If charity shops are your thing that’s great but remember it can often take several shopping trips to find what you’re looking for in the right sizes and colours.
2. Plan Ahead
I shop for all seasons, all year round.
This means I’m never tempted to go out and buy a whole new wardrobe just because the sun is shining or because I have a holiday coming up.
As shopping second-hand can sometimes mean less choice, when I see something I love, I tend to buy it up as I know it might not be there when I go back.
Would I buy a Christmas Jumper in June?
A bikini in November?
Absolutely.
3. Avoiding Fast Fashion: Unsubscribe and Unfollow
If you find it hard to resist sales, promotions and special offers, especially from the biggest fast fashion brands like PLT and ASOS the first thing you need to do is unsubscribe from all of their emails and marketing. This might also mean deleting their apps and unfollowing their accounts on social media.
You may also follow some influencers on social media that do fast fashion hauls and it might be wise to switch off from their content for a while if you find it makes you want to shop.
There are lots of creators out there who do amazing charity shop finds and Vinted hauls which might help inspire you instead.
4. Shop Your Wardrobe
Shopping your own wardrobe can be a great way to start a journey into slow fashion.
Most of us have far more clothes than we know what to do with, and you may find items that you have forgotten about or that could be restyled to fit in with this season’s fashion trends.
5. Avoiding Fast Fashion: Look, Don’t Buy
I still love going to the shops for a browse with my friends, but it’s now extremely rare that I buy anything, even if my friends buy clothes for themselves.
I use this as a way to find inspiration for clothes I like and then I might search for particular items on Vinted or eBay when I get home. Sometimes I’ll even take pictures so I have an exact reference.
This is kind of like that trick where you put items in your online shopping basket and then come back 24 hours later to see if we really want them. Often we shop because stuff is right there in front of us and I find going with the attitude I am not going to buy anything new, even if I see things I really like, can help.
6. Use Second Hand Shopping Apps
I love browsing second-hand shopping apps of an evening. Sometimes I’ll be looking for specific items, other times I’ll just be browsing to see what comes up.
My personal favourite app is Vinted. For me, I find it’s the easiest to use and I can usually find what I’m looking for. But there are lots of other apps out there such as eBay, Depop and Shpock.
7. Buy Brand New With Tags
Now, I realise that not everyone is comfortable wearing clothes that have already been worn by someone else. But, there are plenty of second-hand clothes out there that are brand new and still have the tags on.
Buying these is no different to items that have been tried on in-store. Often it’s because people have bought something and then changed their mind or found it doesn’t fit and then forgotten to return it.
All of the second-hand shopping apps mentioned above have filters that can be set so that you only see brand new items.
8. Make A Wishlist
Another that can help with making the switch to buying less fast fashion is creating a wishlist of your dream items.
Buying second hand is often cheaper which means you often get more for your money. You could switch to buying better quality or even designer clothes which will last longer but spending the same as you were before.
Having a wishlist of those dream items can help you stop yourself when you’re tempted to buy clothes just for the sake of it.