Earth Day Resolution | Focusing on Slow Fashion
Happy Earth Day loves!
Today is a day where we celebrate this beautiful planet that we are lucky enough to call home. I'm sure that you've seen plenty of Instagram stories today of cute Pinterest graphics telling you to recycle and save the earth, but it's also important to remember these things everyday! And as wonderful as it is to spread the word, the only way you can really make a difference is to make a conscious effort to do your part. Even if you don't think your individual effort really does anything, if we all focus on the little things, we can collectively make a huge difference over time. Every little bit really does help!
I'm sure that you know the typical ways to reduce waste or lessen your carbon footprint; like recycling, carpooling, reusing shopping bags, etc. And just by implementing these little things as a norm in your everyday lifestyle, you are making a huge difference!
I wanted to start a yearly challenge for myself every Earth Day to implement a new earth-friendly lifestyle change, an 'Earth Day Resolution' if you will..haha! Focusing on one thing at a time will help it become an everyday habit.
As I'm sure you assume, I'm a big shopper. I shop a lot. Like a lot a lot. I could probably be diagnosed with a clinical addiction. But just recently I learned that the fashion industry is one of the greatest causes of pollution in the world.
I did a little bit of studying on the subject, and in case you want to know how bad it really is, here are some facts I pulled from my research:
-Second to oil, the clothing and textile industry is the largest polluter in the world.
- It takes more than 5,000 gallons of water to manufacture just a T-shirt and a pair of jeans.
-Up to 95% of the textiles that are land filled each year could be recycled.
-The average American throws away about 81 pounds of clothing every year.
If you've ever heard of the term slow fashion, it refers to a movement pushing the purchase of higher quality, timeless goods, rather than cheap and trendy pieces that come and go within months, even weeks. Focusing on this will help eliminate the waste that comes with the fading of fast fashion trends.
And I'll admit, I am so guilty of this! I love trendy pieces, and I love getting them for a good deal even more. But there is a higher cost to supporting fast fashion that isn't finance related. And no one is saying that you shouldn't shop for trendy and cheap clothes anymore, because let's be real, we all want to fit in and we all want to save some money while we're at it. But thankfully, thrifting is trendier than ever before, and guess what, it's good for the environment too! A win-win if I do say so myself.
If you're looking for an oversized denim jacket, cute new blazer, or a good pair of mom-jeans, skip the mall and look where the trends originally rooted! Whether that's your mom's closet, goodwill, or a handpicked vintage store - Vintage is in. Vintage is trendy. And vintage is recycling!
I was so excited to partner with one of my favorite local shops, Plume, which is a Milwaukee based vintage clothing store. The gals at Plume are not only incredibly sweet, but have the best taste! The store itself is to die for, not to mention their clothing collection!
Vintage pieces are so much fun to play with because they are always so unique and can really help you inch out of your comfort zone. Though shopping vintage may take some patience and creativity if you're not a regular thrifter. Keeping an open mind on how you could style something or change it up to be more your style makes the entire process more enjoyable.
If you love a jacket but you're not a huge fan of the shoulder pads that come with it, just cut them out! Or if you find some jeans that fit you great but the length isn't exactly what you'd like, trim the bottoms to give a distressed cut look! Even just picking the best accessories can top off the outfit just right. Mallory and Sheila (owners of Plume) were super helpful in making suggestions to help us find the perfect pieces!
Mallory and Sheila were kind enough to let my friend Tati and I play dress up and style a couple of outfits to shoot!
I was crushing hard on all of the gorgeous denim pieces they have in store, so we decided to style these dresses together and add a bit of western flare to spice it up a bit!
Tati's look featured a darker denim dress with a snakeskin pattern brown belt! We thought this straw hat added a little extra western feel and of course had to add classic pigtail braids too!
My look was similar, but with a light wash denim dress that came belted, and the cowboy boots were of course a must! I topped off this look with this gorgeous leather floral printed bag!
My second outfit was a monochromatic look inspired by these stunning brown leather boots! I also fell in love with this brown maxi-dress and had to pair the two together!
If you prefer to online shop, you could try resale apps like Poshmark! (Check out mine here while you’re at it 😉) Or if thrifting isn't your thing, there are many companies are beginning to focus more on selling and pushing the purchase of sustainable clothing. All of these options are great ways to lessen the waste that the fashion industry creates.
Aside from focusing on where your new clothes are coming from, don’t forget to focus on where your old clothes are going! Almost all clothing articles can be recycled, and that doesn’t just mean becoming a hand-me-down. When you clean out your closet and gather old stained t-shirts that are so bad you know that Goodwill couldn’t even sell them, don’t throw them away! Many cities have clothing recycling bins where you can dispose of these items so that they can be properly recycled instead of adding to our landfills!
I would love to invite you to join me in creating your own 'Earth Day Resolution' - whether it be focusing on slow fashion along with me, taking shorter showers, or just being more mindful of what you throw in the trash, every little effort helps! I would love to know if and what you decide to focus on this year or even any tips that you have implemented into your personal lives! Please feel free to leave a comment or send a message and let me know, I would love to hear from you!
As always, thanks for reading and be sure to subscribe to keep up and follow along on instagram!
xo
