10 ways to
build a more
sustainable
wardrobe

Not everyone considers themselves a ‘fashion’ person. But the reality is we all engage with fashion and clothing every single day when we choose what to wear. Fashion means different things to different people. It’s practicality, creativity, fitting in, standing out, it’s cultural, it’s personal. It’s also a sprawling, global business which employs millions of people and generates billions of dollars every year. And it’s taking a toll. 

Creating approximately 100 billion garments every year, the fashion industry is making more than we could ever need. Garment makers are paid subsistence wages to make our clothes faster and more cheaply, meanwhile consumers are throwing them out at such volume that piles of discarded textiles can now be seen from space. 

As stories of fashion’s impact are amplified, there’s a growing sense that we should be doing things differently. But where to start? Taking inspiration from my new book Sustainable Wardrobe, here are 10 tips to transform your relationship with fashion.

1. Always ask questions

The fashion supply chain has for decades been hidden from consumers because brands knew the finer details of how our clothes are made would undermine their finely tuned, glamorous facades. But thanks to consumers and campaigners asking simple but probing questions (Fashion Revolution’s “Who Made My Clothes?” is an infamous example) we’ve had a glimpse behind the smoke and mirrors, making us better able to hold brands to account for standards such as wages, resource use, and waste. It’s important to keep the questions coming. Ask your favourite brands how much they pay their garment makers, what fabrics they use, where they make their clothes, how much they produce, and what steps they’re taking to reduce emissions. A brand doing things the right way should have nothing to hide, so by asking questions you implicitly put their ethics to the test. It doesn’t have to be complicated – an email or a social media comment will do the trick.

2. Read the label

Reading the label is vital for multiple reasons. It can reveal where your garment was made, whether it is certified in any way, what fibres it’s made of, and – importantly – how to care for it. To keep your clothes looking their best for longer, caring and washing according to the label is crucial. Wash too hot and you can cause shrinkage. The same goes for tumble drying when you should air dry. Hanging something to dry when it should be laid flat can stretch it, using too much softener can make whites go grey, and ironing on too high of a temperature is a burn hole waiting to happen. Reading the label only takes a second but it can extend the life of your clothes by years.

5. Clear out mindfully

When the time comes to clear out your wardrobe, don’t go directly to the bin. Instead consider more circular options. Share with or sell to people in your community, sell on an online marketplace, or donate to charities which are looking for the pieces you have. If your clothes are damaged, consider upcycling, donating to craft groups or schools, or – if they’re beyond salvaging – cut them into smaller pieces and use them for dusting and cleaning.

6. Repurpose what you own

Rewind a few decades and the first port of call for a damaged or worn-out garment was to turn them into something else. A formal shirt could become an apron, a blouse could become a child’s dress, a pair of trousers with scuffed hems could become shorts. It was simply the way things were done and it’s a habit we would all benefit from returning to. Even basic hand sewing skills can get you a long way and there are endless tutorials and ideas online and on social media (there’s a selection of practical guides in the book Sustainable Wardrobe too). If you don’t have the skills or time to tackle a project yourself, seek out a local maker or upcycling service or even arrange a skill swap with a friend who sews.

7. Repair don’t replace

A huge amount of items are thrown away due to minor faults like missing buttons or loose seams, and it’s not surprising given that fast fashion has made it so cheap to replace things. However, this throwaway approach to fashion is becoming a blight on the environment, impacting communities in the Global South in particular, as textile waste is so often exported. Instead of adding to the waste pile, repair what you have rather than replacing it. As with repurposing, a simple needle and thread can get many jobs done but if you’re short on time or resources, take advantage of the revival of repair services and pop into a shop offering repairs, visit your local tailor, or sign up to one of the rising number of repair apps. 

8. Amplify other voices

Those who are most impacted by the modern fashion industry, such as garment makers and communities who live near clothing dump sites, are often talked about rather than listened to, but for the fashion industry to transform their voices must be centred. Look to organisations like Remake, the Garment Worker Center, Fashion Revolution, the Asia Floor Wage Alliance, the Awaj Foundation, and The Or Foundation, who work directly with impacted people and communities, and support their work. This can be anything from donating or signing a petition, to sharing a post on social media. By mixing personal and collective action, we can tackle both bottom-up and top-down solutions.