Everyone loves a bargain, especially when it comes to our more luxury goods. Online clothing stores like SHEIN, ThreadUp and Cider (even Amazon sometimes), are just a few examples of international, unethical brands that are intentionally feeding into and profiting off of poor labor conditions and the growing demand in the market. As bad as it may seem to buy from these places, does it really stop people? All that information out there about the labor conditions and the effects on the planet, but it’s still cheap and cute.
Note that this advice is not targeted towards those who use websites like this because they are the only size-inclusive brands that have cute trendy clothes, or that it’s all you can afford in a household for new clean clothes. This is for the people like me who just like to save their money and engage in temporary pleasures.
Here are some things to consider, or practices to undertake when shopping for clothes online to limit or cease engaging in fast-fashion.
- Find online discount codes for your favorite clothing brands
This is such a fun one cause usually there are codes online if you just look it up! That, or if there’s an app you can sign up for emails and notifications and get a percent off your first purchase. If you shop consistently somewhere, you might save more money by signing up for free to have an account with them. Rack up some points!
- Think about your purchases for a bit
Believe me, I understand the thrill of finding a cute clothing piece online and ordering it immediately, knowing it’s on its way soon. However, I’ve found that it can also provide a similar feeling if you just add it to your cart and leave it for a bit. This can allow you to really sit on this decision, maybe tomorrow you’ll realize that it’s impractical, that you already have something similar, that you’d never wear it, etc. Lots of fast fashion choices are made by impulse and momentary excitement, so being able to limit that can yield promising results (for you and your bank account).
- Thrift!!
The great thing about thrifting is that it usually has lots of fast fashion pieces among them! Why? Because people realize they didn’t want it and donate it. You’d be surprised how many good finds you can discover at a thrift store, really unique pieces, lots of garbage, but some promising treasures. And it’s cheap! (Depending on where you go).
- Make a Pinterest board for outfit inspiration
Of course I’m going to recommend Pinterest because I’m biased, but it really can help. It supports #2, where you can put together a board of photos or outfit pieces that you are interested in. You can go through it everyone once in a while and take away photos, add some, and generally feed your long-term inspiration.
- Invest in timeless pieces
If you’re going to spend money on clothes, you should want to optimize quality over quantity. Having lots of blanks to style in different ways is key to great style. With statement pieces, this is where you would want to invest more thoroughly. Bold sweaters, shoes, accessories, hoodies, belts, whatever! If you want to not get bored of it and throw it away the next month, invest in a good quality, well fitted, fairly priced item.