I love clothes. What I don’t love is the horrible practices that exist within fast fashion. From creating clothes with materials like plastic, which will stay on our planet forever and never decompose, to barely paying workers who spend endless hours in horrible conditions, the negative effects of fast fashion are endless.
This creates a sort of dilemma, because as much as I love to evolve my style and participate in creating fun new outfits, I know just how bad fast fashion is. Since cutting fast fashion out completely would be extremely difficult, especially as a college student who does not have a crazy budget to spend on the more expensive sustainable stores, I instead try to simply reduce my fast fashion footprint by practicing sustainability whenever possible. Here are a few of my favorite ways to do that.
Thrifting
Perhaps the most obvious and popular way to practice sustainable fashion is by visiting thrift stores. Not only are the prices at thrift stores often more affordable than if you were to buy a similar item of clothing at the mall, but thrifting is also a great way to find unique pieces. Santa Barbara and Goleta are littered with thrift stores; between the Goodwills and the vintage shops—and everything in between—you are sure to find what you’re looking for! I have been to Destined for Grace and Alpha Thrift Store, which are both in downtown Goleta, and have come away with some great finds!
Thrift stores are also great because they can help find new homes for your old clothes, too. Whether you donate to a small thrift store or go somewhere like Crossroads Trading to get some money or store credit, this is a great way to clean out your closet without sending your clothes straight to the landfill. There are also online thrifting options, such as Depop, Poshmark, and eBay, although I will say that these platforms are often pricier than their in-person alternatives (and may take a while to get to you).
Isla Vista Trading Post
Perhaps I am a bit biased as a member of Isla Vista Trading Post (IVTP), but I absolutely love this organization. Their whole goal is clothing recirculation, which means keeping clothes moving through IV. IVTP runs completely on community donations. A few times a quarter, they take these donations and host “3 for free” events in IV, where anyone from the community can come by and pick out three pieces of clothing for free—no strings attached. A
s a college student with minimal disposable income, I love IVTP because it allows me to refresh my wardrobe without breaking the bank. IVTP also comes to you to pick up your clothing, which means it is so easy to participate in their mission! They are on Instagram @ivtradingpost, where they post donation pickup info, as well as event information. There are tons of resources in their Linktree on IV sustainable fashion resources, as well as information on the perils of fast fashion. If that’s not convincing enough, they also release a quarterly zine with even more info!
Clothing Swaps
In a similar vein to IVTP, but arguably even more accessible, are clothing swaps. Super simple to execute, all you really need is a few participants (roommates, friends, family, anyone!) with clothing that they want to get rid of. You can make a whole night of it by hosting a clothing swap fashion show, or you can make it an annual activity to keep all of your wardrobes fun and interesting!
Upcycling
Another inexpensive way to refresh your closet is by upcycling clothing you no longer wear. Whether it be something simple like cropping an old t-shirt to give it a new silhouette or something more intricate like painting a pair of stained jeans, there are endless ways to get creative with the clothes already in your closet. This is something I personally enjoy doing when something happens to my clothes that makes them “unwearable,” like a stain.
In fact, one of my winter break projects had me sewing fabric flowers all over a jacket of mine to hide a stain sitting right on my stomach. The jacket, which was before just one solid color, now looks like a completely new piece after I made it over! Even if you’re not a super crafty person, you can learn easy upcycling tips and tricks with a quick Google or YouTube search.
Ultimately, there are so many ways to practice sustainable fashion, running from using what you already have to buying second-hand instead of fast fashion. The most important part of it all, I think, is to be a conscious consumer. If we keep spending exorbitant amounts of money at stores that treat their workers horribly and send lots of waste into our environment, those are the practices that are going to continue. So let’s show fast fashion that we don’t stand for that sort of thing, and vote for sustainability with our dollars.