Who really wants to think otherwise? 

None of us really want to buy clothes that support unfair practices and damage the environment, but the marketing and PR industries have made such a good job of muddying the waters and the fashion supply chains are so long and complex that within busy lives it’s hard to know how to take a more ethical and sustainable approach to fashion. It’s about changing the way you buy clothes but also about how you look after them and how you dispose of the ones you don’t want. It does depend on budget, accessibility and time but there are lots of different ways to do it. Since I started this blog, I’ve developed my ethical guide to fast fashion. This is  my own set of rules and the way I try to navigate the crazy fashion industry that I love and hate at the same time!

I joined #ethicalhour on twitter on Monday evening (you can join any Monday at 8pm) with some amazingly committed people taking different approaches to ethical fashion and sharing some thoughts. I picked up a few tips so I’ve updated my guide for Fashion Revolution week. 

You can check out earlier posts to find more detail on the different aspects of the guide;

In the Restyle section you’ll find a guide to restyling your own wardrobe, how empowering it can be to understand your body shape and what suits as well as a couple of restyles we did for friends. Invariably people think they have nothing to wear when we arrive but after an hour or two we leave them with at least 7 new outfits, all from their own wardrobe.

I’ve also posted some brand research using a couple of industry guides. Fashion Revolution have recently updated their Transparency Index, now 100 brands are featured. And finally, if you fancy a go at upcycling, there’s also some examples on my blog and Facebook page.

I will continue to post about all of these, I have a couple of wardrobe restyle posts to catch up on and need to have my Summer wardrobe sort. I’m also planning to do some research into more responsible ways to donate your clothes. I read during #ethicalhour that only 10% of clothes donated to Charity makes it into the shop for resale. This seems very low and concerns me, I’d like to find out if this is true and look into some other ways to pass on unwanted clothes. Last night I went to a local clothes swapping event. This type of giving is so much better because it goes to people who actually want it. There are also specific charities such as the ones supporting people back to work who take certain types of clothes.

Ideally, of course, it’s better to think more carefully before you buy, buy quality to last longer and have things repaired so that you don’t need to give so much away. If you have less to donate, you can think more specifically about where it goes.