Responsible & ethical dressing
Let’s avoid throwing things away!
To quickly address the issue of fast fashion, there's no miracle solution to prevent this type of clothing from quickly ending up in a landfill. That's what they were designed for: you buy them, you wear them, and you throw them away...
As we've already mentioned on our blog, " upcycling " is a great way to avoid throwing things away. The idea is to reuse materials as they already exist and extend their lifespan. In concrete terms, this means making new clothes from old ones! Plus, you don't need tons of fossil fuels or chemicals.
An example?
Take a pair of old, ripped jeans or a baggy sweater and turn them into shorts or a hat. Or repurpose an old T-shirt into a bulk bag. It's just a matter of a little cutting and sewing. Nothing too bad about it!
Some brands specialize in upcycling . They salvage materials and old clothes, then create new designs from them, sometimes on a case-by-case basis. We love the idea of finding unique pieces for our wardrobe or elsewhere!
Terracycle reuses every unused material to decorate its offices.
Of course, the “ Do It Yourself ” trend is our friend! A multitude of videos are available on this subject on the Internet, via blogs and YouTube channels.
Otherwise, donating is a good action and selling at a low price is smart behavior! When the clothes are of good quality and they can be used by someone else, giving them to an association, to friends, or reselling them in a thrift store , in a clothes swap , or on a resale website between individuals , are all good ideas.
Theoretically, if we only bought quality clothes that we really needed, we shouldn't have much left to throw away! Even though it's perfectly normal for clothes and fabrics to eventually wear out...
And for worn-out items, there's always a textile collection container around the corner. The clothes will be sorted and perhaps selected for recycling into building insulation. In the worst case scenario, they'll still be thrown away, but at least you'll have taken a chance.
It is important to keep in mind that we cannot have an absolutely neutral environmental impact, whatever we do.
But a little effort is better than no effort at all!
The Ideal Factory
Our Top Tips : If you live in the Paris region, don't miss La Fabrique Idéale, a highly innovative cooperative that aims to guide us toward clothing autonomy. It's a bit like food autonomy, but for your wardrobe!
Since March 2017, you can learn how to maintain your wardrobe (basic or advanced sewing), make your own clothes (creation, upcycling), and meet committed designers. Among a thousand other things!
For example, it will be possible to co-create clothing. That is, you can come with a project and get advice from professionals, who will then make the garment to your measurements. It's a great way to give even more artistic initiative to designers and customers, and to enhance the human experience! We love the concept, and so does our wardrobe 😉
In any case, if you're into responsible fashion or want to learn more, La Fabrique Idéale aims to create a conscious and collaborative community. In short, a place to make friends!
Let’s take care of our wardrobe!
As you may or may not know, the use phase of a garment can cause a lot of pollution. To reduce your ecological footprint, the first step is to look at eco-labels and find out about the chemical components of laundry detergent ( more information here ).
For the more adventurous, why not try making your own laundry detergent?! It's not rocket science, and they're often made from very basic products like black soap or Marseille soap. You could also consider soap nuts .
It's also important to (re)specify that some clothes don't need to be washed after every day. The same jeans can be worn for several days before washing, especially if they "breathe" between two days. No feeling of dirt, we assure you!
To increase the lifespan of your clothes and limit greenhouse gas emissions, electric clothes dryers should be avoided. The clothes horse is our friend, yes!
Making homemade laundry detergent
Example of a minimalist wardrobe
So, let's get sewing! There's no point throwing away an entire garment over a small snag. For the less adventurous, dry cleaners often offer small sewing services.
Above all, let's opt for a minimalist wardrobe, made up of beautiful, timeless, quality pieces made ethically, respecting the environment and designed using traditional manufacturing methods!
An additional step would be to set a maximum number of items of clothing (let's say 30). And if you buy a new item of clothing, you have to get rid of another one so as not to exceed the maximum number. This encourages you to think carefully before buying anything.
Our Good Deals:
Some ideas for laundry detergent recipes using Marseille soap on the Kaizen website or on the blog “Le Corps La Maison L'Esprit ” ; tips for removing stains on Consoglob ; an introduction to the concept of a “ capsule ” wardrobe on the “ Dressing Responsable ” website; & minimalist wardrobe ideas on YouTube: there are loads of them, especially if in English, including the “ My Green Closet ” channel.
