How to get a more sustainable wardrobe

Everyone needs clothes. Period. Having said that, there’s no need for overflowing wardrobes and crammed drawers - you can look good and feel comfortable without over-consuming. But how do we dress more sustainably – or rather, how do we get a more sustainable wardrobe? Here are 6 suggestions on how to create a more sustainable closet.

6 tips for a more sustainable wardrobe

1. Review your clothing consumption and see if there’s a pattern in your shopping habits. Maybe you buy many clothes on sale, resulting in impulse purchases you rarely wear. Maybe you buy clothes of poor quality that easily tear and get thrown away. By becoming more aware of your clothing consumption, you can slowly but surely start making better choices to reduce your clothing waste.

2. Review your relationship with clothes. Go through the biggest reasons why you buy new clothes: Do you need to? Do you want to? Or maybe a combination of both? It’s not about never shopping, it’s about shopping with intention and trying to balance wants with needs.

3. Beware of the sale trap. Of course, it's fun to find clothes at a reduced price, but the risk with big sales is that you shop because it's cheap - not because you need to or like the clothes. So, think twice before heading to the checkout - do I need this? Do I have anything at home like this?

4. Do some research about the clothing industry. By reading about and becoming more aware of the clothing industry's impact on people and the environment, it might be easier to make better shopping decisions. Look for brands with a more sustainable production and when it's time to shop, buy from them.

5. Shop secondhand. By shopping secondhand, you take a big step towards a more sustainable wardrobe. In this way, you contribute to the reuse of clothes, instead of new production. So, if you haven't already done so, start exploring the range of secondhand shops for the opportunity to find garments that are nicer to your wallet and the environment.

6. Hand in old clothes. Eventually, all the clothes reach the end of the road. They might get too big or too small, break or discolor, or you might simply not have any use for them anymore. The best thing you can do in this situation is to hand them in, either to a secondhand shop, a charity, or a recycling center. This way, you do what you can to prolong their life cycle.