4 Tips for Creating a Sustainable Winter Wardrobe

With the winter season at the corner, it makes sense to start making a shopping list for your closet. However, if you care about the ecosystem and are an advocate of sustainability, you would want to shop with the environment in mind. While this can be hard, especially for one with little idea of sustainable winter fashion wear, we promise to make it easier with these few tips. Here are 5 tips for creating the right sustainable winter wardrobe.

1. Ignore the fleece

The fashion industry has indeed contributed a lot to global pollution. Many textiles produced in the name of fashion have caused harmful effects on the environment. As an individual who cares about the environment and mother earth, it’s best you ditch fleece materials and adopt other sustainable options.

Here is why.

A study discovered that a single fleece jacket sheds about 250,000 fibres when washed with a washing machine. Unfortunately, these fibres often infiltrate beaches and water supplies as invisible and harmful pollutants. Imagine what happens when these pollutants get into your body system or get ingested by marine life.

Instead of fleece, go for cotton. And if you feel the need to get a fleece garment, opt for second-hand and wash them gently.

2. Go for eco-friendly cardigans.

Of course, when the winter season comes, cardigans and coats become your best companion. However, when shopping for the right cardigan for the winter season, we recommend you go for eco-friendly options, aka sustainable cardigans. Unlike eco-unfriendly alternatives, sustainable cardigans are not only attractive but are also ethical. You can wear them with denim and other high-rise bottoms. 

3. Don’t go for trends

It’s common practice to crave trending fashion wear. Sometimes, we are eager to purchase these clothes and accessories not because we will wear them often but because they are trendy.

Rather than get sucked into trend cycles and buy things you may end up not wearing often, shop by planning. And by planning, we mean thinking about what you intend to buy for the winter season and when you first saw the wear.

If you saw the style on your Instagram feed a few months back, it will vanish soon enough, leaving you with a garment you’ll probably dump later on. This doesn’t mean it’s bad to go for trending garments. Instead, it means you shouldn’t buy garments that encourage thoughts that clothing is trendy and temporary.

4. Steer clear from new animal products

Animal products like leather, wool, and fur contribute to pollution. Many high-quality, affordable second-hand products contain these materials, so buying them new is not needed.

Plus, rather than go for leather, wool, and fur, which are detrimental to the environment, consider better ethical alternatives like leather made from pineapples or wood made from plants. Remember that each time you buy that garment that comes with fur, you encourage the industry to produce more of it, thus further polluting the environment.

Conclusion

Our environment can only be pollution-free when we work together. So while you implement these tips for creating a sustainable winter wardrobe, pass them on to a friend, neighbor, colleague, etc. Explain to them the effects of eco-unfriendly fashion on the environment and let them know how they can help to make the world a greener, better place.