Some of you may know that I don’t really buy a lot of firsthand clothes anymore. This was after I saw the documentary ‘The true Cost’. I try to buy my clothes either secondhand or GOTS organic. Now I would loooove to get into why I am doing this, and if it’s actually hard for me.
Why?
Because there are so many pieces of clothing on this planet (in 2015 there were 100 billion pieces of clothing made), a lot of this clothing goes to waste. Many brands burn leftover clothing because they don’t want it to go to sale. Or it’s not the right color for the season. This creates major polution. Also, fast fashion is totally a thing of this time, people buy a piece of clothing to maybe wear it once or twice, and throw it away after, or donate it. A lot of these donations sit on landfills, or go to countries like Haiti, where they release toxic fumes and make local people sick (this also tells you about what chemicals go into your clothing, yikes).
The biggest factor into me buying secondhand or GOTS organic is that the people who work to make our clothes are often not paid a living wage. They work under horrible circumstances and a lot of the times it’s little kids that make our clothes. That is not right to me. The GOTS trademark shows that the people who worked on our clothes were paid and treated fairly. That is very important to me.
But FairTrade is much more expensive
True, but it’s also better quality. And it is fair on the people who make our clothes. It’s also easy to combine FairTrade and secondhand because then the costs basically even out.
Is it doable, and will I still be able to follow the latest fashion?
Yes it is doable, I will show you some examples of the clothes I have bought since my decision, and even the latest fashion can’t keep up with the latest fashion. It’s about actually reinventing your own style and putting some of your identity in it. It may be scary but it can also be a big part of self-expression.
Blouse and pants (United Wardrobe)
Skirt (United Wardrobe)
Blouse (J’adore Vintage), shoes (United Wardrobe)
Sunglasses and skirt (United Wardrobe)
Jacket and dress (United Wardrobe)
To me it has been a lot of fun to find my own style again and to experiment with what I actually like. Of course I still fail to always buy FairTrade, but I’m trying my best. If any of you know nice FairTrade lingerie brands, please do let me know.
Love,
Adriana
Adriana Christina 