I now have a new tag on my blog, and it’s called “sustainability.” It’s a topic that we all should never stop talking about as the state of the our earth depends on it. As a matter of fact, my blog was founded on the foundation of a sustainably built wardrobe. The thing is, at the time, I wasn’t really thinking about sustainability. I shopped second hand and vintage because I had to be thrifty, and I enjoyed the hunt of finding pieces that I felt that no one else was going to have. I built my entire sense of style off of my mom’s hand-me-downs, the $3 rack at my college vintage shop, and the entire slew of Los Angeles Goodwills and Salvation Armys. My parents did a lot of estate sale shopping, especially for home decor, and this gave me the chance to dive into the closets of Beverly Hill’s homes. I came to recognize decades from pattern, prints, color schemes and buttoning. I built stories in my heads of the those that I imagined wearing the clothing that I paid only dollars for. I felt a rush of adrenaline as I filled my closet with color upon color. Today, I still have these same feelings when it comes to second hand and vintage shopping, only I am now far more conscious of the correlation between the fashion industry and our earth’s longevity. As fires rage across our planet, animals die from trash that gets unloaded into the ocean, and as large brand’s take advantage of the cheap labor in poorer countries resulting in inhumane work conditions, just a few of the many horrendous happenings that our earth has had to face, stepping into a department store full of racks upon rack of brand new clothing at insane prices but without the quality of decades ago makes me almost sick. It’s a hard thing for someone like me who makes a living of wearing and promoting clothing, who loves the creativity that fashion instills in her, but who also cannot stand the idea of wastefulness and its effects on the planet.
It’s hard for me to say a hard no to buying anything brand new or working with fast fashion brands here and there because I still want to promote a fashion sense that is accessible to those who cannot invest in higher quality items. Even high quality vintage can be an expensive luxury today. I’m here to be realistic about my sustainability goals for myself. I cannot promise to be 100% sustainable. As a fashion blogger, I will always continue to work with brands on new product launches makes sense with my personal style, but I want to make a commitment to promoting products that I honestly know will have longevity when it comes to quality and time spent in my closet. On top of that, I want to make a commitment to bringing my wardrobe back towards mostly second hand or vintage pieces. Being conscious of shifting towards this change will make a difference over time, and that is a good start. This shift started early last year, where I naturally found myself buying less new things and became more particular when it came to accepting gifting and sponsorships from brands. My mindset fell into one of “less is more”. Less rush. Less stress. Less impatience. Cleaner eating. More head space to give room for listening to my body. Less clutter in my home space. It was natural that this mindset would apply to my closet. And thinking about sustainability and the impact it can have on the future makes it an even easier decision to make this shift. It helps to care.
Nobody is perfect, and I am far from it, but I am excited to start this fashion journey towards something that is better. I realize I don’t need to sacrifice my style for sustainability. In fact, I believe my style will thrive because of it. Just like it did the day I did my very first blog post all those years ago featuring an all second hand look that cost under $30. Here’s to caring more, spending less and wasting less.
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